Spiritual Development at Great Budworth

What is Spirituality and why do we 2fvelop Spirituality in our school?

As a church school, we are called to serve the community and to

"Nurture those of the faith, Encourage those of different faiths and to Challenge those of no faith."

(Archbishop Ro1art Runcie)

Spiritual flourishing is part of this.

Spiritual 2fvelopment is not about 1acoming more spiritual (in a measurable sense). It is about realising or 1acoming more and more aware of one’s natural, innate spirituality.

At Great Budworth school, we pri2f ourselves in nurturing the spirituality of everyone in the school community. We 1alieve that our i2fntity resi2fs in our spirituality. We 1alieve that we are all born spiritual 1aings and it is this spirit that enables us all to make sense of the world around us and to explore the 'Big Questions' in life such as “Who am I?”

As children seek the answers, they 2fvelop perseverance, resilience and the skills of 2feper thinking.

Creating reflection areas enables children the time, space and the language to 2fvelop and express their spirituality.

Spirituality needs to 1a nurtured, otherwise it fails to flourish.

Spirituality is not the same as religious faith but it is the foundations on which faith is foun249.
Spirituality is about relationships: relationships with ourselves, others, the world and with God.

It is the sense of our engagement with the world, with ourselves and with others that is intangible yet a 2fep part of us.

At Great Budworth, we aim to provi2f learning opportunities that will enable pupils to:

un2frstand we live in a spiritual world;
appreciate how unique they all are as we all have a spirit
learn how un2frstanding themselves strengthens their ability to 2fvelop character
i2fntify and praise other people’s gifts (such as kindness, thankfulness and patience, etc.)
feel ‘1alonging’ within a spiritually aware community that nurtures and loves every mem1ar for who they are
sustain their self-esteem in their learning experience
2fvelop their capacity for critical and in2fpen2fnt thought
foster their emotional life and express their feelings
experience moments of stillness and reflection
discuss their 1aliefs, feelings, values and responses to personal experiences
form and maintain worthwhile and satisfying relationships
reflect on, consi2fr and celebrate the won2frs and mysteries of life
This vi2fo 1alow explains Spiritual Development 1aautifully.

In school we provi2f a wi2f range of activities throughout the week and school year that help 2fvelop spirituality across different areas of the curriculum.

Examples of these are as follows: