Collected Collectives

Today was invested in gathering, digesting, reading & writing Collective Worship guidance for schools. Each school is required to have a daily act of worship, mainly Christian in character. The term Collective Worship is not as modern as might appear. It first appeared in the 1940s and was used as a contrast to "corporate worship".

Many children will experience more than 1000 "Collective Worship" services before leaving primary school. We're trying to ensure these are meaningful experiences where children can engage in a way that helps them reflect on themselves, the wider world and upon God in whatever community contexts they find themselves.

My local authority says,

Collective worship must always be inclusive.
Collective worship must usually be broadly Christian.

And offer these principles; Collective Worship should:

1. promote a sense of community;
2. be educational;
3. promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development;
4. be a special time;
5. enable participants to be actively involved;
6. be of high quality

Now there's a challenge.