Themes
Friendship; kindness; supporting others; building relationships; resolving disagreements.
Summary
This assembly framework for primary schools uses a short video to consider the theme of friendship – it is part of a collection celebrating 'school values'. Pupils will reflect on the qualities of good friends, how to build strong relationships, and how friendships can help us navigate challenges.
The video
Rhys:
Friendship is about when we support and care for each other. Friends often have the same interests or experiences and enjoy spending time together. Why is friendship important to you?
Child 1:
I like my friends because they are always there to turn to when I'm feeling down.
Child 2:
You can be loyal to them, it can be someone you could count on, you can cry with them, be happy with them, and it's just really good to have a friend.
Child 3:
I love making jokes up with my friends.
Child 4:
The best thing about my friends is that they always play with me, they make me laugh, and they never leave my side. Whenever I get hurt they're always there for me. I love my friends because they're kind and helpful.
Child 6:
Friendship is important to me because if I'm sad, I know a friend can help me.
Child 7:
I love friendship because we always have someone to chat with.
Child 8:
I love going to the park with my friends.
Child 9:
I love friendship because I always know that I have someone to rely on.
Rhys:
Exactly - friends make us happy, they can cheer us up when we're sad and support us through the good times and bad. But finding and keeping good friends and being a good friend to others isn't always easy. A good friend is someone that we enjoy spending time with, who is happy for us when things are good and will help us when we need it. And in turn, we help them! This is the story of how Jade learnt the importance of friendship.
Child VO:
I'm Jade. I've just moved to this school, but I want to go back to my old school. Mrs Sharma says they have a Friendship Bench here, and I can sit on it if I'm lonely - ugh! No thanks! I don't need any new friends!
It's a boring day in a boring school with boring people. I bet they don't even know how to play football! I didn't want to play with them anyway. Ok, fine. Maybe I'm a tiny bit lonely… I miss my old friends. I miss my old school. Everything's different now, and it feels like I can't do anything about it. I'm really sorry everyone. Can we start again? Now that I have friends here, I love my new school!
Rhys:
Jade learnt that having friends makes our lives better. Friendship is about give and take, the best way to make good friends is to be a good friend. But not all friendships are healthy. In a good friendship you should be able to trust each other and be honest with each other.
If you see your friend doing something wrong, you should be able to tell them! Healthy friendships are brilliant because we can always be ourselves with our friends. But friends shouldn't make you feel unhappy or unsupported. Omari knows all about friendships.
Omari:
Hi, I'm Omari McQueen, I'm a TV chef, and you may know me from my show 'Meet the McQueens'. My friends play a big part in my life, they're the people I can always be myself around, and they'll always be there for me. In a friendship, I look for people that like me for me, and never want to change me.
A lot of my friends share the same interests as me, like playing basketball, but I also like making friends who are different to me, who can show me new things and we can grow those interests together. You could even have a built in best friend within your family, my cousin is my best friend. When I was struggling in school, she helped me with my work. She shared her books with me and she even helped me understand things. It made me feel like she really cared about me because she was giving up her time to help me. And even though we're at different colleges now, I know she still has my back.
Sometimes I feel like people want to be my friend for the wrong reasons, because I've been on TV and they don't truly like me for who I really am. So, in a friendship I believe it's important for you to trust one another, and for the others to put in as much effort into the friendship as you are. In a friendship you should be building each other up, so you can all shoot for the stars together.
Rhys:
When you find good friendships, you'll know it's amazing! Friends make us happy, help us when we need it, teach us new things and most importantly, allow us to be ourselves. What ways can you be a good friend today?
Video summary
Presenter Rhys Stephenson defines the theme of friendship and asks children to consider the word’s meaning, followed by a group of children describing what it means to them.
Rhys expands on those ideas and a short animation provides an example with a story about Jade, who has recently moved to a new school and doesn’t want new friends because she is missing those at her old school.
Rhys then provides some practical advice and introduces young chef Omari McQueen – star of CBBC show Meet the McQueens – who talks about the importance of friends in his life.
