Prayer and Liturgy

Prayer & Liturgy at St Teresa’s

At St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School, prayer and liturgy are the heartbeat of our mission “With Jesus we live, love and learn.”
We aim not only to fulfil our statutory duty to provide daily acts of collective worship, but to cultivate a rich, living spiritual life where every child encounters Christ, grows in faith, and learns to pray with confidence and joy.

Inspired by the Little Way of St Thérèse of Lisieux, our worship life teaches pupils that prayer is simple, heartfelt, beautiful—and open to everyone.

Our Approach to Prayer & Liturgy

Our prayer and liturgy follow the vision of the Prayer and Liturgy Directory (2023) and are:

Living – rooted in the faith of our community
Authentic – faithful to Scripture and Catholic teaching
Formative – developing reverence, gratitude and compassion
Participative – involving all pupils actively
Inclusive – accessible to all regardless of background or needs
Developmentally appropriate – using gesture, symbol, silence, image and movement

This ensures that worship is not simply something our children attend, but something they experience, shape and lead.

Daily Rhythm of Prayer

Prayer punctuates the school day:

Morning Offering
Grace Before and After Meals
End-of-Day Prayer
Traditional prayers and liturgical responses
Spontaneous, child-led prayers for gratitude, hope, courage or intercession

All progressive prayer expectations are set out in the St Teresa’s Prayer Book, which guides pupils from Early Years to Year 6 in traditional prayer, spontaneous prayer, Scripture listening, silence and stillness.

Widgit-supported prayer resources ensure that every child, including those with additional communication needs, can fully participate.

Celebrations of the Word

Each week we gather twice for school-wide or key-stage Celebrations of the Word, built around the Sunday Gospel.

Monday – Proclamation & Teaching

Led by the Headteacher, worship includes:

Proclamation of the Gospel
Faith Council-led bidding prayers
Teaching on the Gospel theme
A “Going Forth” action to live out the message

Tuesday – Reflection & Silence

Led by the RE/Prayer & Liturgy Lead:

Re-visiting the Gospel
Extended time of silence and contemplation
Sharing personal reflections
A mission rooted in Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching

These acts of worship are a central moment of unity, stillness and spiritual growth for the whole community.

Class Collective Worship

Every class holds regular worship planned and partly or fully led by pupils using an age-appropriate Gather – Listen – Respond – Go Forth framework.

Children choose:

Symbols
Scripture
Hymns
Images
Spontaneous or written prayers

Younger pupils use scaffolded templates; older pupils increasingly lead confidently and independently.

Mass and the Parish Partnership

Our relationship with St Basil’s Parish is central to our worship life.

Classes attend Tuesday Mass on rotation
Pupils serve as readers, servers and offertory bearers
Older pupils mentor younger ones in how to participate
Special Masses include St Thérèse’s Feast Day, Ash Wednesday, and the Year 6 Leavers’ Mass
Parish catechists visit regularly to support First Holy Communion preparation

This flourishing partnership helps children feel at home within the wider Church community.

Spontaneous Prayer

Spontaneous prayer is a defining feature of our prayer life. Children learn that prayer is a conversation with God that can happen:

In class
In the Prayer Garden
At the Outdoor Shrine
During worship
In moments of joy, worry or gratitude

The Prayer Book provides simple guidance on how to form spontaneous prayers, including Widgit-supported templates for children who need help expressing their thoughts.

Children regularly offer spontaneous intentions during Celebrations of the Word, in class worship, and before key feast days or world events.

Pupil Leadership in Prayer & Liturgy

Pupil leadership is a cornerstone of our worship life.

Faith Council helps to lead Monday worship, writes intentions and shapes termly liturgical projects
Pupils regularly lead class worship from start to finish
Children help plan elements of school Masses, including readings, symbols and hymns
Prayer and worship leadership progresses from simple participation in EYFS to confident proclamation in KS2

This leadership builds confidence, theological understanding and a sense of belonging to the mission of the Church.

How Children Evaluate Worship

Evaluation is a vital part of worship formation. After acts of worship, pupils reflect on:

What helped them feel close to God
Which Scripture message stood out
How they will “go forth” and live the message
What worked well and what could improve next time

Tools include:

Written reflection
Verbal circle discussions
Faith Council feedback

Prayer Spaces

Children access a range of sacred spaces that nurture prayer:

Class Prayer Tables with liturgical colours, Scripture and sacred images
Prayer Garden for outdoor worship and reflection
Outdoor Shrine for spontaneous prayer
Hall Prayer Table for whole school collective worship.

These spaces help pupils build habits of silence, stillness and contemplation.

Inclusion in Prayer & Liturgy

Prayer is accessible to all learners through:

Simplified language
Visual supports and Widgit symbols
Sensory materials
Adapted roles for Mass and worship
Multi-modal ways to engage (silence, gesture, movement, prayer stones, music)

No child is ever excluded from experiencing God’s presence.

(Examples of adaptive resources used to support learners in prayer)

Music as Prayer

Weekly hymn practice forms a musical liturgy, teaching pupils that “to sing is to pray twice.”
Children learn seasonal hymns, Mass responses and songs of praise, contributing to the school’s joyful worship culture.