Are you a church member or a children’s or youth worker? Are you a teacher or maybe involved in schools in some other way? Are you a student? Whoever you are, we’re delighted that you’re here, and that you’re about to start a(nother) Prayer Spaces in Schools adventure. Our aim is to equip and encourage you to host an amazing prayer space, and to help you serve the wider spiritual life of your local school.

Please take your time to work through each of these steps, one at a time. We’re confident that you’ll find everything you need to host the best possible prayer space in your school. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, or you just want to talk some more, please contact us on info@prayerspacesinschools.com.

If you haven’t already seen it (or you’d like to watch it again), here’s the Prayer Spaces in Schools video

Take take some time to explore the different sections of this website - news and stories, resources and feedback from those who’ve participated in prayer spaces, and much more. Why not flick your phone onto silent right now, fetch a cup of tea/coffee, and get started...

You can join in as a member of the website here. As a member you’ll receive our (almost) regular email-newsletter, and you’ll be able to download all of our free resources.

If you use social-media, follow these links to ‘like’ our facebook page  , and ‘follow’ us on Twitter . These pages are good for connecting with those who are hosting prayer spaces in their local schools, and for viewing ‘live’ photos from prayer spaces. Come and join in the conversations.

To watch our promotional and prayer activity videos visit Vimeo  .

And to watch videos from our Day Conferences and from prayer spaces around the UK, visit YouTube  . For example, here’s one from Frances Bardsley School for Girls.

If you’ve posted any of your own prayer space videos onto YouTube or onto a blog, please let us know.

Stories fuel our imagination. Finding a prayer space story from a school that’s similar to yours will probably help you to imagine your ow prayer space. Visit the STORIES pages to read about the latest prayer spaces in primary and secondary schools - maybe print a few and give them to your friends or colleagues, or send the web-links to those who you would like to persuade to join with you?

“The prayer space has been a brilliant for my students. A personal, spiritual and peaceful experience for all groups: I highly recommend it.” Head of R.E.

“I loved this place, it was so relaxed. It gave me a chance to say how I really felt as I don't really talk with my family.” Year 6 student

"I've never seen prayer displayed or experienced like this before. It's made me realise how many different ways prayer can be appreciated. It's opened up religion into my life again. Thank you!" 6th Form student

Here are a few case studies from different types of prayer spaces in schools;

• a one-day prayer space
• a primary school prayer space 
• a secondary school prayer space 
• an off-site prayer space 
• a ‘spiritual’ space 

We’ve also heard stories from outdoor prayer spaces, prayer spaces in caravans and tents, and various types of permanent prayer spaces in schools too. More on those later.

Visit our EVENTS pages regularly for a list of the upcoming workshops, conferences and training events that the Prayer Spaces in Schools teams and our networkers are involved in, including some that we’re hosting and organising ourselves. Hopefully, you will find one that isn’t too far from you.

These events are always good, not only for the story-telling and the training content, but also for the opportunities to meet people who have hosted, or are hosting, prayer spaces in local schools. It’s always good to learn from other people’s experiences, and also to find new people to collaborate with.

Videos: participants at our 2012 Day Conference in London

If the training events on the EVENTS pages aren’t convenient for you, perhaps you could organise one where you are? Our teams and networkers have a lot of experience in delivering a wide range of seminar-style, discussion-based or interactive training content to fill a whole or half day, an hour-session or even a coffee-shop conversation, and we’d love to come and help you if we can.

Over the past few years we’ve run all kinds of workshops and training events for local schools and local churches, children’s work and youthwork conferences, Diocesan networks and national Christian organisations, etc. Themes have included;

• Story-telling and the vision behind Prayer Spaces in Schools
• Getting started, how to host a first prayer space (in primary and/or secondary schools)
• Recruiting and training a prayer space team
• Serving the school agenda and the Christian/church agenda - can we do both?
• Creating your own prayer activities/spiritual resources
• The theology of prayer spaces
• Prayer spaces and chaplaincies
• Developing permanent prayer spaces?
• How can prayer spaces connect to learning in RE/SMSC (etc)?

Video: Helen McGeoch (team leader, Gloucester), ‘Hosting a prayer space for the first time’, 2012 Day Conference in London.

If you’d like one of our teams or networkers to come and help you with a training event, we would ask that you be prepared to cover their travel expenses. If the training event is for a church or a Diocese network or a Christian organisation, etc. we’ve developed a set of suggested fees to cover time, preparation and resources, which we can discuss with you. Please contact us on info@prayerspacesinschools.com and let’s talk.

Some people feel inspired, equipped and ready-to-go when they read ‘how to’ instructions (like these web pages). Others feel inspired and equipped when they read stories - they relate to what they read, and they can imagine doing something similar. But some people need to see it to believe it. One of the best ways to get started with your first prayer space is to visit another one, to see it in action. Or at least to meet with someone who has hosted a prayer space nearby.

