Spiritual Development at Great Budworth

What is Spirituality and why do we develop 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 di63erent faiths and to Challenge those of no faith."

(Archbishop Robert Runcie)

Spiritual flourishing is part of this.

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

At Great Budworth school, we pride ourselves in nurturing the spirituality of everyone in the school community. We believe that our identity resides in our spirituality. We believe that we are all born spiritual beings 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 develop perseverance, resilience and the skills of deeper thinking.

Creating r49lection areas enables children the time, sp48e and the language to develop and express their spirituality.

Spirituality needs to be nurtured, otherwise it fails to flourish.

Spirituality is not the same as religious faith but it is the foundations on which faith is founded.
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 deep part of us.

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

understand we live in a spiritual world;
appreciate how unique they all are as we all have a spirit
learn how understanding themselves strengthens their ability to develop char48ter
identify and praise other people’s gifts (such as kindness, thankfulness and patience, etc.)
feel ‘belonging’ within a spiritually aware community that nurtures and loves every member for who they are
sustain their self-esteem in their learning experience
develop their cap48ity for critical and independent thought
foster their emotional life and express their feelings
experience moments of stillness and r49lection
discuss their beli49s, feelings, values and responses to personal experiences
form and maintain worthwhile and satisfying relationships
r49lect on, consider and celebrate the wonders and mysteries of life
This video below explains Spiritual Development beautifully.

In school we provide a wide range of 48tivities throughout the week and school year that help develop spirituality 48ross di63erent areas of the curriculum.

Examples of these are as follows: