Spirituality
Awe and Wonder
What is Spirituality?
Spirituality is a difficult thing to define! At St Andrew's CE we believe it is fundamental to our mental and physical well-being (for children and adults too), but is not exactly the same as those things. It is not necessarily tied to a religious belief. People of faith and people of no faith can be deeply spiritual.
Spirituality is not something we can see or touch - we feel it inside all of us. It might be a sense of awe and wonder. It might be a sense of empathy and compassion. It might be a sense there are important questions to be asked which might not have obvious answers. It might make us want to laugh, cry, sing, be creative or be still. We might have spiritual experiences with others or we might have them on our own. Spirituality is a sense of something bigger than ourselves.
How do we nurture Spirituality at St Andrew's CE Primary School?
We encourage the spirit of 'courageous advocacy' and standing up for what we believe in.
We share different ways of exploring spirituality in worship e.g. looking at different religious art and icons, using candles, holding worship outside etc
We practice gratitude - we take time to give thanks and show thanks for the things, the actions and the people that bring us joy.
We learn about our feelings, how to recognise them and live with them.
We foster reflective thinking linked to our Christian values, encouraging us to look inward at our own behaviour and thoughts, outward at the wonderful world around us and considering actions of ourselves and others which make a difference moving forward
We share art, music, stories and poems together.
We share moments of awe and wonder.
We encourage respectful debate and questioning and make sure children feel secure enough to ask those 'big' questions.
We foster a love of creation through our school grounds including our Spiritual Garden, Forest School area, and through school visits to Jacks Key Nature Reserve and Whitehall Park.
We spend time in ST Andrew's CE Church each week.
We develop Spiritualty through mirrors, windows and doors as accessible form EYFS to Year 6.
Windows – Learning about life
We give children opportunities to become aware of the world in new ways; to wonder about life’s ‘Wows’ (things that are amazing and unexplainable as to why they evoke such a response) and ‘Ows’ (things that upset us and cause us to be uncertain). In this, our children are learning about life in all its fullness.
Mirrors – Learning from life
We give children opportunities to reflect on their experiences; to meditate and reflect on life’s big questions and to consider some possible answers. In this, they are learning from life by exploring their own insights and perspectives and those of others.
Doors – Learning to live life
We give children opportunity to respond to all of this; to do something creative as a means of expressing, applying and further developing their thoughts and convictions. In this they are learning to live by putting into action what they are coming to believe and value.
