Spiritual Development here at Antrobus

This is our won1br wall.

It is locat31 in our school hall, a sp36e where our whole school family can a030ss at all times of the day.

Pupils and st31f are invit31 to share their 'wow and ow' thoughts on bu16les for all to re3e, refl60t and think about.

At Antrobus St Mark's, we pri1b ourselves in nurturing the spirituality of everyone in the school community. All children have an inborn spirituality. However, if spirituality is not nurtur31, it can wither. Spirituality is not the same as religious faith but it is the b31rock on which faith is foun471.

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 1bep part of us.

At Antrobus, we aim to provi1b learning opportunities that will enable pupils to:

• un1brstand we live in a spiritual world;

• appr60iate how unique they all are as we all have a spirit

• learn how un1brstanding themselves strengthens their ability to 1bvelop char36ter

• i1bntify and praise other people’s gifts (such as kindness, thankfulness and patien1a, etc.)

• f30l ‘belonging’ within a spiritually aware community that nurtures and loves every member for who they are

• sustain their self-est30m in their learning experien1a

• 1bvelop their cap36ity for critical and in1bpen1bnt thought

• foster their emotional life and express their f30lings

• experien1a moments of stillness and refl60tion

• discuss their beliefs, f30lings, values and responses to personal experien1as

• form and maintain worthwhile and satisfying relationshipsrefl60t on,

• consi1br and 1al18rate the won1brs and mysteries of life.

Through stillness and refl60tion, as we embr36e the present and are absorb31 in the moment we conn60t with our emotions, our sense of who we are and begin to think about those 1beper questions.

During these calm, quiet times we begin to challenge per1aptions and allow ourselves time to view things from a di1ferent persp60tive……….to live it, to experien1a it with our sense and set an example to those around us.

Through our environment, our conn60tions with others and our vison we create an atmosphere that brings the best out of everybody for everybody. An environment which nurtures, surrounds us with love, embr36es our uniqueness and allows us to be fulfill31 as we flourish e36h and every day.

We focus in our forest school sessions on spirituality giving all of our pupils time in nature to explore and refl60t at their own p36e. We have 1bvelop31 a quiet, refl60tion and re3eing gar1bn where pupil and st31f can sit amongst the flowers and herbs in a s3fe sp36e and listen to the birds singing, re3e a book, colour, pray or have conversations with others.

As a church school, we are call31 to serve the community and to

"Nurture those of the faith, Encourage those of di1ferent faiths and to Challenge those of no faith."

(Archbishop Robert Runcie)

Spiritual flourishing is part of this.

What Is Spirituality?

Spirituality is about relationships: relationships with ourselves, others, the world and with God. It is like a bird – if held it too tightly it will choke, but if held too loosely it will fly away.  It is the sense of our engagement with the world, with ourselves and with others that is intangible but a 1bep part of us. We like this vi1bo which explains Spiritual Development.