Spirituality at Powell's

Spirituality is a core component to ‘living life in all its fullness’ as the mind, body and soul need to be nurtured equally. It relates to fundamental questions about the meaning and purpose of life which affect everyone and is not dependant on a religious belief. It is also based on the search for ways to answer questions about life and a search for identity. As a school, we have defined spirituality as: “Spirituality is not something we can see; it is something we feel inside ourselves. It is about awe and wonder, asking questions, inspiration and being aware of something ‘bigger’ outside of ourselves.”

At Powell’s C of E Primary School, we believe that we need to give all our children the chance to allow them to flourish into the people God is calling them to be. Our vision ‘talk, learn, grow on our journey together’ influences the ethos of our school and the policies and practices within it. We believe that spirituality is a core thread that runs through our school and we attach great importance to it for both children’s development and for the growth and well being of all within our school community. The attached spirituality progression grid captures how pupils develop spiritually across the year groups and our curriculum overview identifies where there are opportunities to be spiritual within lessons and wider opportunities. Progression of Spirituality

Curriculum Overview 2023-2024 Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development
Across the curriculum, children are encouraged to ask, contemplate and answer Big Questions about life, religion, nature, science and anything about the world that fascinates them. Children become aware of the world in new ways; to wonder about life’s ‘WOWs’ (things that are amazing and breath-taking), ‘NOWs’ (times of stillness) and ‘OWs’ (challenging events that bring us up short.)

Christians believe that; Everyone is a valued creation, individually and uniquely made by God, in his own image. It also refers to God as a potter and describes everyone being the work of God’s hand.

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

'We are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand'. Isaiah 64:8

Kintsugi is a Japanese word meaning ‘golden joinery’. Artists use golden glue to repair cracks bringing unexpected beauty and, in some cases, allowing the light to shine through.

Read The Kintsugi Story

Christians believe that this unexpected beauty from repairing the cracks of life is their own unique spiritual journey which builds their relationships with others, the environment and with God.

The WOWS

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

The OWS

These are the blows life can bring. They can knock the breath out of you.

The NOWS

These are the every day ordinary times: being able to be present in the moment, being open and receptive to life, because God is not just for emergencies!

Spirituality Policy

Supporting your child's Spiritual Development

If you as a parent would like to understand more about supporting your child’s Spiritual Development please look at the video below from the National Institute for Christian Education nicer.org.uk

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Fostering spiritual awareness in children can be a deeply personal and meaningful journey. Here are ten ideas to help parents guide their children in developing spiritual awareness:

Be a Role Model: Your own spiritual practices and beliefs can influence your children, so model the behaviours and values you want them to embrace.
Open Dialogue: Encourage open and non-judgmental conversations about spirituality, allowing your children to ask questions and express their thoughts and feelings.
Explore Different Beliefs: Introduce your children to a variety of spiritual and religious traditions, helping them understand the diversity of human beliefs and values.
Nature and Mindfulness: Spend time in nature with your children, teaching them to appreciate the beauty and wonder of the natural world. Practice mindfulness together to develop a sense of presence and inner calm.
Read Spiritual and Moral Stories: Share age-appropriate books and stories that convey moral lessons, values, and spiritual themes.
Family Rituals: Establish family rituals that connect to your spiritual or cultural traditions, such as prayers, blessings, or ceremonies. Make these rituals meaningful and participatory for your children.
Encourage Self-Reflection: Help your children develop the habit of self-reflection and journaling. Encourage them to think about their values, beliefs, and the meaning of life.
Acts of Kindness: Teach your children about the importance of compassion and kindness by engaging in acts of service, such as volunteering together or helping those in need.
Encourage Questions: Welcome and explore your children's questions about spirituality. Help them seek answers and develop their own understanding.
Mind-Body Practices: Introduce practices like yoga, meditation, or tai chi to help your children connect with their inner selves and develop a sense of inner peace and balance.

Remember that spirituality is a personal and evolving journey. It's important to respect your children's autonomy and allow them to develop their own beliefs and values as they grow. Creating a supportive and open environment for their spiritual exploration is key to their development in this area.

