This assembly is designed to be used at the time of the two-minute silence on Thursday, 14 July to remember the victims of the London bombings. It could be adapted for any situation where silence is called for.
Care and sensitivity will be needed, since anyone from anywhere in the UK or beyond could be affected or know someone affected by these events.
If someone known to the school has died in the tragedy, please see our assembly A death associated with the school community (link), although you will probably want to respond to this at a later time once the original shock has passed.
You will need a flip chart, blackboard/whiteboard or OHP on which to write:
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Note that two minutes might be too long for some children and you may prefer to play some music or say a prayer or meditation for some of the time.
- Explain that this is a special assembly in which you are going to join together with people all over the country to remember the victims of the London bombings last week. Say that at 12 o’clock people will stop whatever they are doing to join together in a short silence.
- Point out that we think that silence has been used at times of remembrance for as long as there have been people. Suggest that just as we leave spaces between paragraphs when we are writing, so we need spaces – silences – to allow us to think about difficult and important things, to collect our thoughts. It is also a way of bringing the whole country together because everyone will be quiet at the same time to remember and to think.
- Explain that it can be difficult sometimes to be very quiet for two minutes because we are not used to it. Write the word QUIET down the board and point to each letter as you make the following suggestions for how to use the time.
Quiet yourself and your racing thoughts.
Use the time to think of others.
In particular today, we are thinking of last week’s bomb victims.
Especially, we think of those who are injured and those who have lost loved ones.
Then give thanks for the lives of those who died and for the wonderful work of everyone who helped on the day.
Talk about each of these steps expanding on them as appropriate (and perhaps filling the time right up to midday!). You might say that it is a good idea to spend some of the time in breathing deeply because this helps to calm us down and make us ready to think about these important things.
You could point out that they shouldn’t worry if they find their thoughts wandering but they should try to spend some of the time thinking about those who were caught up in the bombs. Also, they should try to think about those whose loved ones died or were badly injured.
Say that there is no need to be upset, it is better to think about how well everyone responded and how quickly the emergency services came to help. At the same time, it is good to remember the victims because whatever their age or background they were human beings like us. We are all one family and are all affected by these terrible events.
If appropriate, individual children might like to use the two-minute silence to say a silent prayer, bringing all their thoughts to God.
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Once the silence is over you might like to end the assembly with a song such as ‘Spirit of peace’ or ‘Shalom’.
Reflection
We need space in our lives like the spaces between the paragraphs of a story.
We want to rush on to the next thing but sometimes we need to stop and think.
Today we make a thinking space for the victims of the London bombings last week.
We make space to think of the people who died and their families and all the people who helped them.
We make space to think that everyone involved was part of the human family,
we were all affected by what happened, today we all think and act together.
Our act is to be silent,
in our shared silence we are all one.
One people, strong together.
Prayer
We pray for those who died and those who were injured in the bombings last week;
we pray that you will be with them, Lord.
We pray for their loved ones;
we pray that you will be with them, Lord.
We pray with thanks for the emergency services and everyone who helped;
we pray that you will be with them, Lord.
We thank you that even though these horrible things happen, in our shared silence we are all one people, and that together we are stronger than any terrorist.
Amen.