One of the reasons that we try to keep track of all the prayer spaces as they happen is so that we can help you to connect up with others who are hosting, or have hosted, prayer spaces near you. Please contact us on info@prayerspacesinschools.com and we’ll do our best to help you make some local connections.

Lastly (or perhaps firstly?), to get off to a good start, you should pray. Talk with God about the school that you’re thinking about, the one that you have some connections with already, and listen to what God says. Ask God to guide you into the right conversations with the right people at the right time.

And may the adventure continue.

Prayer spaces work best in schools where there is a good relationship between the school staff and the local children’s workers or youth workers or members of the local churches.

Prayer spaces work best when they’re not one-off events, but part of the ongoing spiritual and pastoral life of a school, part of (and sometimes a catalyst for) an ongoing rhythm of involvement in assemblies, lessons and lunchtime or after-school clubs, etc. Our hope is to encourage more local churches and Christian communities to partner with, or ‘adopt’, their local schools in these ways.

Before approaching a school, it’s good to check what local links you already have. Do you know any of the staff? Do any of the students, or their parents, go to your church? Do you know any of the Governors? Are any local churches or Christian organisations already involved in the life of the school. Always work with existing relationships if you can.

When David Howell spoke at the Prayer Spaces in Schools 2012 Day Conference in London, he encouraged us to “recognise where we are. We are not in church, we are in school.” It’s important to understand what is important to the school

Here are David Howell’s and Lat Blaylock’s short-talks from our 2012 Day Conferences in London and Leeds;

Video: David Howell (Director, Christian Youth Work Training), ‘Aiming to please: serving the school agenda and the Christian agenda’, 2012 Day Conference in London

Video: Lat Blaylock (editor, REToday), ‘Serving the school agenda and the Christian/church agenda - can we do both?’, 2012 Day Conference in Leeds

When you arrange a meeting with the school, it’s likely to be with the Head teacher, the Head of R.E., or maybe some of the school’s senior leadership team. Think carefully about what will be best to take along with you - here are some suggestions;

• a few Prayer Spaces in School brochures
• copies of the Prayer Spaces in Schools curriculum documents
• copies of any relevant Prayer Spaces in Schools good practice documents or policy guides
• an iPad/tablet with the Prayer Spaces in Schools video, or YouTube videos from other local schools, or similar schools where prayer spaces have taken place, or videos of Head teachers or senior staff from other schools talking about prayer spaces
• a couple of print-outs of story-reports from other local schools, or similar schools
• contact details of staff or Head teachers from other local schools, or similar schools, where prayer spaces have taken place
• a short, single-page summary proposal for how the prayer space could work, who would be involved, and maybe some suggestions for how it could be followed-up

If the meeting is positive, and the school are keen to work towards their first prayer space, it’s important to try and agree some of the key details - here are some suggestions;

• the dates and duration of the prayer space - one day? one week?
• the room, or the room options - how and when this will be decided? The room you are given will probably influence what prayer activities you use, and the size of team you’ll need. The sooner you know this, the better
• the general format - will the prayer space be open during break and lunchtimes only, or will there be a series of classes coming to the prayer space for their lesson-times?
• if classes will be coming to the prayer space for their lessons, is there any expectation that the team will deliver particular content to particular classes?
• themes and content - are there any key themes that the school would like the prayer space to include (e.g. exam stress, hopes and aspirations, forgiveness)? Are there any seasonal themes that could shape the style and content of the prayer space?
• the team - what policies, guidelines and other expectations will the team need to be aware of and prepared for (e.g. CRBs, safe-guarding)?

In most schools, every room is used for teaching and therefore it is hard to imagine where a prayer space could fit, even one that only lasts for a day. So, finding space for a prayer space is the first challenge, but it’s not as difficult as it seems.

There’s always space. Somewhere, at some time in the school year, there will be space. Maybe when classes or whole year groups go away on school trips. Maybe when secondary school students are on study leave. Maybe in a less-used and more-available mobile classrooms, or maybe in a smaller room that cannot be used as a classroom. Louise Hargreaves and her team hosted their first prayer space in East Bierley (primary) school in a tiny, odd-shaped cupboard, and it was amazing. Read more

Prayer spaces have been hosted in tents in the main hall, or on the stage with the curtains closed. Prayer spaces have been hosted in libraries or lobbies or in corridor recesses. Prayer spaces have been hosted outside (weather/season-permitting) - in tents and even in a caravan in a primary school school playground.

Think creatively. There’s always space.

Try and make the space feel less cluttered and chaotic, especially when it’s full of participants. You could do this by; clearing out all of the furniture and using prayer activities that are smaller or wall-mounted, or sectioning off certain areas (sheer fabric can be hung from the ceiling) and marking them ‘quiet’/chill-out zones, or limiting the number of participants at any one time, etc.

If you’ve got a huge open space, such as a main hall, try to make it feel more hospitable and comfortable.

