As a Catholic primary school, collective worship plays a fundamental part of daily school life and enables us all to join together as one in prayer and worship.

Growing Closer to God

In its simplest form, prayer is defined as “talking to God.” It is a personal time of opening our hearts to our Heavenly Father and bringing everything in our hearts to Him. Through the Apostle Paul, God asked us to pray. Prayer can be a powerful force for change in our lives, and the importance of doing it on a daily basis should be instilled in our children.

Communication is the foundation for success in any relationship. When we communicate openly and freely with each other, we learn to know each other as individuals. This principle also applies to our relationship with God. By talking to God, we can learn more about who He is and what plan He has for us.

Prayer Has a Purpose

It is important that our children understand that there is a purpose to prayer. Jesus frequently prayed during His life on Earth. He had a reason for doing so. Our prayers are something that God deeply desires. But our prayers are not for His benefit; as a perfect Divine Being, God is complete in His power and knowledge. Our prayers are for our benefit, and this is what we need to teach our children.

Daily Prayer

We pray three times every day:

Beginning of the day. -Each day starts with time for some reflection, and then praying our school morning prayer together:

Morning Prayer

Heavenly Father, I give you this day
all that I think and do and say.
I want to join in all that was done
by Jesus Christ. your dearest son.
Amen

Before lunch we thank God for the food that we are about to eat, and all those who have helped prepare the food:

Grace before Meals

Bless us O God as we sit together
Bless the food we eat today
Bless the hands that make the food
Bless us O God
Amen

At the end of the day we come together to thank God for all of His blessings that day and ask that He will continue to keep us safe. We say.

End of day prayer

God our Father I come to say
Thank you for your love today
Thank you for my family
And all the friends you give to me
Guard me in the dark of night
And in the morning send your light
Amen

In October and May we pray a chaplet of the Rosary asking for the intercession of Mary for our intentions.

To mark the school's 50th anniversary, we have a new school prayer:

Blessed Dominic School Prayer

Heavenly Father, please help all members of our school family to:

Believe in you and one another
Love and learn together
Extend and deepen our personal belief
Stay true to our faith
Study hard everyday
Enjoy and appreciate our learning using it to unlock doors contributing to future success
Delight in being part of a special and diverse community and follow in the footsteps of your
servant

Blessed Dominic, whose mission was to show LOVE, promote LEARNING and BELIEF in God our Father.
Amen

Classroom Worship

Each half-term classroom worship takes place in the school:

Hymn Practice

On Fridays,  each Key Stage gathers together to sing songs of praise to God and practise hymns and songs that we use for our collective worship and for Mass.

Whole school Assemblies

The whole school gathers together each week for an assembly linked to the liturgical season, Sunday’s Gospel, or other religious themes such as Saints.

Mass

Throughout the year, we have the joy of celebrating the Sacrament of the Eucharist in school. Our local Parish Priest comes to school and celebrates Mass throughout the year. 

Children help to prepare and lead the Mass through Altar Serving, reading and bringing up the gifts during Mass. 

Liturgies

Throughout the year, to mark important events in the Church’s liturgical year, we hold special Liturgies such as Harvest and Remembrance.

Carol Service

Each year, upper Key Stage Two children lead the school in a Carol Service at St Margaret Clitherow Church. The story of the Nativity is retold through scripture and carols. Parents and guardians are invited to join us for this special time of worship.

Passion Play

Every Lent, lower Key Stage Two perform the Passion Play.  The children re-enact the Passion and Resurrection of Christ through drama, scripture and music. We are joined every year by parents and guardians for this special occasion in preparation for Easter.