Spirituality
It is very difficult to put into words what ‘spirituality’ is because it is a very personal experience. It differs from person to person and often spirituality changes with people during their lifetime. Spirituality is not the same as having a religion or faith; a person can be spiritual without having a particular faith.
The diagram to the right outlines our purpose for Spirituality within school and the areas of provision, learning and growth covered: this is how we encourage our pupils and staff members to think about themselves, others, the world and beyond.
Below, we have a shared definition of spirituality. This has been created by everyone in our school community – because Spirituality is a different experience for each and every one of us.
Spirituality is not something that we can see; it is something that we feel inside ourselves. It is about awe and wonder, asking questions, reflecting on meaning and purpose and being aware of something ‘bigger’ outside ourselves. It helps us to grow through our connections and be thankful of others and the world around us.
Spirituality happens in those moments in our lives when we feel the world is complete and we are at peace.
Here are some things that our staff members and pupils said about what spirituality is to them:
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It means to understand our place, purpose and importance in the world and acknowledging the little things |
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It is recognising what a blessing it is to be alive, to be present in the moment and to focus on all we have to be thankful for |
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It is when you do something that you like that makes you calm and peaceful |
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It is when you feel a magical, memorable feeling inside beyond words, like you’re going to fly. It’s the best moment of your life |
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It opens our hearts and minds |
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It is appreciating our world and how lucky we are |
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It allows us to reflect within and on the world around us |
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It means when happiness comes to you or when you feel peace |
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It is when, in one moment in your life, you feel like the world is complete |
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It is a personal experience whereby we engage in a moment of awe. It helps us to appreciate life and to remain humble |
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It is when you don’t feel real as if you’re dreaming because you’re in a place unimaginable |
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It is seeing the beauty in every day |
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It means having the sensation of something good happening to you. Then you think there is something better than us in the universe and you’re grateful for having this sensation or wonderful feeling |
Opportunities for spiritual experience are provided regularly in school and these can take many forms such as ‘big’ questions, opportunities to experience real-life ‘awe and wonder’, reflection and prayer. These opportunities are timetabled weekly in Collective Worship as a reflection on lessons learned (examples of these, and pupil responses, can be found under the 'Collective Worship' tab). Below, you can see some of the questions we ask weekly on our 'Spirituality Screen' and some responses given by the pupils. You can also see examples of when pupils’ spirituality is explored explicitly throughout the curriculum (see the 'RE' tab for more information about specific examples in Religious Education), with Spirituality being an intrinsic part of learning at Ravensthorpe CE (VC) Junior School.