You could do this by;

• including unusual furniture - sofas, chairs, carpets, etc.,
• or using prayer activities that follow a journey around the prayer space (like a labyrinth),
• or by putting up gazebos around the hall, each containing a cluster of prayer activities.

Try to make sure that when the prayer space is open it is easy for students to get to, and that they can get permission (if needed) to visit during break and lunchtimes.

Some prayer spaces benefit from being visible to passers-by, from adjacent corridors and from outside. Being visible keeps the prayer space in student’s minds, and increases the chances that they might drop in for a visit. However, busy corridors can also make a prayer space noisier, leaving some students reluctant to drop in.

Some prayer spaces seem to benefit from being ‘hidden’ from view (with blacked-out windows, etc.), until the students actually step through the door.

Consider which approach will best serve your prayer space.

If you are taking over a teacher’s classroom for the day or for the week, check what furniture you can move (and where you can move it to), and what displays you can take down or cover with lining paper or sheets. It sometimes helps to take a few photos on a mobile phone of the room beforehand so that you can check them afterwards and return everything to it’s proper place.

Is the room secure?

If you are running a whole-week prayer space and you’ll be leaving equipment there overnight, how safe will it be?

You might feel that it is sufficient to take higher value equipment (mp3 players, projector, laptops) home each night.

Make sure that you reserve a safe area, maybe behind the teacher’s desk or under a table, for your team to store their bags while the prayer space is open.

During one prayer space week, the team were asked to pack down all of the prayer activities at the end of a school day and then set them up again the following morning to allow for a parent’s evening which was due to take place in the same classroom. We would recommend that you make sure that your space isn’t going to be used for anything else while the prayer space is there.

Once you’ve agreed where the prayer space is going to be, arrange to (re)visit as soon as you can so that you can examine the room/space in more detail. While you’re there, draw an accurate plan of the room/space, and mark the following;

• doors (and which way they open) and emergency exits
• windows
• carpeted areas (if any)
• power points
• sinks (if any)
• displays that will have to stay
• furniture (tables, chairs, shelving, lockers, etc), again noting those that will have to stay
• lighting
• any hooks or mountings on walls or ceilings that you might be able to attach things to
• any other items that you think might be useful to you

And then begin to imagine your prayer space.

There are lots of ways to choose and organise the prayer activities in your prayer space. You could choose prayer activities to fit with a particular season or event (e.g. Advent, the Olympics). You could choose a set of prayer activities that follow a particular journey or Biblical story (e.g. Moses & the 10 Commandments, ‘The Good Samaritan’). Or you could choose prayer activities that blend around particular themes or even school values or school-topics (e.g. self-image, thankfulness). What’s important is that you choose your prayer activities carefully.

If you do choose your prayer activities carefully, and host the prayer space well, we’re confident that students and staff will have a good experience, and will probably want more. You should find everything you need to know about prayer activities in the RESOURCES pages, but we’ve summarised and emphasised the main points here...

If you’re planning towards your first prayer space, we would recommend that you start out by selecting from our Top Ten prayer activities. These are tried-and-tested prayer activities that have worked well in lots of different schools. Aim to have a balance of activities that are directed;

• upwards (towards God, e.g. Big Questions, Prayer Wall),
• outwards (towards the world around us, e.g. Pray The News, Stop The Traffik)
• inwards (reflective, towards the self, e.g. Who Am I?, Fizzy Forgiveness).

You may also want to ensure there are a mix of learning styles represented; writing, listening, looking, doing.

We store all the new prayer activity resources that people have sent in after they’ve tried-and-tested them in the LIBRARY. You’ll find lots of great ideas, variations on similar themes, and some brand new ideas as well - please explore and experiment.

Unfortunately, some prayer activities don’t work. We’ve discovered that the best prayer activities are;

• simple. They can be described in two words and explained in two sentences.
• relevant. They start with the student’s life and experiences, rather than a religious idea.
• interactive. They have something to do, as well as something to think about.
• inclusive. They welcome everyone, those of faith and no faith, those with different learning abilities and cultural backgrounds... everyone, equally.
• educational. They teach skills and ideas that can be taken away.
• personal and corporate. They provide alone-experiences and together-experiences.
• rooted. They are rooted into the life and sayings of Jesus, even if that isn’t obvious.

If you create some new prayer activities, or adapt some of the ones from our Library, we would recommend that you apply these guidelines. For a fuller explanation of these guidelines, click here

And if you do create some new prayer activities, once you’ve tried-and-tested (and maybe tweaked) them, please share them with us, so that we can share them with others. If you’re logged into the website, you can send your new prayer activities by filling in the boxes on the UPLOAD RESOURCES page. It’s really easy.

We try to encourage every prayer space to feature at least one prayer activity that focuses on an issue of injustice, either something local or something global. For example; human trafficking or poverty, homelessness or drought, ‘sweat-shop’ labour or child soldiers, unemployment or disappearing rain-forests... the list could go on (and on, unfortunately).