Resources
Assembly framework (PDF) document
A suggested framework to download/print
Image: Friendship. image
Click to display the image full-size
Suggested assembly framework
1. As the pupils enter
Play your chosen music – perhaps from this collection of songs to support assemblies and Collective Worship, each with lyrics on screen and backing tracks.
2. Introduction
Engaging question
"What makes a good friend? Can you think of a time when a friend helped you or made you feel happy?"
Set the scene:
Explain that today’s assembly is about friendship—what it means, how to be a good friend, and why friends are important in our lives.
Link to National Curriculum:
Highlight connections to:
- PSHE: Building positive, supportive relationships and resolving conflicts.
- English: Reflecting on and discussing personal experiences through language.
- Art and Music: Expressing ideas about friendship creatively.
- Drama: Using role-play to explore social interactions and emotions.
3. The video
You may choose to watch the video either in its entirety or in sections with pauses to allow you to personalise the assembly as you go.
Play the video and encourage pupils to watch for:
- How the characters demonstrate friendship.
- The ways they help and support each other.
- The challenges they face in their friendship and how they overcome them.
Pause the video at 00:59 and ask pupils to think about a time that they have been a good friend or when someone has been a good friend to them.
Resume the video and pause at 02:23 to discuss Jade’s story
- What did others do to try and show Jade that they were good friends?
- How did they help each other through challenges?
- What do you think makes someone a good friend?
Resume the video until the end and discuss Omari’s story.
- What is an important quality in a friend for Omari?
- Why is friendship important to him?
- How important did Omari think trust was in a friendship?
- How did his friends help him when things were difficult?
- How can we all work to be better friends in school and at home?
This is an opportunity to introduce someone from your own school community who has a story that demonstrates the value of Friendship.
4. After the video – time to talk
Key questions for reflection:
- What did others do to try and show Jade that they were good friends?
- How did they help each other through challenges?
- What do you think makes someone a good friend?
- What is an important quality in a friend for Omari?
- Why is friendship important to him?
- How important did Omari think trust was in a friendship?
- How did his friends help him when things were difficult?
- How can we all work to be better friends in school and at home?
Interactive activity:
Use a ‘think, pair, share’ format:
Think: Pupils reflect individually.
Pair: Discuss their thoughts with a partner.
Share: Invite pairs to share their insights with the assembly.
Reinforce Friendship Themes:
Friendship is about kindness, trust, and supporting each other.Encourage Positive Actions:
Highlight that being a good friend means listening, helping, and resolving disagreements kindly.Connect to PSHE:
Discuss how friendship builds strong relationships, supports emotional wellbeing, and helps create a happy school environment, linking to Relationships Education.
5. Opportunity for reflection/prayer
Reflection and Closing Activity
Ask each pupil to set a "Friendship Goal" for the week, such as:
- Inviting someone new to play with them.
- Helping a friend who is feeling upset.
- Saying something kind to brighten someone’s day.
End the session with a positive phrase that emphasises the value of friendship, such as:
"Friendship is about kindness, support, and care. Together, we can make our school a place where everyone feels valued and included."
More assemblies based around primary school values
Confidence. video
An assembly framework and video exploring the theme of confidence. Pupils will learn how belief in themselves, encouragement, and perseverance can help overcome challenges.
Courage. video
An assembly and short video exploring the theme of courage. Pupils will reflect on what it means to face fears, overcome challenges, and support others in their moments of bravery.
Compassion. video
An assembly framework and short video exploring the theme of compassion. Pupils will reflect on the importance of kindness, understanding, and supporting others.
Commitment. video
An assembly framework and short video exploring the theme of commitment. Pupils will learn how dedication, focus, and perseverance help achieve goals, even when faced with challenges.
Teamwork. video
An assembly framework and short film exploring the theme of teamwork. Pupils will reflect on the importance of working collaboratively to achieve shared goals and understand the value of everyone’s contribution to the group.
