Developing Spirituality

At Austrey, we believe in the spiritual development of all pupils. We considered how our children are already incredibly spiritual and that it is our role is to support this rather than direct it. We recognise that spirituality is NOT something to be taught explicitly in the curriculum or about developmental milestones. Nevertheless, we also recognise the importance role we, as a school, play to ensure spirituality is able to flourish rather than being squashed or impeded.

Our definition of spirituality …

“Spirituality is the opening of hearts and minds through reflection and questioning of the world which lifts the soul and makes the heart sing. For some, it will be experienced through faith and worship.”

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. We have considered ways in which we can give children opportunities to develop their spirituality in our curriculum but this is in no way a ‘tick list’.

In school, we promote spiritual development in a myriad of ways and try to think of this linked to…

WINDOW, MIRROR, SKYLIGHT and DOOR

Looking in

Knowing myself

Reflecting alone and together

Noticing and appreciating similarity and difference

Growing through our interactions, relationships, questions, and experiences

Flourishing as my unique self/becoming the person God made me to be

Looking out

Appreciating the wonders of the world – its wows

Acknowledging pain and suffering in the world – its ows

Wondering  – wow!

Wondering  – why?

Looking up

Asking big questions of mystery, faith and the universe, cosmos, world views

Connecting with something bigger than me

Living and learning with uncertainty

Opening Doors

Stepping through open doors to make the world a better place

Looking ahead into the world of others and opening doors for them