As students engage in injustice-themed prayer activities, and as they express their questions and their hopes for things to change, some begin to consider ways that they might become part of the answer to their own prayers. Which is an answer to our prayers.

We’re currently working with a number of charities to create a series of justice-themed prayer activities. Visit our Library to view what’s currently available.

If you’re hosting your first prayer space, ask the schools if they have an adopted charity or project - maybe you could find or create a prayer activity that connects with it?

Borrow if you can. Beg if you need to. Buy only if you must.

If you buy new gazebos and touch-screen displays and expensive lighting and a 7-foot bubble tube then, yes, your prayer space will cost a few hundred pounds... but you don’t have to buy these items, and your prayer space doesn’t have to cost that much.

There will probably be things that you’ll want to buy - fairy lights, pens and pads, post-it notes, lining paper, sheets to hang-up, maybe a gazebo, etc. (check the downloadable prayer activity PDFs for the lists of materials that you’ll need) - but you should be able to gather all this for about £100. Or less, if you can borrow the gazebo(s), the fairy lights, etc.

You could ask local churches or the local schools worker or children’s/youth worker project to donate some money. You may find some schools can provide you with consumable items, or may even have a small budget, but aim to see if the local churches can help first as a way of  serving the school.  Bear in mind that some of the resources you buy for one prayer space can be used again.

Some churches, Diocese and schools-work projects have already collected a stock of prayer space resources that they will loan out to those hosting new prayer spaces in the area. Email us on info@prayerspacesinschools.com and we’ll try to put you in touch with anyone near you who might be able to loan you some prayer space resources.

Using the floor plan that you drew when you last visited the school, try to fit your prayer activities into the space you have available. Decide what the maximum capacity of your prayer space will be. This will depend on the number of activities, how much space there is to circulate and how many team members you need. A satisfactory maximum is often just less than the total number of people who could be doing prayer activities at the same time. This avoids having too many people standing around waiting. If you’re hosting lessons you may decide that it’s safer and will work better to split the class in two and have them swap half way through the lesson.

Here are some other things to consider as you fit the prayer activities together;

• some prayer activities can be clustered together into ‘zones’ (e.g. a ‘World’ zone might have a World Wall, a Stop The Traffick activity, etc.)
• some prayer activities work well in sequence, so you may want to locate these next to each other (e.g. Be Sorry, Be Forgiven, etc.)
• the prayer activities that invite students to sit down and listen to an MP3 narration will be best located in corners, or away from potentially noisier, ‘discussion’-based activities
• some prayer activities invite students to reflect on their self-image or their relationships or other things that may be difficult in their lives - make sure that these activities are located in ‘safe’ areas, where students aren’t going to be interrupted or embarrassed
• where a prayer activity requires students to ‘wait their turn’, make sure there is space to queue
• if you’re using any prayer activities that require a gazebo, think carefully about it’s size (and height!), and about where students will enter/exit

Try setting up your prayer activities in a church hall a couple of weeks before the prayer space is due to start, just for ‘practice’. This will be a good opportunity for your team to see what the prayer activities look like, and it will give you the opportunity to re-arrange them if they don’t seem to fit together as well as you’d imagined.

You don’t need a large team to host a prayer space, regardless of how long it lasts. Four people is usually enough, depending on the physical size of the prayer space and the number of prayer activities.

It is possible to host a prayer space with less people, but it’s harder to be fully aware and responsive to what’s going on with only one or two people. And it’s possible, of course, to host a prayer space with a much bigger team, but it doesn’t necessarily make it better. Just busier. Too many team members can sometimes ‘crowd’ a prayer space, and discourage students from participating.

Usually, the team leader is a schools worker, or a minister, or a children’s or youth worker from a local church. Sometimes, the team leader is a parent, or a teacher (although it’s often hard for teachers to juggle the roles well), and there have a been a few student-led prayer spaces too.

Prayer spaces work best when the team leader is the person from the local church or local Christian children’s or youthwork organisation who has the ongoing relationship with the school - the person who will continue to be involved in the life of the school after the prayer space has ended.

Essentially, the role of the team leader is to;

• develop the ongoing relationship with the school
• lead the team of volunteers well
• oversee the prayer space, and make sure that it works well
• lead most of the lesson-sessions in the prayer space

Prayer space team members are best described as ‘guides’, because the emphasis is on guiding participants through a process of experience and reflection, and less on teaching-from-the-front (although there is usually a bit of that too).

Prayer space guides need to hospitable and welcoming, encouraging and friendly, confident and caring. You will also need capable and practical team members who know what they’re doing to set up and take down.

In a mixed school, you will need a mix of male and female guides in the prayer space at all times. Having two of each means that you can cover when unexpected things take someone out of the room.

Your team will need to be made up of people who are safe, competent and confident working amongst students and teachers. They don’t need to be experienced children’s or youth workers (although having one or two helps), but they do need to be good listeners and good questioners, and good at making space for children and young people to explore and experience the prayer activities at their own pace. We’ve found that ‘grandparent’-types are often great team members.

They will also all need to be CRB checked.

Prayer space teams can include all kinds of people... children’s workers and youth workers, church ministers and members, parents and grandparents, teaching staff and even students. It doesn’t really matter who they are, if they haven’t already been involved in a prayer space team, it’s important that you train them and prepare them.

To prepare your team of volunteers well, you could;

• encourage them to explore this website and read the stories from other prayer spaces
• show them some of the videos from other prayer spaces
• if possible, take them to visit another local prayer space
• if possible, take them along to a training event - check the EVENTS page

To train and equip them well, you should;

• organise your own training evening, probably a week or two before the prayer space

Download our Training session template

Training workshop template

When you’ve agreed the dates with your local school, please register your prayer space on this website. Once you’ve done it, a little blue marker pin will appear on our map (hopefully, where the school is). Registering only takes a few moments.

Here’s the link http://www.prayerspacesinschools.com/register/.

This simple registration system helps us to track where prayer spaces are being hosted in schools around the UK (and around the world, now). It helps us to identify ‘hot spots’ and to link people up in those areas where lots of prayer spaces are being hosted. It also helps us to gather accurate statistics, which go into reports and sometimes funding applications.

Mostly though, the registration system enables us to walk and work more closely with you, to connect with you, to learn with you and to share your learning and experiences with others. We’re in this together.

When you register your prayer space on this website we receive a notification email, which we respond to as soon as we can. In that response, we’ll consider your particular situation (school, location, prayer space format) and try to offer the best support and advice and ‘things to do’ next.

We’ll also send you links to any recent downloads or resources that you might not have found yet. And we'll make sure that you receive any important Prayer Spaces in Schools news, and invitations to our Day Conferences and other training workshops.

Perhaps most importantly, we’ll try to connect you with others who are hosting, or who have hosted, prayer spaces in your area, or prayer spaces that are similar to yours. Or even with people who might want to join in and help you. After more than 350 prayer spaces, we’re confident that there are stories and resources and people out there who can help you towards your prayer space. We’re in this together.

Register here.

Prayer spaces work best in schools where there is good communication. Good (clear, regular) communication between the team and the school, especially in the countdown to a prayer space, will help to resolve any outstanding questions, clarify expectations, and stir up interest... you want the whole school to know that the prayer space is about to open.

Within the school community, there are at least three different groups that you will probably want to communicate with; staff and school Governors, students, and parents. Here are a few ‘communication’ suggestions that you might want to consider;

School staff, and school Governors

• Prepare a short staff briefing to explain what the prayer space will look like, and how it will work. If possible, present this to the staff team in person. If it’s not, print it onto one sheet of A4. Include a few photos and contact details for the church or organisation that’s running the prayer space. In addition, you might want to include a link to the Prayer Spaces in Schools website, so that staff can read about prayer spaces in other schools.
• Invite staff and Governors to visit the prayer space, either the day before it opens to students, or during a particular session/lunchtime in the week just for them. Have refreshments available, and some examples of student’s prayers for staff to read.

Students

• Ask if you can create some ‘prayer space posters' and put them up around the school in the final couple of weeks. For example, you could create a series of ‘What Would Bieber Pray?’, ‘What Would The Queen Pray?’, ‘What Would Rooney Pray?’ posters.
• Offer to do assemblies, or a notice in assemblies, on ‘What Is Prayer?’ in the build-up to the prayer space.
• Offer to do a series of R.E. (or other) lessons, and make links with the upcoming prayer space.

Parents

• Draft a short letter for the school to send out to parents that explains what a prayer space is, and how the one in their daughter’s/son’s school is going to work.
• Invite parents to visit the prayer space after school on a particular day, maybe with their daughter/son. Have refreshments available, and some examples of the student’s prayers for the parents to read.

Here is a template letter that prayer spaces teams have been sending to parents of primary school students in Oxfordshire. Please use it and improve it;

Template Letter - Parents + Guardians

Outside of the school community, there are two main groups that you will need to communicate with; your team and volunteers, and local churches. Here are a few ‘communication’ suggestions that you might want to consider;

Team and volunteers

• Gather your team for a training session, probably a week or two before the prayer space
• Email, call or text your team regularly during the week before, and during the week of the prayer space to;
  • remind them when they need to arrive for the team briefing, and to bring their CRBs
  • remind them to come prepared... to pray, to expect to work hard, to give their best
  • update them with any changes to the timetable
  • encourage them with any stories, and remind them to send any of theirs
  • thank them for being part of the team

Local churches

• Prepare a 5-minute talk (or a short video, or a PowerPoint/Keynote slideshow) about the prayer space and ask local churches if you can present it in one of their services in the build-up to the prayer space. Invite the church members to volunteer as team members, to donate resources, and to pray.
• Create a short flier/leaflet about the prayer space and ask local churches if it can be included in the newsletter, or handed out at one of their services in the build-up to the prayer space. Again, use it to invite the church members to volunteer as team members, to donate resources, and to pray.
• Arrange to meet up with key people in the build-up to the prayer space, to explain about the prayer space in more detail and to ‘recruit’ their support in different ways; church-based children’s and youth workers, church leaders, local Christian schools-workers, prayer team leaders, etc.
• Invite some of these key people to visit the prayer space during a particular lesson/lunchtime during the week, so that they get to see it in action.
• Email, call or text these key people regularly during the week of the prayer space to encourage them with any stories.

The real V.I.P.s are the students - the children and the young people - of course.

However, there are some other people who you might want to invite to visit the prayer space while it is ‘in action’, for example;

• the Head teacher and other staff
• the school Governors
• local church leaders
• key children’s workers and youth workers who are hoping to set up prayer spaces in other schools
• key staff from feeder primary schools (if yours is a secondary school) who might be interested in having a prayer space
• the local press

Obviously, you will need to negotiate inviting in any ‘outside’ people with the school first, and you will need to make sure that the presence of any visitors doesn’t affect the students in the prayer space.

Planning and preparation is essential for a successful, minimum-stress prayer space. If you’re working towards hosting your first prayer space, try following this timeline;

6-9 months to go
Register as a member of the Prayer Spaces in Schools website
Download and read curriculum documents. Read prayer space stories.
Email info@prayerspacesinschools.com with any questions, and to ask for local contacts
Attend a Prayer Spaces in Schools workshop, or visit a prayer space if possible
Discuss ideas with local church members, children’s/youth workers
Identify local school where you have good relationships, or are committed to building them
Contact local school to make initial prayer space proposal (in writing, if necessary)

3 months to go
Meet with school leadership (Head of R.E., Head teacher, senior staff) to agree dates, room/space options, any key themes and the prayer space format
Register your prayer space dates and school on the Prayer Spaces in Schools website

Check Prayer Spaces in Schools prayer activities library, begin to collect ideas

Talk with your local church (and others), and with local children’s and youth work projects - begin to gather supporters and potential volunteers for your team, and a budget

1 month to go
Confirm room/space with the school
Visit room/space and make a detailed floor-plan
Confirm key themes and prayer activities with the school. Plan prayer activity layout
Download prayer activities PDFs

Recruit core team of 2 or 3 who will ‘carry’ the prayer space with you (and will cover for you if you’re not there for any sessions)
Continue to update local supporters and potential volunteers on progress

2 weeks to go
Confirm set-up and pack-down days/times with the school
Borrow, beg for, or buy resources you need for prayer activities
Host training evening for volunteers. Finalise availability of each team member

1 week to go
Confirm lesson timetable with the school
Work on any lesson plans
If possible, deliver assemblies and/or lessons around the theme of ‘prayer’
Design and distribute prayer space publicity posters/fliers in the school (make it fun)
If possible, set up on FRIDAY before (or if the prayer space doesn’t open on a Monday, just set up the day before)


The week
Have fun!
Gather stories and take photos

The week afterwards

Thank your team of volunteers and all school staff who have been involved in some way (cards, chocolates, emails, phone calls, etc.)
Debrief with your team of volunteers
Arrange a debrief with your key contact in the school (maybe Head of R.E.), to review the prayer space and to discuss ‘what next?’
Write a summary prayer space report for the school, with photos
Write a story-article for the Prayer Spaces in Schools website, send photos

Check through the prayer space resources, list anything that needs replacing/repairing

You’ve probably realised by now that there is no typical prayer space week (or day, or fortnight, or however long your prayer space runs for). Prayer spaces have been hosted in almost every type of school, with every age group.

Prayer spaces have been hosted in all kinds of rooms and spaces - in classrooms and corridors, cupboards and chapels, in huge halls and tiny foyer areas, in caravans and under tents in the playground, even in church buildings next door to the school - and they can all work well.

Most prayer spaces in secondary schools (in the UK) open for a full timetable of lessons (usually, but not only, R.E. lessons). In a few secondary schools, however, the prayer spaces have only been open for break-times and lunch-times and after-school slots. Prayer spaces in primary schools are usually opened to the whole school, and not just for R.E. lessons.

Setting-up (and packing-down) a classroom-sized prayer spaces usually takes up to three hours. Don’t forget to take mobile-photos of the classroom layout before you get started, as this will help when you attempt to return everything to it’s proper place afterwards.

Other great tips from those who have hosted prayer spaces include;

• keep it tidy. After every lesson, try to recover cushions, replenish post-it notes, re-lid pens and generally restore the prayer space, so that the next class experience the best that it has to offer.
• ‘curate the content’. When the post-it note Prayer Wall is full or the Big Questions strings are over-loaded, move some or thin them out, so that there’s space for the next class.
• pay attention to what’s working and what’s not working. Maybe a prayer activity needs moving somewhere else? Maybe an explanation isn’t clear enough? Maybe that new prayer activity you designed with the Othello board and the Star Wars figurines just isn’t working the way you’d imagined? Don’t hesitate to change things if you need to, or even remove a prayer activity completely.
• watch for trends. For example, if the Prayer Wall is being over-run by R.I.P. messages, do what chaplain, Jason Taylor, did in Hull and create a separate R.I.P./Thanks Wall. Watch for trends and don’t hesitate to respond to them.
• dot the prayers. At the end of every lesson, ask your team to take a felt-tip pen and quickly ‘dot’ all of the new post-it note/written prayers, removing any that are inappropriate or ‘of concern’ (these can be discussed with the class teacher).