How do we know Spiritual Development is effective at Powells?

Spirituality has helped our children to love and respect themselves and enjoy good positive relationships with others. They take an interest and delight in the world around them and openly share their love of learning. They are open to what lies beyond, including in developing their spirituality, and for many, a faith and belief in God.

Powells children can articulate the school’s Christian vision and a developing understanding of Christian and positive life values, including British Values. They are able to express, understand and manage their feelings as well as respecting those of others. They have a strong moral compass and engage in courageous advocacy projects as active, caring and responsible citizens. They are able to enjoy quiet and stillness. They possess an active imagination and show joy in creativity and discovering new skills.

The role of Religious Education in Spiritual Development

The Church of England’s ‘Statement for Entitlement’ outlines the aims and expectations for Religious Education in CE schools and guides this school’s approach to RE and spirituality. The role of RE is neither to promote nor undermine organised religion. But part of its purpose is to provide structured opportunity for consideration of the non-material aspects of life. RE can contribute dynamically to children and young people’s education by provoking challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human. It can support their own discovery of their personal spiritual journeys of meaning, purpose and value.

RE allows children to reflect upon and share their own knowledge and lived experiences, plus find out about the experiences, beliefs and traditions of other people. Through this process, children expand their knowledge, begin to shape their own beliefs form opinions and add breadth to their world view.

High quality RE lessons at Powell's C of E Primary offer children opportunities that challenges their thinking through Big Questions. They critically reflect on their own religious, spiritual and/or philosophical convictions and are equipped with the skills to confidently discuss religious, spiritual and philosophical ideas.

Spirituality Development

Spiritual Development in Powell’s School enables children the opportunity to think about themselves, their relationships with others, about beauty and creation and the world beyond. We model an environment of inclusion and respect. We allow children the space, processes, imagination, relationships, intimacy and trust to be spiritual beings.

At Powell’s we enable children to explore their spirituality by

Teaching the children that Christians believe in a higher power.
Praying with the children every day.
Giving the children a chance to talk about spiritual questions.
Teaching significances in the Christian faith through specific RE lessons, worship and celebrations throughout the year.
Teaching morals through our values led worships and the core values we have identified as a school.
Providing the children with opportunities to serve others within the school and the local community.
Children completing reflection journals either as a class or individually in order to capture their thoughts and feelings and provide unique and personalised spiritual experiences.
Providing opportunities for quiet reflection in each daily worship.
Providing reflection areas in each class and in communal areas in order for the children to have time during the school day where they can quietly reflect and/or pray. This includes quiet spaces in our outdoor areas, so the children have the space to reflect and be quiet.
Encouraging the children at Powell’s to be the best version of themselves. Staff set good examples and best practice is rewarded in class and during celebration worships.
Rewarded children for following our values by being placed on the values tree for that term and celebrated during the last worship of the term.
Seeking to find ways in which all curriculum areas can contribute to children’s spiritual development and using these opportunities in our planning.
Striving to provide opportunities in all curriculum areas for children to use their imagination, inspiration, insight, empathy and understanding
Developing our Global Neighbours approach in school, allowing the children the opportunity to develop a fascination in learning about the world around them including the intangible and teaching them respect for different people’s beliefs, religious or otherwise, values and people’s feelings.
Encouraging the children to develop relationships based on Christian values of love, forgiveness and service as well as those of our core values. Through all curriculum areas we foster spirituality through prayer, dance, singing in class, worship and school choirs, music, poetry, art, drama, story and a love of nature (Forest School/EY Wellie Walks).
Governors working alongside the Worship lead and Headteacher to contribute to developing spirituality across the school. They have also attended spirituality training with the local clergy.

Our Spiritual Leaders

Our Spiritual Leaders have been elected within their classes and are responsible for being ambassadors for our Christian values: Respect, Thankfulness, Generosity, Perserverance and Kindness. Our leaders will be supporting year groups with our spirituality worship sessions and will guide others to spiritually flourish. The children will meet to reflect and create new ideas and activities to help others. They have many exciting projects coming up including planning activities for our prayer days in March.