This script is for an Easter assembly and covers the events leading up to Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection on Easter Sunday, which is the most important festival for Christians. The script includes three eyewitness accounts of the Easter story: Simon helped carry Jesus’ cross up the hill. A Roman soldier took a prisoner to his death. Mary Magdalene discovered Jesus had risen from the dead and instructed her to inform the disciples. There are 8 concluding statements that promote a gratitude mindset. For example, “If you are healthy today, you are more blessed than millions dying this week.” Finally, the script asks us to remember our blessings, the true message of Easter, and to celebrate in the Good News that Christ is Risen! The script is designed for Key Stage 2 and can accommodate 30 children, but it can be edited to suit more or fewer participants. Its running time is around 20-30 minutes, but it can be edited. There are two poems mentioned in the script, which cannot be reproduced since they are not owned by the author. However, they should be available online, or you can substitute them with similar ones. The script suggests singing a hymn, “Christ, Be Our Light,” by Bernadette Farrell, but again, this cannot be reproduced. The hymn is merely a suggestion and can be edited or removed depending on time restrictions. Finally, the script includes a fully animated and transitioned PowerPoint presentation to provide a backdrop to the assembly. Script Extract: Good morning and welcome to our assembly. Lent is six weeks, lasting 40 days excluding Sundays, leading up to Easter. This period commences on Ash Wednesday and ends with Holy Week. Easter is the most important festival for Christians. Lent is a period of introspection and prayer during which Christians recall the story of Jesus being tempted by the devil in the desert. They also strive to reconcile with God before celebrating Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday.

This collective worship/assembly script focuses on May Day, holidays and preparing for new beginnings. It traces the origins of May Day celebrations from ancient Rome to Pope Pius XII establishing May Day as the feast of ‘St. Joseph the Worker’ and the Church proudly stresses that Jesus was a carpenter, trained by Joseph. Also, for Catholics the month of May is the month of Mary, the Blessed Virgin who is the Mother of the Church and therefore the example for every Catholic to celebrate. Running time is approximately 15 minutes long and it is intended to be delivered by children, but could be led by the teacher. Extract: We have been learning about the tradition of Celebrating May Day, which this year falls on the 6th May. In medieval times, May Day was often celebrated by young men and women dancing on the village green around a specially decorated tree called a maypole. The branches of a slender tree were cut off, coloured ribbons tied to the top and the revellers held on to the ends of the ribbons and danced. Some villages still carry on the tradition today. Before the dancing began there was also a procession led by a woman appointed May Queen for the day.

What do Christians believe? Jesus is ‘The Light of the World’. In the run up to Christmas, we are looking at William Holman Hunt’s painting ‘Light of the World’. The following pack includes 3 levels of differentiated worksheets that examine the theme of light and William Holman Hunt’s painting, as well as PPT, (full animated with transition), which explains the idea of Jesus at the light of the world with the following questions to support the children knowledge and understanding. Look at William Holman Hunt’s painting ‘Light of the World’. Don’t give children title of painting, in small groups let them explore the image. Questions to scaffold could be ‘Who do you think the person is in the picture? Who might be behind the door? What is the painter trying to show us? Then give children the title, ‘Light of the World’ and explain how Christians believe that Jesus is the Light of the World – He shows us the way, warns us of danger, lights up our lives etc.

This assembly focuses on a lesser-known part of the Easter story, namely Maundy, or Holy Thursday: The washing of the disciples’ feet. During the assembly, children will learn about Jesus’ total self-giving by reflecting on the story from John’s Gospel 13.1-17, 31b-35. During the story, Jesus was a special guest, but no one offered him water to wash his feet. Instead, Jesus got up from the table, took off his coat, tied a towel around his waist, poured some water into a large bowl, and began to wash his friends’ feet, drying them with a towel. To prepare for this assembly, there is an opportunity in the script for children to imagine being a disciple of Jesus and retell the story of the washing of the feet as if they were one of the characters involved. The script has a running time of approximately 20-30 minutes, including a hymn: ‘Make me a channel of your peace’, which is freely available online. The script can accommodate up to thirty children, and dressing them in traditional clothes would add to the story’s impact. Extract: Jesus shared a Last Supper with his friends the night before he died. On the topic of self-giving, we heard how Jesus took the bread and wine, blessed them, and gave them to his friends. In this story from John’s Gospel, we hear of something else that happened at that Last Supper. Jesus was at supper with his friends. He got up, put a towel around his waist, poured some water into a bowl and he washed their feet. His friends were tired, and their feet were swollen and dirty from their day’s travelling, because of the heat and dust, people had to wash their feet very often.

