Creating Space for Stillness, Prayer & Pupil-Led Spiritual Growth

Lunchtime Prayer Club is one of Project Touchline’s most significant and lasting legacies.

It provides children with a calm, voluntary space in the heart of the school day — a place to pause, pray, reflect, listen, ask questions, and experience stillness.

What began in April 2021 at Sir Robert Geffery’s School in Landrake, Cornwall, with just sixteen children gathering for a simple 15-minute session, has now spread to more than 100 Church schools across England and Wales.

Why Prayer Club Matters

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In a busy school day filled with constant activity, Prayer Club offers a different rhythm.

It creates a gentle space where children can:

• Be still
• Feel safe
• Reflect honestly
• Pray freely
• Listen deeply
• Support one another
• Explore faith naturally

Its greatest strength is its simplicity, warmth, and relational nature.

A Voluntary Space Children Choose

Prayer Club is never compulsory — children choose to attend.

When pupils willingly give up part of their lunchtime, it often reveals a deep spiritual openness within the school community.

Children come for different reasons:

• Some seek quiet
• Some want to pray
• Some have questions
• Some simply feel safe there

Over time, it becomes a trusted and valued part of school life.

What Happens in a Typical Prayer Club?

Each school shapes Prayer Club to fit its own context.

A typical session may include:

• A boat with three candles or similar visual focus
• A short Bible verse
• Quiet reflection
• Simple prayer
• Open conversation
• Pupil-led responses
• Creative prayer activities
• Stillness and listening

The focus is never on complexity — it is on creating space for children to encounter God and experience caring community.

The Impact Schools Notice

Schools often report that Prayer Club helps children become:

• Calmer and more reflective
• More confident in prayer
• More willing to talk about faith
• More thoughtful towards others
• More engaged in Collective Worship
• More aware of their emotions

Prayer Club also strengthens:

• Pupil leadership
• Spiritual development
• School worship life
• Church-school partnerships
• Relationships between pupils and staff

Recent SIAMS inspections have highlighted how pupils value Prayer Club as a place to discuss life events, receive support, contemplate, and pray if they wish.

Pupil Leadership & Ownership

One of the most encouraging signs of impact is when children begin taking ownership.

Pupils often:

• Set up the prayer space
• Lead prayers
• Choose themes
• Welcome younger children
• Create reflective resources
• Support Collective Worship

Prayer Club gradually moves from being adult-led to becoming a genuine pupil-owned expression of faith life.

A Lasting Legacy

Many schools continue Prayer Club long after the five-week Project Touchline programme finishes.

Over time, it becomes part of the school’s wider spiritual culture — creating a regular rhythm of prayer, reflection, belonging, and Christian community.

For many schools, Prayer Club becomes one of the clearest long-term signs of lasting cultural impact.

Citizenship & Community

Through leadership and cooperation, pupils learn to:

• Value differences
• Contribute positively
• Take responsibility
• Participate well within school life

Sport creates natural opportunities to develop respect, service and positive relationships.

Strengthening Church-School Relationships

Prayer Club often creates natural bridges between school, church, and home.

When clergy, volunteers, and school staff become involved together, children begin to see prayer as part of a wider faith community.

This has helped strengthen:

• Church-school partnerships
• Family engagement with church life
• Pupil involvement in worship
• Shared community relationships

The impact is often quiet, but deeply significant.

Small Space, Deep Impact

Prayer Club does not require large budgets or complicated resources.

It simply needs:

• Consistency
• Warmth
• Trust
• Gentle leadership
• Space to pause

Sometimes the most powerful thing a school can offer is a quiet space where children can stop, breathe, and know they are heard.

How Project Touchline Supports Schools

Project Touchline helps schools establish and sustain Prayer Club through:

• Introducing the rhythm during the five-week programme
• Modelling simple prayer practices
• Building staff confidence
• Encouraging pupil leadership
• Creating reflective prayer spaces
• Connecting schools through national online gatherings

The long-term hope is simple:

Children discover that prayer is not distant or difficult, but something they can enter with honesty, confidence, and joy.

A Culture of Prayer & Presence

Prayer Club helps schools nurture cultures where:

• Stillness is valued
• Children are listened to
• Faith becomes part of everyday life
• Reflection feels natural
• Relationships are strengthened
• Children feel known and valued

For many schools, this quiet lunchtime space becomes one of the most powerful and enduring signs of Project Touchline’s impact.