It can really help if someone in your church already works in the school. They'll be able to tell you who to talk to, as well as what sort of reception you can expect! They can also act as references for you and your team.

The first thing you should do is write to the headmaster/headmistress, explaining who you are and where you are from. It helps to suggest that your planned assembly will help the school meet government targets on RE in schools, and that you're happy to fit in with any themes they're focussing on in that term. You should include a sample of what you intend to 'perform' in the assembly, and include that you're going to make a follow up call later.

Next, call the school and try to arrange a meeting with the head. You may find that the school will be happy to let you in straight away, but even so, it is best to do some fact finding first. You'll need to make clear to the school what sort of things you're planning to do; for example, some of our local primaries object to us splitting the boys and the girls for team games. You should discuss with the head what sort of language they're happy with you using, and topics that they don't want you to talk about. That way you can be sure that the school is as happy as possible with what you intend to do. Make sure you ask if they mind if you tell the kids about your Saturday/Sunday club. Warn the teachers if the assembly is likely to be lively; you don't have to deal with the hyped-up kids in a classroom afterwards! By faxing through the assemblies content a day or two before hand each time, you can safeguard against upsetting the school in any way. But be prepared to make late changes to your programme if any objections are raised on the day! Be courteous and respectful at all times.

You may be given opportunity to lead the children in singing; in my previous church in the south, we had tremendous success with 'Great great brill brill' and 'Oi, oi, we're gonna praise the Lord!' Make sure that someone in your team can sing good and sing loud! Guitars are also helpful and fascinate the children.

Seek to make a regular arrangement with the school. Aim for coming in once each half term. You should ask for feedback and don't be surprised if they're over the moon; a lot of teachers dread doing assemblies, and having people who actually want to give up a morning and come and do one for them is a godsend! One of our team members was even asked if they'd like to join the board of governors of a junior school!

So, you've contacted the school, you've arranged a date for your first assembly; what are you going to teach the kids? Our assemblies are all basically slimmed down Kidz Klub sessions. Be aware, as mentioned before, that you may have to tone down any Gospel based content, as it is illegal to proselytise in a school.

Beware of making too much mess in your games. You'll need to leave the hall just as you found it. Be careful when picking kids to play games. We've had kids come up to play and then just freeze; if this happens, get the poor kid back to their seat as quick as possible, and pick some one else. For some reason this doesn't seem to happen at Kidz Klub, just on assemblies!

Click here to download a free sample of one of our assemblies to get you started on writing your own. We aim to have them last for 20 minutes; your school may allow more or less than this. Make sure you don't over run, so test your material out first and time it.

One last thing: be careful with infants! Even the sound of a guitar being played may well be the loudest thing they've ever been exposed to, and tears can flow very quickly. Warn them if you're going to pop a balloon, or play some music. Seeing the front row put their hands over their ears nearly brings a tear to the eye every time!

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