Following a visit to The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King in Liverpool, I developed this comprehension exercise based around the guided tour of this unique Cathedral. The text revolves around the construction of the building, as the present Cathedral is actually the fourth attempt by the Catholic Church in the North West of England to build a mother church for the Liverpool diocese – and the culmination of a story that stretches back over a century. Along with the text, which was intended for a Year 4 cohort, but could be easily adapted for older or younger children. There are 3 levels of differentiated questions. Lower Attaining - 6 questions with scaffolded answered writing frames. Middle Attaining - 7 questions no scaffolding Higher Attaining - 8 questions no scaffolding (some higher order thinking skills required comparison and difference) All ability groups have the same extension. Extension: Can you design a cathedral meeting the same requirements using your imagination?

This assembly could be arranged to take place during a Jewish festival or as part of a school’s diversity and equality initiative. The purpose of this assembly is to introduce children to the Jewish faith, including the belief that there is only one God who created the world. Children will also learn about the teachings of the Torah and the Ten Commandments, which were given to Moses by God. The script was written as an introduction to Judaism for a Catholic primary school audience. It has an approximate running time of 15-20 minutes and can accommodate up to thirty children. Before the assembly, several children should be asked to compose their Ten Commandments and insert them into the script, encouraging them to think about God and their behaviour towards others. The assembly also includes the Jewish song of greeting and parting, ‘Shalom my friend’. The song is readily available online, by search the term ‘Shalom my friend’. Extract: Welcome to our Assembly, which this week is on Judaism. Judaism is the religion of people who are Jews. It is one of the oldest religions in the world. Jews believe in one God. They believe that God is a spirit. There are two signs which Jews often use. One is a special candlestick with seven arms, which is called a menorah. The other is a star which has six points. It is sometimes called the Star of David.

This assembly focuses the importance of family . During the assembly, children will learn about from St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. The main message of Ephesians is that believers in Christ are reconciled not only to God, but to each other. They are to maintain unity of purpose within their families and church, while resisting the temptation to fall into the sin of the world surrounding them. To prepare for this assembly, there is an opportunity in the script for children to write statement about what is important in their families. For example, “What is important to my family is sharing.” Alternatively, if you are pressed for time, you can use the statements provided in the script. If your school has been fundraising there is space to adapt this script to state for whom and why, alternatively it can be deleted. The script has a running time of approximately no longer than 20 minutes, including a hymn: ‘Everybody’s building’, which is freely available online. The script can accommodate up to thirty children or less, or could be led by a teacher. Extract: What is important to my family is giving. What is important to my family is being together. Show your love for your family by telling them you love them. Cheer your family up when they are down. Scripture has a lot to say about what is important for living together. This reading is from St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

The focus of this collective worship/assembly script is celebrations, particularly around the theme of marriage, as one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic church. (This could easily be edited for another Christian denomination, or another celebration such as prize giving). This collective worship/assembly could be led by a teacher or performed solely by the children and depending on the use of music or hymn would not exceed 15 minutes in running time. Extract: We have been looking at the topic: Celebrations A celebration is a time when we perform a ceremony to recognise, reflect, and rejoice on a special occasion. There are many special occasions: Birthdays, New Year, Chinese New Year, Graduation, and Prize Giving.

This assembly centres around Laetare Sunday, also called “Rejoice Sunday”. It is the fourth Sunday of Lent, which is a time for Christians to reflect, repent, and prepare for Holy Week and Easter. During the assembly, the children will learn about the promise of hope that Jesus offers us. His death on the Cross means that we can receive forgiveness of sins. They will reflect on what Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12). The assembly discusses the spiritual significance of the Gospel reading by sharing “The Lesson of the Butterfly” and emphasizing how difficult experiences can make us stronger. In life, we often receive what we need, rather than what we desire. The story of the butterfly teaches us that even after its difficult transformation, it emerges as a beautiful creature that adds wonder to any garden. Despite the struggles it has endured, the butterfly does not become bitter. The script has a running time of approximately no longer than 20 minutes, including two hymns: ‘Christ be our light’ and ‘Come Gather’. Both hymns are freely available online. The script encourages children’s participation and requests volunteers to read the highlighted parts marked in yellow. The script is supported with fully animated and transitioned PowerPoint slides. Extract: We gather to begin our prayer time with the Sign of the Cross. Last Sunday, 10th March, the Church celebrated Laetare Sunday. Laetare means “Rejoice” and we are rejoicing because we are halfway through Lent! And we have even more to rejoice about. Jesus, the light, has come into the world ‘so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him.’ (John 3:15) …During the season of Lent, it can be difficult to witness the immense suffering that Jesus endured, but I have a meaningful story to share that helped me understand why we may face struggles at times. The story is called “The Lesson of the Butterfly”. After watching for several hours, a man observed a small opening in a cocoon as a butterfly struggled to force its body through the little hole.