St Gregory's as a Church School

Our vision that all members of our community have an opportunity to live life through our values of "Faith, Love and Hope".  This is key to everything we do in school. We have strong relationships with St Gregory’s Church, Marnhull.

The vicar and foundation governors work closely with the headteacher, in serving and supporting the local community and developing the spiritual and pastoral development of the children and staff. The importance of quality relationships within our community is an essential aspect of our Christian vision and values.

Worship at St Gregory’s is important in fulfilling our vision for all members of our community. Key Christian festivals such as Harvest, Christmas and Easter are all celebrated in church along with regular opportunities to hold our weekly worships in church. 

We regularly welcome our local clergy and parishioners into school to support our R.E. curriculum and lead Collective Worship. 

Collective Worship

Our collective worship is an expression of our school Christian vision of offering a community, with a sense of belonging where everyone is known and loved by God; it is inclusive, invitational and inspiring. It is a time for worship, celebration, prayer, stillness and reflection. It is an opportunity, without compulsion for all pupils and adults to grow spiritually, rejoicing in what makes each one of us and our school special. It is a time for contemplation and for seeking to understand our roles and responsibilities in the school community, it is a time for praising God, for asking for his help and inviting Him to be active in the life of our school.

Worship is both planned and spontaneous. There is dedicated time for daily worship both as a whole school team in church and in school, and class team.  

We feel it is important to gather as a whole school community to reflect, think and pray. It is a time when we think about our school values; 

LOVE, FAITH, HOPE

Mrs Cook-Paine is our collective worship leader and she liaises closely with Rev Gaenor and our Young Worship Ambassadors to plan and evaluate our collective worship.  We are extremely proud of our team and all that they bring to the school.

 In line with our Trust Deed, which states that collective worship should be ‘wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character’, we normally base our collective worship on the teachings of Christ and traditions of the Christian Church. However, we conduct our collective worship in a manner that is sensitive to the individual faith and beliefs of all members of the school.

The aims and purpose of collective worship are:

1. To provide an opportunity to worship God;
   
2. To celebrate each unique individual made in the image of God;
   
3. To contribute to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the children;
   
4. To enable children to explore their own beliefs;
   
5. To encourage participation and response;
   
6. To develop a sense of community spirit;
   
7. To promote a common ethos with shared values and to reinforce positive attitudes;
   
8. To provide time for stillness, quiet reflection and prayer;
   
9. To celebrate achievements;
   
10. To teach children the purpose and nature of worship and provide a foundation for the future.