Collective worship is a highly valued and set apart time in the school day and week, where the whole school community can gather together in a time that is honoring and worthy to God.

Collective worship is clearly based on the traditions of the Christian Church, however, it is also a shared activity that allows for a variety of responses, providing an opportunity for those of any religious faith or none to focus and reflect on stimuli which allow the human spirit to respond with integrity. 

Our school is committed to respect the religious communities, or non-religious backgrounds, from which pupils and staff come. We want our times of worship to be an oasis, a place of spiritual refreshment for all.

St Edmundsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's  acts of worship aim to:

• explore the Christian faith with children and staff, especially to celebrate the C of E’s educational vision: Dignity, Community, Hope and Wisdom
• give an opportunity, for those who wish, to worship God, and, for those who don’t, a clear opportunity to demonstrate respect for others
• discover and celebrate key moments of the Christian calendar, and to enjoy and celebrate special moments of the lives of our school communities
• help children to develop a sense of awe and wonder at the world around them, developing a spiritual dimension to their lives and personal relationships
• strengthen and support the school community and celebrate the Christian belief that each unique individual member is made in the image of God
• provide regular time and opportunity for reflection, enabling children to move from what is of immediate but passing concern to the broader and more lasting concerns of life
• provide time and opportunity for thanksgiving and to enjoy the unity which derives from sharing friendship, acceptance, joys, hopes and fears, etc.
• develop an awareness of and concern for the needs of others as well as personal needs
• provide time to share with others the things they have been doing, their thoughts and ideas
• help children to think about Christian values and how these might be shared and put into practice by all in school
• give children experience of being active members of a caring community, who respond in a compassionate and civilised way to experiences of injustice, cruelty, exploitation, greed etc.

A massive THANK YOU to everyone who donated items for the Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal this year. As a school community, we have managed to fill 20 boxes for a range of age groups, both boys and girls. We are so happy that 20 children around the world will now receive a present when otherwise they wouldn't have done. The children at St Edmundsbury have learnt so much during this event about kindness, compassion and generosity. It has been wonderful to see the children so eager to fill these boxes with beautiful treasures for other children to enjoy! Thank you all! 

 October 2021

Key Stage 1 and Early Years really enjoyed coming together for our special Harvest Festival service. Each class performed a super Harvest song, poem or story which were great to watch! Vicar Sarah had everyone on their feet pretending to be combine harvesters and collecting in the wheat to make bread. The children even got to taste some flatbread at the end of the Harvest Festival. We thanked God for the food that we have. 

This half term we have  been looking at our value FRIENDSHIP. We have heard lots of stories from the teachers, vicars and the Open The Book Team. The children always enjoy joining in with acting out the stories. They have loved being back together in the hall for Collective Worship. We have learnt a new song called 'Being a Friend'. If you want to share and practise this song at home here is the link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/school-radio/primary-school-songs-assembly-collective-worship-being-a-friend/z8vmwnb

Today we were celebrating St Michael's Day. 

Canon Philip shared some amazing pictures of Angels with us, some of them were from the stained glass windows in the Cathedral. We talked about one picture in particular where children said that they could see God's Angels protecting Jesus. The children talked about areas in our lives where we want to 'stand up and be heard' to protect Earth. They come up with lots of ideas such as; Black Lives Matter, Protecting animal rights, Helping Refugees in Afghanistan and climate change. Canon Philip encouraged us to be like the angels and aspire to help protect the people and animals on the earth.