Collective Worship
We value our daily acts of Collective Worship, where our school community is encouraged to reflect on our school vision and values. Worship themes are closely linked to the Christian liturgical year and include major festivals such as Harvest, Christmas, Easter and Pentecost.
Collective Worship at St Margaret’s is invitational and inclusive of all beliefs and faiths. Children and adults are invited to come together as a community to enjoy a time of peace and reflection in a safe and respectful space. Worship is interactive, and all are encouraged to participate in ways they feel comfortable, sharing thoughts and ideas when appropriate.
Worship is led by senior leaders, teaching staff, our local vicars, visitors and our pupil Leading Lights, ensuring that it is a meaningful and valued part of the school day. These times allow children to think, reflect and develop spiritually.
A range of media is used within worship, including storytelling, video, liturgy and singing. This supports reflection on the teachings of the Bible and how these messages can be applied to our own lives today.
We believe Collective Worship plays a vital role in our children’s wellbeing. Spiritual development is key to helping children grow academically and, more importantly, personally, enabling them to become well-rounded young people who are ready to take their place in modern society.
Leading Lights
Leading Lights are a group of Key Stage Two children who serve as ambassadors for our school, supporting our Christian vision and values and contributing actively to Collective Worship.
The children take part in Collective Worship in practical leadership roles, gaining ownership and responsibility for its content and delivery. Leading Lights aims to give children more informed choice in elements of worship, while developing their confidence, leadership skills, and understanding of worship practices.
Their roles include:
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Lighting the candle
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Giving the greeting
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Choosing the song
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Writing and leading prayers and reflections
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Planning and performing
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Planning and delivering acts of worship about charities and events, e.g., Harvest
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Leading or sending out the blessing
Being a Leading Light is both a privilege and a responsibility. Our Leading Lights are positive role models, shining their light in all aspects of school life as well as during Collective Worship.
Our Church Links
We have a very close connection with our local Parish churches, St Margaret's Church and St Peter's Church.
Reverend Ruth is the Vicar of St Peter's with St Margaret's, and she, along with her team, is highly supportive of all that we do at St Margaret's at Troy Town. They lead Collective Worship in school on a regular basis.
As part of the liturgical calendar, the school, parents, and church come together for services at St Margaret's and St Peter's during Christmas and Easter.
Children also visit the churches as part of their Religious Education, where they learn about Christian practices and forms of worship.
Many of our pupils attend regular worship at both St Peter's and St Margaret's, and in many cases, they were also baptised in our churches.
For more information, please visit the Parish website.
We also work very closely with Rochester Baptist Church and Pastor Luciano Pelosi, who has been warmly welcomed into our school celebrations and services. In addition to leading regular worship in school, Pastor Luciano serves on our School Governing Body and supports the planning and delivery of in-school events, such as Pentecost.
Rochester Baptist Church offers many activities throughout the year that are open to everyone. Details of these can be found on their website using the link below.
For more information, please visit the Parish website.
Celebration Worship
Every week, we hold a Celebration Worship to recognise children who demonstrate our school vision and values. Each class teacher selects a child to celebrate for a special achievement. The children are presented with a certificate, and the teacher shares the reason and the value being celebrated with the whole school. Their certificate is then displayed on our Flourishing Board, highlighting individual achievements and showing how we are living life in all its fullness!
We also celebrate birthdays during worship. Birthdays are a time to give thanks for God’s gift of life and remind us that everyone is valued as an individual within our school community. During the birthday prayer, we celebrate each person as a unique gift from God.
Our Birthday Prayer
Father, we thank you for these children in their birthday week. Thank you for the special blessings you've given to them. May you all learn to walk in the light of God’s love, this birthday and always.
Amen
Family Trust
We are very lucky to receive a visit from Family Trust three times a year, who lead exciting and interactive whole school worships based on Christian themes and Bible stories.
