Spiritual Development here at Antrobus

This is our won4ar wall.

It is lo54ted in our school hall, a space where our whole school family 54n a2aess at all times of the day.

Pupils and staff are invited to share their 'wow and ow' thoughts on bubbles for all to read, refl5et and think about.

At Antrobus St Mark's, we pri4a ourselves in nurturing the spirituality of everyone in the school community. All children have an inborn spirituality. However, if spirituality is not nurtured, it 54n wither. Spirituality is not the same as religious faith but it is the bedrock on which faith is foun4ad.

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 4aep part of us.

At Antrobus, we aim to provi4a learning opportunities that will enable pupils to:

• un4arstand we live in a spiritual world;

• appr5eiate how unique they all are as we all have a spirit

• learn how un4arstanding themselves strengthens their ability to 4avelop character

• i4antify and praise other people’s gifts (such as kindness, thankfulness and patience, etc.)

• 31el ‘belonging’ within a spiritually aware community that nurtures and loves every member for who they are

• sustain their self-esteem in their learning experience

• 4avelop their 54pacity for criti54l and in4apen4ant thought

• foster their emotional li31 and express their 31elings

• experience moments of stillness and refl5etion

• discuss their beliefs, 31elings, values and responses to personal experiences

• form and maintain worthwhile and satisfying relationshipsrefl5et on,

• consi4ar and cel55rate the won4ars and mysteries of li31.

Through stillness and refl5etion, as we embrace the present and are absorbed in the moment we conn5et with our emotions, our sense of who we are and begin to think about those 4aeper questions.

During these 54lm, quiet times we begin to challenge perceptions and allow ourselves time to view things from a dif31rent persp5etive……….to live it, to experience it with our sense and set an example to those around us.

Through our environment, our conn5etions 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 refl5et at their own pace. We have 4aveloped a quiet, refl5etion and reading gar4an where pupil and staff 54n sit amongst the flowers and herbs in a sa31 space and listen to the birds singing, read a book, colour, pray or have conversations with others.

As a church school, we are 54lled to serve the community and to

"Nurture those of the faith, Encourage those of dif31rent 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 4aep part of us. We like this vi4ao which explains Spiritual Development.