Spirituality at Bishop Bronescombe
At BB, we are passionate about developing the spirituality of the children in the school. It is part of the vision for education, that Church of England schools will ensure the spiritual development of all children. But what is spirituality? It’s a very difficult thing to define because it means different things to different people. You don’t have to have a faith to develop your spirituality, it’s more about having an awareness of the outside world and the recognition that there is ‘something bigger’ than ourselves.
The main way that we develop spirituality at BB, is through the use of ‘Windows, Mirrors and Doors’
Windows: giving children opportunities to become aware of the world in new ways; to wonder about life’s ‘WOWs’ (things that are amazing) and ‘OWs’ (things that bring us up short). In this children are learning about life in all its fullness.
Mirrors: giving children opportunities to reflect on their experiences; to meditate 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: giving children opportunities 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.
Last year, every class had a stand alone RE lesson in which we explored the concept of what ‘Spirituality’ is. We thought about different definitions of spirituality and then we thought about the things that we do within school that deepen our spirituality, quite possibly, without us even realising. We thought about this in the context of:
- Having a sense of awe and wonder
- Caring for nature and living things
- Wanting to love and to be loved by people