What Prayer Means in Our School

At St. John’s, prayer is at the heart of our daily life. We see prayer as an opportunity to pause, reflect, give thanks, and bring our hopes and worries to God. Through prayer, we nurture our Christian values and our sense of belonging to God’s family.

"A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another, as I have loved you. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." - John 13:34-35

When We Pray

We pray and reflect during many parts of our school day. Our Christian faith and values are woven through all that we do at St. John’s. We find the following times to pray and reflect:

• Daily collective worship
• Class prayers at lunchtime
• Class prayers at the end of the day
• Special services at Church - Harvest, Christmas and Easter.
• Class-led worship and reflection times

Prayer Spaces

We have many spaces around school which provide opportunities for our children to pray and reflect, these include:

• Prayer and Reflection Points in our classrooms
• Seasonal prayer stations (e.g. “Prayers for Peace”, “Thank You for Creation”)
• Spiritual Garden

Our School Prayer

We have a very special school prayer which has been created just for us. In each line, it includes our school values which are very important to us all. To make our prayer even more special to us, we sing this prayer during our Collective Worships.

 

"I like praying because it's an opportunity to tell God my worries and he can help them to go away." - Mate, Jordan, and Samuel, Year 3

"Praying at school makes me feel calm, peaceful and safe." - Ezekiel, Year 3

“I think prayer and reflection is important for everyone even for people with different religions. Humanists, who don’t believe in God, also find time to reflect.” - Leo, Year 4

“I think prayer is one of the most important things in life because it’s time to talk to God, tell him how you feel or ask for him to help you.” - Joseph, Year 4

“It is a time to privately talk to God and show him that what I said has come from my heart. It is also a time to truly thank God for everything he has done for me.” - NJ, Year 5

“When it’s prayer time at St. John’s, I feel like God is one of my best friends that I talk to on a day to day basis and when anything is on my mind, I never feel ashamed to share it with my amazing support line from above.” - Nyah, Year 5

"I like having times at school to connect to my faith and reflect on what I do. It is really important to me as it makes me feel balanced and calm at school knowing that I always have God to speak to." - Jordan, Year 6

“Prayer is important to me because if I do pray I will get good deeds and my connection with Allah is really strong. When I need Allah, he will help me and you can pray wherever you want to but if you know where Kaaba is you can face the Kaaba.” - Ahmad, Year 6

Parent Prayer Group

We have a parent/carer St. John's Christian Prayer Group which usually takes place in the Olive Branch Café every half term. You do not have to commit to every meeting but if you wish to attend on an ad-hoc basis you are more than welcome. Please check Weduc for dates and times.

Prayer at Home

Click on this link to join the Church of England daily prayer.

Please see some examples of prayers which you can use at home: