10 years ago, the chapel was a formal space – with limited use and often locked. The school is a state-funded Church of England school. Over the last nine years, we have run Prayer Spaces in Schools installations each year. At the start, we focused on year 7 and 8 who would come to the space for an RE lesson. Since then, we have run five week-long spaces and multiple pop-up spaces – responding to the needs of the community. 

Three years ago, we moved the week-long Lent prayer space from the chapel (that is classroom-sized) to our main hall. This impacted the whole school’s daily activities – PE lessons got moved and assemblies were changed. The impact was huge.

Last year, one of our Chaplaincy Volunteers sensed God calling us to do a worship night for students before the exam season started. The first worship night was the week before the prayer space and 50 young people gathered to worship in school!

‘ Over the past year, Bishop Ramsey has hosted three incredible worship nights—each one a powerful opportunity to encounter the Holy Spirit. These evenings bring together students from Bishop Ramsey and youth from local churches for a time of worship, prayer, and inspiring teaching. 

To help everyone feel at home, we start with a fun icebreaker—because connecting matters! It’s amazing to see friendships form and young people realise they’re not alone in their faith journey. The atmosphere is always welcoming, and the worship is Spirit-led, with a tangible sense of God’s presence from the moment you walk in.

We’ve heard incredible testimonies of lives touched and hearts changed—some experiencing the Holy Spirit for the very first time! Each night ends with a special takeaway to remind you of what God has done and keep that moment close.’ Zoe, Year 12 Student

Then off the back of the worship nights, sixth form students launched worship on a Wednesday lunchtime in the main hall – this space is adjacent to the canteen. Students wonder in and out of the worship space:

‘Worship Wednesdays are an incredible chance to set apart time to glorify and praise God. It is truly amazing how God is moving here at Bishop Ramsey, and it has been fantastic to see how many young people and teachers are desiring to set aside time to spend time with Him. Teachers and students wonder in – just to see what is going on. Every week we gather to worship and hear from God’s word, led by a hard-working and gifted group of sixth-form students who volunteer to serve and organise these sessions. With God at the centre, we look forward, with anticipation, to how God will move in this next term and for the future, and we are so grateful that we can worship together as a community and encounter Him in this way.”  Tiffany, Year 13 Student

God is at work in our schools, and the students are taking a lead!