Be Still: The Quiet Prayer Movement Growing Across Church Schools
In April 2021, Chris Andrew, a Church of England minister and Archbishops’ Evangelist, planted a small seed of stillness at Sir Robert Geffery’s School in Landrake, Cornwall.
Amid the quiet unrest of post-Covid lockdowns, he began a voluntary lunchtime prayer club. Sixteen children gathered for just 15 minutes — a simple space to pause, pray, reflect, and rest in God’s presence.
When Children Are Given Space to Be Still
From that small beginning, a gentle ripple has spread to more than 100 Church schools across England and Wales.
These prayer clubs are intentionally simple: a quiet room or space outside, a candle, prayer, reflection, silence, and space to listen. In the middle of busy school days, children are given permission not simply to perform, compete, and achieve. Instead, they are allowed to be still.
They offer more than an activity. They create sacred spaces of calm where children can find peace, belonging, and spiritual connection. Supported by headteachers, staff, clergy, and local churches, these clubs help nurture a living Christian ethos. This ethos reaches beyond the school day.
Their beauty lies in their simplicity and sustainability. Long after Project Touchline has finished its five-week programme, many schools continue the practice themselves. In this way, they carry forward a rhythm of prayer, stillness, and fellowship.
What began with 16 children in Cornwall has become a quiet movement of hope. This movement helps children across England and Wales discover the peace of God, the love of community, and the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit.
Where Stillness Begins to Shape a School
What has surprised many schools is not only the number of children attending voluntarily, but the lasting impact these spaces are having on school culture.
One child recently wrote:
“During this program I have learnt how the candles light up our lives to guide us. I have also learnt the importance of our values. Finally I really enjoy prayer club and pray to God to do it more.”
A recent SIAMS inspection noted:
“The weekly prayer club is well-attended. Pupils choose to attend at lunchtime to discuss events in their lives. They appreciate this time and the support it offers them. The club offers pupils the time to contemplate and engage in prayer, if they wish.”
Hannah Legg, Assistant Headteacher at All Souls CE Primary School, Westminster, London reflected: “The prayer club was incredibly popular and revealed a real desire for this amongst the children.”
Where Children Encounter the Presence of God
At the heart of it all is a simple truth: children often encounter God most deeply not through performance, but through presence. One of the greatest encouragements has been seeing many schools continue these prayer clubs long after Project Touchline finishes — a genuine legacy carried forward by staff, clergy, and pupils themselves.
As someone working at the intersection of sport, faith, education, and collective worship, I continue to believe that children flourish most deeply when they encounter not only good teaching, but the living presence of God — for “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Sometimes the most transformative thing a school can offer is not another initiative… but a sacred space where children can be still, breathe, listen, and encounter God.