Inclusive Community For All Faiths
Although we are a Christian School, students and staff from all faiths, or none, are welcome.
The Chaplaincy and the Chapel are situated at the very heart of the School and provide a space where we can take time in the midst of a busy week to reflect upon our lives.
Each week, our regular Chapel services provide an opportunity for such reflection and during these important times together we seek to deepen our understanding of the nature of what it means to be human and allow space for us to recognise the spiritual dimension of life.
Meet the Chaplain
Brentwood School’s Chaplain is an integral part of the School community, where a strong, caring Christian ethos is threaded throughout.
The Chaplain of Brentwood School is the Revd Dr Adrian McConnaughie.
It is a privilege to be the Chaplain of a busy community and to play a part in helping each of us grow as individuals in the image of God.
Chapel Worship
Each year group in the Senior School attends Chapel on a fortnightly basis. In the Prep School, the Chaplain leads a service with Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 on a fortnightly rota every Thursday. In addition, the Chaplain meets both Reception and Foundation pupils weekly for storytime.
Worship for All Faiths
Brentwood School is a diverse and inclusive community which seeks to ensure that students and staff of all faiths and beliefs are able to find space to nurture and develop their faith practices.
Faith Forum
Our Faith Forum draws membership from staff and students who represent the widest possible diversity of faith perspectives within the school. Through regular meetings, the Forum seeks to provide an important opportunity for us to consider how we can continue to support and develop the faith perspectives and practices of all within the community.
Muslim Prayer Space
Prayer Spaces are set aside within school for the daily use of our Muslim community who wish to pray on a daily basis. Friday prayers are also offered. The spaces, and Friday prayers, are overseen daily by a group of Muslim colleagues and overseen by the Chaplain.
Please contact the Chaplain if you would like further details of this provision or if you would like to find out more about the Faith Forum.
Worship for the Wider Community
There is an emerging, worshipping community that meets once a month on a Sunday for a service in Chapel which usually starts at 10am. These services are open to the wider Brentwood School community and are suitable for all ages.
These services are generally less formal in style and feature a blend of music, scripture, poetry, and art to help us listen to God’s call on our lives and create a safe space to support one another on our journey of faith.
Services typically coincide with key moments in the Christian year such as Harvest, Advent, Christmas, Easter and Mothering Sunday and take place each month (except July and August). Some of these Sunday services also involve our Junior Choir (Year 3 and 4) who have led us musically on occasions.
The dates for our Sunday Chapel Services for 2025-2026 are linked below. We look forward to welcoming you. For more details, please contact the Chaplain below.
Special Services and Celebrations
In addition to our monthly Sunday services throughout the year, we gather in the Chapel at a variety of moments throughout the year.
There are regular services of Choral Evensong in School which usually take place at 5pm during a weekday. Please contact the Chaplain for dates of future services.
The Chapel is an important part of the School community and members of the Brentwood community gather in the Chapel to mark key moments in life such as baptisms, confirmation, weddings, funerals and memorial services.
Services of Baptism usually take place at one of our monthly Sunday Services. Weddings for those with a significant connection to the School (current and former staff and former pupils for example) take place via a Special Licence, which can be applied for with the support of the Chaplain.
Please contact the Chaplain if you would like more details or if you would like to enquire about the use of the Chapel for such services.
History of the Chapel
For the first 300 years, the School used the local South Weald Church for worship. In the 19th century, Headmaster Dr West was keen to have a dedicated School Chapel built in order to house the expanding number of students.
It was in 1868 that the Brentwood School Chapel was completed to serve its students and it still sits at the very heart of the School site.
In the period after the First World War, the School increased again in numbers. The Chapel couldn’t house the whole of the School in one sitting, so half of the boys attended Chapel and the other half had assembly each day.
In 1925, expansion work was undertaken to include two aisles as memorials to the Great War of 1914-1918.
The beautiful stained-glass east window, above the altar, is an illustration of the ancient Christian hymn Te Deum. Of the other two stained-glass windows which look in on this tranquil setting, one – Faith, Hope and Charity – was given to the School by St Mary’s, Great Warley, a nearby church, and the other features striking depictions of the prophets Moses and Elijah.
Today, even though it can accommodate 320 worshippers, the Chapel cannot house the entire School, so the six Year Groups of the Senior School take turns attending a short Chapel assembly once a fortnight.
Brentwood in numbers
