Spirituality is a complex and abstract concept, which is unique to each of us. We believe that spirituality is the opening of hearts and minds, through reflection, and the questioning of the world. It is the opportunity for us to discuss and challenge the wonder and the challenges we see in our world. It is awareness that there is something more to life than meets the eye, something more than the material, something more than the obvious.

Our aim is to help pupils to flourish and to enjoy life in all its fullness as good, kind citizens of the world. We want pupils to question and wonder and see the whole of life.

In school, we promote spiritual development in a myriad of ways and try to think of this linked to SELF, OTHERS, WORLD and BEYOND. Spirituality is like the wind. It can’t be seen but felt. Spirituality is mentioned in the Children Act 1989 and is an important aspect of human development.

Structures which support our understanding of Spirituality

The Bible talks about how God creates everyone in God's image. It also describes God as a potter and describes everyone being the work of God's hand. 'We are the clay, and you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand' (Isaiah 64:8)

Moments in our life can be called 'WOWs', 'OWs' and 'NOWs'

The 'WOWS' are the 'awe' and 'wonder' moments. These times when you want to breathe in and capture the feeling, holding onto it as long as you can.

The 'OWs' are the 'blows' life can bring. They can knock the breath out of you.

The 'NOWs' are the every day ordinary times: being able to be present in the moment, being open and aware of everything going on around you'

Sometimes, pots can crack or break. Sometimes things happen that can make us feel cracked or changed. We believe that whatever happens to us in life, God is with us. God can fill and mend gaps and put everyone back together. 

Spirituality can be seen as the glue which can fill the gaps that may be caused by the 'OWs', the 'WOWs' and the 'NOWs' of life.

The wow moments where our heart sings, you feel blessed, you gasp with excitement or feel truly happy!

There are times when we are brought up short, shocked, saddened or surprised. This is also a time when Spirituality is incredibly important, in order to give us strength and hope to pull through these difficult times. “Our greatest time of growth is in our greatest time of disorientation.”

Spiritual development may come through the curriculum e.g. through explicit reflection of SELF in PSHE lessons or consideration of OTHERS in our team work during PE. Sometimes though, it is through the wider school life where we encourage Spiritual Development; the books we provide in our library actively promotes inclusivity and knowledge of the WORLD around us.

We use BIG questions (see link website page) as a platform to engage in discussion about life and the world around us. These provide an opportunity to think deeply about important issues and qualities of life. The questions link to our focus value for each half term and these are progressive from Reception to Year 6.