Collective worship (CW) at Herne Church of England Junior School is highly valued. It strengthens and supports the Christian character of our school and it reaffirms our vision and associated values of community, compassion, forgiveness, generosity and hope. At Herne, we believe CW is the heartbeat of our school, uniting our community, setting the tone for the day with God at the centre of what we do and who we are.
Whilst our worship reflects the variety of traditions found in the Church of England and follows the liturgical calendar, we ensure that CW is invitational, inclusive and inspiring. Our vision, ‘A thriving, aspirational community rooted in God’s love’, shapes our CW from planning, experiencing and monitoring, enabling all community members to contribute, lead and have a voice regardless whether they are a person of faith, little faith or of no faith at all.
Following and adapting the Canterbury Diocesan plans, we aim to make CW relevant to our children’s experiences and their big questions as well as responsive to what is going on in the world around them. We also find that CW contributes effectively to the overall spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our school community with thoughts, themes and challenges flowing into curriculum learning and daily living. We enjoy welcoming in visitors from the local community or from our church, St Martin's, the Reculver Deanery or the Canterbury Diocese to help us explore the week's theme. This gives us a local understanding but also a reminder that we are part of the world wide Anglican community.