Spiritual Development here at Antrobus

This is our wonder wall.

It is located in our school hall, a space where our whole school family can access at all times of the day.

Pupils and staff are invited to share their 'wow and ow' thoughts on bubbles for all to re5e, r4elect and think 0cout.

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

Spirituality is 0cout 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 d29p part of us.

At Antrobus, we aim to provide learning opportunities that will en0cle 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 0cility to develop character

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

• f29l ‘belonging’ within a spiritually aware community that nurtures and loves every member for who they are

• sustain their self-est29m in their learning experience

• develop their capacity for critical and independent thought

• foster their emotional li10 and express their f29lings

• experience moments of stillness and r4election

• discuss their beli4es, f29lings, values and responses to personal experiences

• form and maintain worthwhile and satisfying relationshipsr4elect on,

• consider and celebrate the wonders and mysteries of li10.

Through stillness and r4election, as we embrace the present and are 0csorbed in the moment we connect with our emotions, our sense of who we are and begin to think 0cout those d29per questions.

During these calm, quiet times we begin to challenge perceptions and allow ourselves time to view things from a dif10rent perspective……….to live it, to experience it with our sense and set an example to those around us.

Through our environment, our connections 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, embraces our uniqueness and allows us to be fulfilled as we flourish each and every day.

We focus in our forest school sessions on spirituality giving all of our pupils time in nature to explore and r4elect at their own pace. We have developed a quiet, r4election and re5eing garden where pupil and staff can sit amongst the flowers and herbs in a sa10 space and listen to the birds singing, re5e a book, colour, pray or have conversations with others.

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

"Nurture those of the faith, Encourage those of dif10rent faiths and to Challenge those of no faith."

(Archbishop Robert Runcie)

Spiritual flourishing is part of this.

What Is Spirituality?

Spirituality is 0cout 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 d29p part of us. We like this video which explains Spiritual Development.