If you have any great tips for managing a prayer space well, please email us at info@prayerspacesinschools.com.

An important part of leading your team will be hosting short meetings - daily briefings and debriefings - at the start and the end of the day. These might only last for 5-10 minutes, but they will help your team to start well and end well, and to do well in between.

A morning briefing might include;

• introductions, especially if the team are from different churches and haven’t met before.
• a short summary of how the prayer space has been going so far
• a run-through of the lessons scheduled for the day, and who is leading each of them.
• an explanation of any new or adapted prayer activities
• a reminder of the in-between lesson tasks; tidying up, ‘dotting’ the prayers, etc.
• a reminder that nothing is confidential, and that any concerns need to be reported back to you first, and then maybe to the teacher
• ...any questions?
• prayer.

An afternoon debriefing might include;

• how is everyone doing? Was anything difficult today?
• feedback on the day - memorable conversations with students, memorable moments.
• feedback on any conversations with staff.
• any suggestions for improving the prayer space, ready for tomorrow.
• thanks to everyone for participating.
• prayer.

Inviting feedback from the students (and staff) who experience prayer spaces is very important, for a number of reasons;

• It helps the students to reflect on what they’ve been doing in the prayer space, and to begin to process any new thoughts or experiences.
• It helps you and your team to understand more about what’s been going on.
• It helps you and your team to identify things in the prayer space that can be improved.
• It provides you with comments and content that you might want to include in reports that you write for the school, your church or organisation, or for the Prayer Spaces in Schools website.

Most prayer spaces include a way for students (and staff) to offer their thoughts and feelings as feedback. It could be verbal feedback, all together, at the end of a lesson. Or it could be drawn or written feedback throughout the lesson, onto a large sheet of lining paper in one corner of the prayer space. Some schools have asked students to fill in evaluation forms, which they have then examined. One school interviewed students on camera to ask them what they thought, and how they felt, about the prayer space, and then turned this into a short DVD. It’s important to invite feedback, however you do it.

Here are a couple of examples of feedback/evaluation forms that prayer space teams have used in schools. Please use them and improve them;

Prayer Space Questionnaire for students

Prayer Space Questionnaire for Teachers

If you’re going to take photos in the prayer space, check the school for their policy on photos first. In general, it’s fine to take close-up photos of post-it note prayers and of the empty prayer space. Sometimes it’s OK to photograph the prayer space in use, as long as none of the student’s faces are showing. Talk with the school about this.

Ending well is just as (or perhaps even more) important than starting well. Ending well determines how well you move on into what’s next.

In some schools, the teams have given away small packs of post-it notes to anyone visiting the prayer space on the final day, and have encouraged them to go and create their own ‘Prayer Wall’ at home somewhere. In others, students have joined in with the prayer space pack-down, which is often a good time to reflect on the week with them. In one school, the team turned the final lunchtime into a celebration/story-telling session, where students shared their favourite moments from the week as they shared their packed lunches. Think carefully about how you can end your prayer space well.

Say a big thank you to everyone who has been part of your team, even the volunteers who came to help set-up and pack-down. Write short thank you cards or send emails to everyone, or buy them some chocolates, or if you’re feeling really creative buy them a small ‘commemorative’ gift each, e.g. a school pencil with ‘Anytown High School, Prayer Space Team, July 2012’ printed down the side.

Ask your team for feedback on the prayer space. You could send a short set of questions (along with a deadline for replying) via email, or you could invite everyone to get together to swap feedback, stories and photos over some pizza.

Ask for practical feedback, e.g.

• What do you think worked well?
• What didn’t work so well?/What could be improved for the next prayer space?
• And ask for stories and observations as well, e.g.
• What was your favourite moment or conversation?
• What did staff say about the prayer space?
• What did students say about the prayer space?

Their feedback will help you with your report on the prayer space (see below).

Check through all of the prayer space resources before you pack them away, or before you return items to those you borrowed them from. Make a list of any items that need replacing or repairing so that everything is ready-to-use for the next prayer space.

Gather in any remaining expenses and receipts from your team and finalise the budget, so that you can submit this to the school, the host church or the Christian organisation.

Say a big thank you to all of the school staff, cleaners, etc. who participated in the prayer space or helped in some way. Write short thank you cards or buy a big box of chocolates and deliver it to the staff-room.

In some schools the teams have worked with staff and/or students to create prayer space display boards to leave somewhere in the school. These boards could include students prayers and photos, as well as some of the student’s feedback on their experiences.

