| Collective Worship and the curriculum |
In England and Wales Collective Worship is generally addressed separately from the curriculum in terms of school planning, as its content does not have to comply with the same sorts of learning objectives. Nevertheless, the assemblies in which Collective Worship take place are seen as one of the major contributions to pupils' spiritual, moral and cultural development.
This is not only because the content and subsequent responses usually have spiritual and ethical dimensions, but because the group activity, particularly when more than one class is present, can help to establish the tone and ethos of a school community. In addition, it can provide valuable links to the surrounding local community and society, through visiting speakers, the celebration of community-based projects and responses to national and international events or issues.
Curriculum links:
Although specific links may not be required with the school curriculum, many schools in England and Wales arrange valuable links with class activities. Sometimes, for example, discussion of an assembly theme may carry over into class work. The reverse is more likely: assemblies are often planned to reflect and celebrate topics which are being covered in class work. For example, class activities on water or a story about bullying could become the basis for Collective Worship or a series of assemblies.
In some schools a strong link is developed between collective worship and music. This is mainly through encouraging singing, instrumental playing and reflective listening to both live and recorded music. For pupils, Collective Worship can provide regular opportunities for performance and listening.
Religious education:
Although there is often an overlap between Religious Education and Collective Worship in terms of some of the topics covered, they are two distinct areas of school planning and delivery. RE cannot be adequately delivered through Collective Worship. For example, the place of, say, a Bible story in assembly will be to inspire and challenge individuals and the whole school community in response to the content. In Religious Education, the story will be part of a much more rigorous learning experience, which meets the requirements of the RE syllabus being used.
Different aims for RE and Collective Worship - an example:
To illustrate the difference between Religious Education and Collective Worship in planning and delivery, it may be helpful to see how the same topic could be used in each context, with a different emphasis in each.
The biblical story of Esther has a great appeal. A young girl, Esther, in acts of great personal courage, devises a way of saving her people, the Jews, from persecution. The story is often used in both RE and Collective Worship. What makes the difference is the context provided by the presentation of the material in each.
Religious Education:
The story of Esther is at the heart of the Jewish festival of Purim, during which the events are told in a pantomimic way, along with the eating of special foods and the wearing of fancy dress. The RE aims could be to learn about Esther and the festival, and to discover what they mean to Jews today. In addition to retelling the story, activities could include making some of the special food and a visit from someone in the Jewish community to talk about Purim.
At KS2 and above, links could be made to the Holocaust and the related Jewish belief that God has been with the Jews even in the most difficult circumstances. Work on the story could involve the use of established literacy skills to explore narrative, character and pupils' empathetic responses.
Collective Worship:
In Collective Worship, the same story would be told, but it would be necessary to identify a theme from the story with which everyone in the assembly could share: a theme which could become a focus for reflection, challenge and celebration. The theme might be that of courage to stand up for what is right, even when faced with difficult situations, using Esther's story as a model.
The theme would connect to all children, whatever their background, if it linked to experiences of bullying or making difficult choices. The prayer/reflection would provide those with a faith background or a personal faith an opportunity to pray for God's wisdom and strength in facing difficulties of any sort; everyone, including those with no faith background relate or personal faith, could reflect on the need to make right choices in all situations.
In both contexts, a specifically Jewish event has become inspirational and challenging. There is learning in both, but, in RE, extended, structured learning is possible with the acquisition of a much greater knowledge base and opportunities to develop a greater understanding of Judaism and of the impact of faith on life choices. |
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