Worship

At Christ Church Secondary Academy, the importance of faith and belief is openly acknowledged. In our building there is a chapel for prayer, small services and lunchtime activities. There are acts of collective worship, regular assemblies, and religious education is studied by all students. Spiritual and moral development are strong features of our curriculum.

Worship is an integral part of the life at CCSA. We believe that our House and Form worship are opportunities for us all to step back from our immediate concerns and reflect wider.

House worship is most often delivered by the senior staff team on a fortnightly cycle, with some worship being delivered by guest speakers. 

Form worship is delivered by form tutors or the school chaplain. The form worship compliments the House worship theme and provides more opportunities for discussion and questioning. 

CCSA School Verse

In our academic year 2024/25 the following themes will be explored: 

  • September & October: what it means to be courageous, show compassion, support each other and flourish. 

  • November & December: we explore the National Church of England Advent theme of ‘Calm and Bright’, using resources from the National Society for Education. 

  • January & February: we reflect on what great attributes we can learn from Jesus’ character 

  • February to April: we reflect on the Lenten themes of Abstinence, Fasting, Praying and Almsgiving. 

  • May: we explore what we can learn from the life of King David. 

  • June & July: we explore what we can learn from the life of Moses. 

Additionally, our school calendar celebrates the major feasts and seasons of the Church: Harvest, Remembrance, Christmas, Easter and Ascension. On the occasions, we take the opportunities for some students to visit the local Anglican church: Christ Church. 

Our rhythm of worship begins with our school prayer based on our school verse, which are accessible words for people of all faiths and none. We also aim to allow everyone in our school community time and space to explore their own beliefs, to reflect and consider spiritual and moral values and make their own responses.  

We are fully inclusive and welcome anyone, from any background, who wants an education informed by Christian values and beliefs. Although the Christian approach to living and learning is naturally prominent at our school, all students will develop proper regard for other faiths and belief systems. Note that requests for students to be wholly or partly excused from participating in any religious worship at the school should be made in writing to the headteacher. 

Should you wish to discuss the school worship further, you are welcome to arrange to speak to our School Chaplain Rev Lydia M Gaston.

Rev Lydia splits her time between her role as vicar of Christ Church Yardley Wood and her role as our school chaplain. She can be contacted on l.gaston@christchurchsecondary.org.uk