Arrange a follow-up visit to the school for a informal debrief conversation with the Head of RE and/or any key staff members who were involved in making the prayer space happen. During the debrief conversation, ask for practical feedback, e.g.

• What do you think worked well?
• What didn’t work so well?/What could be improved for the next prayer space?/How could we serve you better next time?
• And ask for stories and observations as well, e.g.
• What was your favourite moment or conversation?
• What did other staff say about the prayer space?
• What did students say about the prayer space?

Their feedback will help you with your report on the prayer space (see below).

Say a big thank you to those from the local church who have been praying for you and supporting you and the prayer space team. Write short thank you cards or send them an email with a couple of photos and stories from the prayer space.

Ask the church leader to let you have 5 minutes in the Sunday service immediately after the prayer space, and/or a page in the weekly church newsletter, to show a few photos and tell a few stories. Maybe you could take a bag of the student’s prayers (ones without names) and invite the church members to collect one of them and pray for the student who wrote it during the coming week.

It’s good to write a short report after each prayer space because it provides a record of what has taken place and it also highlights areas and opportunities for further work.

Prayer space reports can vary in content and detail, depending on how involved the team are in the ongoing life of the school, but we would recommend the following elements;

• the dates and the location of the prayer space
• the names of the team leader and school staff contacts, as well as the supporting churches and Christian organisations (maybe including logos)
• a couple of sentences defining what a prayer space is, with reference to the Prayer Spaces in Schools website and curriculum links, etc. to provide context
• a couple of sentences explaining this particular prayer space, e.g. theme, season
• a 1-line description of each prayer activity, or maybe a summary list of them, identifying any that students have helped to design or create
• a couple of paragraphs on what happened, the themes that emerged from the student’s prayers and reflections, and any challenges or difficulties that arose
• some photos of the prayer space, including some close-ups of individual prayers
• a typed-up list of the student’s Big Question prayers, and/or any of the other prayer activities that the school has an ongoing interest in
• a few feedback comments from students
• a few feedback comments from staff
• recommendations for what next - How can the prayer space be followed up?

It’s important to remember that a report written for the school, about the school, belongs to the school, and therefore shouldn’t be copied beyond the school and the team.

Here are a couple of examples of prayer space reports written for schools (the names have been removed);

Prayer Space 1, report

Prayer Space 2, report

In addition to writing a short report for the school, please also write (or ask one of your team to write) a story/article for the Prayer Spaces in Schools website. The best stories/articles are narrative rather than descriptive, and they try to capture the experience of the prayer space rather than the format. We would recommend the following elements;

• a short description of the school community, and the prayer space itself, to set the scene
• ‘memorable moments’... what happened?
• interesting conversations and observations
• feedback from staff and students - What did they think or feel about the prayer space?
• feedback from team members, especially ones who have joined for the first time
• student prayers
• a series of photos, including a couple of the whole prayer space or creative prayer activities, and some close-ups of student prayers

Please send your story/article and photos to Phil at info@prayerspacesinschools.com. Thanks so much!

It’s impossible to pick the best stories from the 100+ on our STORIES pages, but here are a couple that we particularly like;

As we’ve said before, prayer spaces work best when they’re not one-off events, but part of the ongoing spiritual and pastoral life of a school, part of an ongoing rhythm of involvement in assemblies, lessons and lunchtime or after-school clubs, etc.

Prayer spaces often provide new ways for schools and local Christians to work in partnership together. Here are just a few examples of new things that have been launched following prayer spaces in primary and secondary schools around the UK;

• Youth Alpha. 90 students signed-up for a lunchtime Youth Alpha that followed on from a prayer space. More than 60 of these participated in the whole course.
   
• a series of Big Question workshops. After hosting their first prayer space, the chaplaincy team at a Scottish high school set up a series of Big Question workshops for students who wanted to explore further. Lots did. The HM Inspectors who visited one of these workshops were impressed and mentioned it in their report. Read the full story/article here.
   
• chaplaincies. Lots of prayer spaces have been set up and hosted by local chaplaincy teams. In some schools, chaplaincies are now being set up in the follow-on from prayer spaces. We’ll be adding some new content around ‘chaplaincy and prayer spaces’ soon. In the meantime, you can find our more about chaplaincy in schools here.
   
• permanent prayer spaces. Having hosted a day- or week-long prayer space, lots of schools are now setting up ‘permanent’ prayer spaces. Some schools are setting aside and setting-up small rooms, while other are creating prayer corners in each classroom. There are many different models. We’ll be adding some new content around ‘permanent prayer spaces’ soon.
   
• an after-school cafe, with a prayer tent
   
• church volunteers serving as reading-buddies and mentors
   
• lunchtime prayer groups
   
• lessons and assemblies
   
• a prayer garden project
   
• further prayer spaces

We hope and pray that your prayer space will open up new ways for you to serve your local school. Please stay in touch and let us know how you get on.