Worship & Spirituality

Subject Lead : Mrs Denton

Fun facts about me : I enjoy reading, listening to music and going to the theatre. I also love going to theme parks with my family and I love all things Disney!

I started working at Cooper and Jordan as the Church Schools Link worker for Aldridge Parish Church before returning to teaching here.

Worship:

Worship is an integral part of the life at Cooper and Jordan School. Children have the opportunity to experience a variety of expertise from staff and visitors alike.

Collective Worship offers the whole school community an opportunity to participate in a living expression of Christian Worship, valued and honoured through the school’s Anglican Foundation.

Collective Worship is distinct from assembly in that assembly is merely meeting together to exchange information, to give routine notices and to deal with organisational issues. We ensure a distinctive move from assembly to Worship by saying our call to worship and lighting the candle, so all know that is now time for Worship.

We hold a daily act of Collective Worship. This takes different forms throughout the week: as classes participating in a 'Picture News Worship', Key Stage values worship, Bible focus, wellbeing and spirituality worship within class and whole school celebrations. At the start of each term, the whole school attends church for a special service to start the academic term. We also welcome visitors from the churches to lead our worship regularly.

Major Christian festivals are also celebrated at church throughout the year such as Harvest, Christmas and Easter.

Most acts of worship will contain the singing of hymns or Christian songs, prayer, reflection and Christian teaching. Music is valued in our school and is seen to make a major contribution to an atmosphere of worship. How it is used can affect the way the children respond in a particular situation. Offering praise to God is an important aspect of worship and can often best be expressed through song and dance. Our school community thrives on the up-to-date and relevant Christian music currently available, and we aim as a school to ensure this is continually introduced and the children are exposed to the very best worship material.

Pupils are encouraged to express their worship in ways appropriate to them as an individual. Our Ensemble group regularly contributes to the worship and leads both key stages in sung songs of worship. As far as possible every child will be given the opportunity to take some part in actively leading worship during their time at our school.

The Worship leader works closely together alongside Parish Church Workers and Clergy to ensure high quality worship takes place and strong links are made between school and the wider Parish Churches of Aldridge.

Please see the curriculum section of our website and go to 'RE' to find out more about our RE curriculum. 

Year 6 Worship team and Worship Leaders:

The Worship Leaders work with myself to support, develop and lead worship within school. The Key Stage 2 Worship Team also develop and lead acts of worship during the school year.

We are also supported by Worship leaders from each class who support leading and developing worship, prayer and spirituality within their own classrooms.

In May 2022 we received Spiritual Ambassador Training from the Diocese which has supported the training and development of some of these pupils to help lead and develop worship, prayer and spirituality as being an integral part of Cooper and Jordan.

Prayer, reflection, and Spirituality:

At Cooper and Jordan, we believe that spirituality is at the heart of who we are. It is about helping each member of our school community to grow in understanding of themselves, others, the world around them, and God.

At Cooper and Jordan our Spirituality is based around Christianity however, Spirituality is not just about religion—it’s about the things that give life meaning and purpose. It includes a sense of wonder, appreciation of beauty, asking big questions, and learning how to care for ourselves and others with kindness and love. Spiritual development is personal and unique. Whether children come from a faith background or not, we aim to provide an environment where all can explore and grow spiritually in a supportive, loving community. Some of the ways our school community explore spirituality are:

•  Moments of Reflection and PrayerWe create quiet spaces and special times for children to pause, pray, and think deeply.

• Worship and Celebration
  Through collective worship, we explore Christian values, Bible stories, and how faith can guide us in our daily lives.

• Exploring Big Questions
  We encourage curiosity and thoughtful discussion about life, fairness, love, and the world we live in.

• Appreciation of Beauty and Nature
  We help children notice and care for the natural world as a reflection of God’s creation.

• Caring for Ourselves and Others
  Our Christian ethos teaches children to show compassion, empathy, and respect, nurturing their emotional and spiritual well-being.

Windows, Mirrors and Doors:

At our school, we explore big ideas through:

• 🪟 Windows – Looking out to understand others and the world around us.

• 🪞 Mirrors – Looking inside to understand ourselves and our feelings.

• 🚪 Doors – Stepping through with courage to try new things and grow. What will we do now?

This approach helps our school community to build empathy, confidence, and curiosity as we learn and grow together.

Prayer Garden

On the playground we have a permanent Prayer Space in school called The Prayer Garden. This is registered with Prayer Spaces in Schools. This is a space for the pupils to come and take some time to reflect, pray and to explore life’s questions, spirituality, and faith in a safe, creative and interactive way. It is run by the amazing Children and families’ workers from the churches in our Parish (Aldridge Parish Church, St Thomas’s and Tynings Lane) who we are so thankful for. Members of the Year 6 Worship Team support the running of this. 

Each classroom has a dedicated prayer and reflective space where children can take time to reflect and pray and explore their own spirituality.

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Worship and Spirituality Day:

Each year we hold a dedicated Worship and Spirituality Day where pupils and staff explore a given theme.

The theme for May 2025 was 'Light' to fit with our school vision, 'Where Light Shines'. During this day the churches Open the Book team came and acted out the story of Ascension and each year group experienced a workshop led by a member of the local churches. These ranged from story telling, creating artwork, Lego church and drama. The children also were inspired by the artwork of Hannah Dunnett. We were inspired by her artwork, 'Light of the World' and used this as inspiration to create our own art work using images of light and adding words of scripture onto our artwork using calligraphy. These will be displayed in school to further remind us of our school vision. 

Courageous advocacy:

Courageous advocacy means standing up for what is right, even when it’s difficult. It involves speaking out on behalf of others, challenging injustice, and taking action to bring about positive change in our communities and the wider world.

At Cooper and Jordan, we believe that everyone has the power to make a difference. Courageous advocacy is about using our voices, values, and actions to support those in need, protect the vulnerable, and promote fairness, equality, and compassion.

We encourage and equip our community to be courageous advocates through education, awareness, and action. Whether it's through classroom learning, outreach projects, or student-led initiatives, we foster a culture where everyone is inspired to stand up, speak out, and make a difference.

Recently we have supported St Giles through our reindeer run at Christmas, collected food donations for our local foodbanks during Harvest, Children in Need as well as many others. 

Pupil Voice:

Hallie said "I liked learning about friendship and how to be a better friend."

Scarlett said "My favourite part of worship is singing the hymns because I love singing."

Mia said "I like hearing the stories of Jesus and I like going to Church because it is a really interesting building."

Finlay said "I like that we get to sing and that different teachers teach us about God."

Daisy said "I enjoy singing with the whole school and finding out about Jesus’ teachings through fun videos."

Jacob said "I like when people come in and we do exciting workshops."