Prayer
Prayer and worship are central to the daily life of St Catherine’s primary school. We aim to provide opportunities for children's spiritual growth and development through participation in a variety of forms of worship and through experiencing all forms of prayer: formal, informal, spontaneous, private, shared, petitionary and meditative.
As a school we gather weekly to celebrate the Word. They listen to the Scripture passage linked to the Gospel from the previous Sunday.
In our Key Stage assemblies, we gather weekly to listen and act upon a weekly statement to live by. They listen to the Scripture passage linked to the statement. Children then follow the statement to live by in school. Each week a different statement such as ‘I try to be just and fair’ is displayed in every classroom and around the school. Children are encouraged to think about the statement at the beginning of the school day, it is reinforced throughout the day and reflected upon before going home.
Children are actively involved in planning and leading worship, both in class groups and whole school settings. Shared acts of worship take place in an atmosphere of reflection and stillness, where we encourage each other to listen to God speaking to us and to respond.
Every child in school belongs to a house with an assigned saint. Our house saints are: St Cuthbert, St. Aidan St. Hilda and St. Bede. These northern saints guide and lead our children through their example.
Throughout the school, religious artefacts and displays help to educate us, focus our prayer and demonstrate our pride in our faith. Beginning with our entrance way, this continues through the corridors and flows into each classroom. Every classroom has its own displays and a prayer focus to aid with both academic and spiritual guidance.