The school aims to serve its community by providing an education of the highest quality within the context of Christian belief and practice.  It encourages an understanding of the meaning and significance of faith and promotes Christian values through the experience it offers to all of its pupils.

Collective worship takes place every day in school.  Each week there is a theme which aims to link our values with bible stories and other aspects of the Christian tradition. Although, we look to many parts of the Gospel we have had a particular focus on Luke and his teachings, as we have chosen him as a school. Luke was one of the four evangelists alongside Matthew, Mark and John, who shared the good news of Christianity. It is believed Luke may be responsible for over a quarter of the New Testament, therefore giving us a wide and varied source. He was also a keen advocate for including all which we feel sits very well with our School Vision.

MONDAYS: Whole School Assembly led by Our Reverend. On Mondays, we ‘Pass the Peace’ at the beginning of every assembly. We follow the pattern of the festivals and seasons of the Christian Year. At the heart of each assembly is a story, a ‘Ponder Point’ to reflect on and a prayer from the children.

TUESDAYS: Collective worship in Classes, led by the Class Teacher and sometimes by the children. We have a story from The Bible and discuss the ‘Ponder Point’ posed in the Monday assembly.

WEDNESDAYS: Singing Assembly Led by Mrs Masters for Upper School and Mrs Farmer for Lower school– singing is an important part of collective worship, and this is a chance to learn new songs, and revisit familiar ones, to reflect together on the way that we praise God in worship, and to understand better the words we are singing.

THURSDAYS: Collective worship in Key Stages, led by a visiting minister from one of the local churches or by a member of staff. We also use this time to celebrate things that pupils have achieved outside school (e.g. swimming certificates being presented).

FRIDAYS: A celebration of what has been achieved in school (such as an announcement of the House Point totals for the week; a chance to celebrate and share the acts those children who have been awarded a Buckden Value, awarding of certificates for Honours each term) and the announcement of our ‘Learners of the Week. The Friday collective worship always ends with the School Blessing led by a member of the collective worship team, as a way of sending the children and adults out into the world to live out the values that they live by in school:

Go out into the world in peace. Be brave.
Don’t repay evil with evil. But always seek what is good.
Lend your strength to those who are weak.
Support those who are in need.  Respect everyone.
May God bless you,
And may you be a blessing to your school,
To this community, and to our world.

We go to St Mary’s Church at least twice a term for collective worship. We also enjoy our visits from GenR8 and Open the Book.

We have a Collective Worship Team, with 2 members from each class in the school.

 

 

Parents have the right to withdraw their child from the daily act of collective worship if they wish. Please email the headteacher aanderson@buckdenacademy.org if you would like to take up this right.