Worship and Prayer

Collective worship is a special part of each day at Lanercost C of E Primary School. It is a time when we pause, gather and reflect together as a school family. Worship expresses who we are as a church school and supports every child to flourish spiritually, socially and emotionally.

Through worship, children are invited to reflect on big questions about life, purpose and responsibility. It helps them consider who they are, how they treat others and how they can make a positive difference in the world around them.

Collective worship takes place every day and usually lasts around fifteen minutes. Across the week, worship includes whole school gatherings, class reflections, celebration worship and opportunities to explore current events through resources such as Picture News.

Worship is led by a range of people including staff, children, visitors and members of the clergy. Children play an active role in planning and leading worship, helping them grow in confidence, responsibility and understanding.

We also worship regularly at Lanercost Priory, especially for key points in the Church year such as Harvest, Christmas and Easter. These shared services strengthen our sense of community and deepen children’s understanding of faith in action.

We continually reflect on and improve our worship. Children share their views, staff review what works well and governors and the diocese offer supportive feedback. This helps ensure worship remains relevant, engaging and rooted in our vision.

Parents do have the legal right to withdraw their child from collective worship. However, because our worship is inclusive and invitational, we hope all families feel comfortable for their child to take part. If you would like to talk about this, our Headteacher would be very happy to speak with you.