Spiritual Development
Definition of Spirituality
Spirituality is the way in which we combine our beliefs and emotions to reflect, respond to, and seek to give meaning and purpose to the experiences that we encounter in life. It is a very personal experience, which differs from person to person, and often changes within people during their lifetime. We define spirituality in terms of something we cannot see; but something we feel deep inside ourselves. It has to do with the human wholeness, our responses about the ‘ows’ and ‘wows’ of life – the moments of awe and wonder; asking BIG questions; being inspired to do something terrific for ourselves or others and being aware of something ‘bigger’ outside of us all. We believe spiritual development is not something that can or should be measured. For a Christian, their spirituality would be demonstrated through Christian love as they follow the example of Jesus. They would look to God as their guide in life and would understand their purpose through their faith. We accept that a person can be spiritual without having a particular faith.
Whilst all humans are spiritual, spirituality can be developed in a variety of ways. At St Margaret’s CofE Primary School, we seek to provide children with a supportive and nurturing environment in which to make wise and appropriate choices in line with our Christian values. We aim for them to develop an understanding that this brings a responsibility and a purpose; they will begin to appreciate that they can make a positive contribution through their choices, actions and relationships.
Our aim for pupils is to:
- Develop and express personal beliefs, appreciate and compare views with others, sharing feelings and opinions through discussions, stories, and collective worship.
- Develop their own system of beliefs, which may or may not include religious beliefs, which contribute to a sense of personal identity and self-respect.
- Experience a love of learning, a sense of awe and wonder towards aspects of the natural world or human achievement – which we celebrate every Friday during our celebration Collective Worship.
- Allow themselves to be comfortable with their own beliefs and those of others; to engage in reflection or prayer; reflecting on situations and the use of restorative justice.
- Participate in special events, fundraising opportunities and develop their courageous advocacy.
- Experience a range of opportunities, sports, stories, music, art, drama, and dance in school and beyond.
How do we nurture Spiritual Development at St Margaret’s CofE Primary School?
Children are born inquisitive, and we know it is our duty to nurture this natural curiosity and guide them towards looking at the world and noticing, with awe and wonder, the natural and man-made delights all around us. We want to encourage them to ask ‘big questions’ about life, religion, nature, science, and any other area of fascination.
To cultivate spiritual development in our pupils we believe that our role is to educate the whole child. We provide spiritual development through our Collective Worship, our School Vision, as well as opportunities woven throughout our whole school curriculum, in addition to providing a Religious Education curriculum from the Southwark Diocese Board of Education. We feel the opportunity for spiritual development is a key feature of what makes St Margaret’s distinctive as a church school. When designing our curriculum, we have reflected on the theological underpinning of each subject and how it allows for spiritual development.
We support pupil’s spiritual development using the ‘Transformation - the door, Reflection - the mirror, Experience - the window, Encounters - the candle’ approach; these concepts are used across our school curriculum and in collective worship.
This poster is displayed in all classrooms as a guide for our pupils and adults.
Pupil Voice
All pupils in the school were given the opportunity to discuss and share their thoughts about the approach; here are some of their responses:
