Assemblies allow children (and staff) time to think.
To challenge their own beliefs, to debate and question presentation, to learn about the weird, the wonderful, the magical and to fulfil a sense of community for everyone within that community.
It allows us reflection and prayer and peace and heavenly music.
Because …
We walk in silence together.
We sing together.
We listen together.
We call out together.
We laugh together.
We clap and applaud together.
We worship together.
We celebrate together.
And we respect together.
So passionate are the staff team about the impact of ‘Assembly’ – it is, next year, becoming a more central part of our school day. Next academic year (2019-2020) we can announce that we will be introducing the following assembly programme:
This will be planned from many external curriculums and meticulously threaded through our own curriculum themes. It will safeguard our children; it will challenge our children to really think; it will be full of praise and worship and celebration. The time dedicated to it within our timetable will be used to its full potential.
Our aim is simple. It will allow us to access all parts of your children’s brains and souls to stimulate them so that they benefit from it for the rest of the day. We have BIG plans for calm and togetherness.
On that note – feel fearful for me – I was back in the hot seat (wearing my reinstated ‘hat’ of Head of Pre-prep) on Wednesday morning for my first full Pre-prep assembly (Nursery through to Year 2) for 18 months! Nervous? Yes. Excited? Yes. Could I still hold the attention of 102 children aged 3-7 years olds for 20 minutes? Never mind the 6 adults who joined the assembly? YES and YES – of course – it is like riding a bike – only a bit wobblier!
I would like to comment that the attention, manners, behaviour, celebratory attitude and kindness of the Pre-prep children toward one another was really something to behold and treasure once again.
I enjoyed watching Mrs Bruce-Jones’, (who does not work a Friday afternoon), shocked face when the children spontaneously joined in with ‘The Lighthouse’ song. We use this periodically on Friday afternoon House assemblies and the Pre-prep children had obviously been soaking it up throughout their attendance. Nearly all of the children joined in with lovely sweet voices, emotion in their faces and nearly all the right song actions too!
Absolute pleasure? Yes. Goosebumps? No – I was laughing too hard – it was hilarious to see them so overjoyed to hear this song in a different environment! It was a beautiful, real, ‘in the moment’ scene.
Look out for our Pre-prep Show and Share Assemblies on Wednesday mornings. There is one for each Year group – all held in the PA room. I will endeavour to remember to start each one with ‘The Lighthouse’ song. You will be blown away with the progress you will see in your child’s performance from their last Show and Share in Michaelmas Term.
If you haven’t seen an assembly where this song has been performed, then please do enjoy it for yourselves at home. Play it when your child is present and watch their reaction. If there is no reaction at all – it might be because the song is a 100% a collective thing that we enjoy together as a school community from time to time.
Here is a link to the song.
Oh … and if you think you could offer something to our assembly programming across 2019-2020, then now is a great time to get in touch. We like things on careers advice, travelling experiences, wellbeing and positive thinking, charity work, environmental issues, worship and bible study.
Get your parent thinking caps on and book up to come in and feel the ‘assembly nerves’. There is nothing to it.
Promise.
Lucy Ball, Deputy Head
