An act of Collective Worship takes place each day at St. Mark's and is an important part of school life and our Christian identity. Each day, we gather together to share in worship through learning, reflection, prayer and music. Our worship is inclusive for all members of our school community and allows us all the chance to be a part of it, whilst respecting the integrity of family and cultural backgrounds. Visitors to our school are always very welcome to join us in our daily worship.

Roots and Fruits 

At St. Mark's we follow Roots and Fruits, a two year programme for our Collective Worship. It is rooted in the teachings of the Bible and uses poetry, art and drama to bring well-known stories from the Bible to life. Each half-term focuses on a value that links to the seasons of the Church calendar. The twelve values represent the fruit that grows as the teachings of the Bible are lived out in our everyday life. Below are the twelve values that we will explore through our worship at St. Mark's. 

What does it look like?

Collective Worship at St. Mark's is structured into four parts:

Welcome:

When we have gathered, we start our worship with an invitational opening prayer. This will allow us to focus on our Christian value.

Learning:

The root of the worship (the Bible story) is introduced. Symbolised by a window, the learning element is when new possibilities or different perspectives are 'opened up' through Bible stories, poetry, drama and images. 

Reflecting:

The reflecting element encourages everyone to think about how the Bible story has resonated with them or challenged them. Symbolised by the window, questions are used as a focus for reflection and there are often moments of silence to give space for individual, personal reflection.

Responding:

The final part of our worship has the door symbol and provides an opportunity to consider how God might be challenging those present in worship to 'step out' and play their part in making a difference in the world and to our school community.