Spirituality

Spiritual development differs from person to person and is a very personal experience. For this reason, it is difficult to put into words. Spirituality is not the same as having a religion or faith; a person can be spiritual without having a particular faith. For Christians in church, spirituality is about developing a deeper understanding of and connection with God. It is about God’s way of being with us and our way of being with God. Through this we are able to respond to the loving nature of God as revealed through the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A school is not a church, but it is a collection of people who come from a variety of backgrounds for the purpose of education. We understand that family backgrounds may be very different and spiritual development must take account of the varied circumstances of staff and pupils.

Therefore, in light of this and in light of our school’s distinctively Christian vision, at St Mark’s C of E Primary School we define spirituality as:

“Spirituality is recognising the value of connections; with ourselves, with others, with beauty and the beyond – where we embrace questions and reflect upon the wonder of existence, allowing us to love, grow and succeed together.”

THE CURRICULUM & SPIRITUALITY:

The curriculum allows children to:

• Develop curiosity
• Articulate ethical issues
• Value learning
• Explore Spiritual issues, and;
• Enjoy asking and answering questions

Specific examples include:

• Teaching Windrush as part of the History curriculum
• The use of purposeful play within EYFS to develop curiosity
• 'Big' questions in maths such as 'Here is the answer, what could the question be?'
• Musician of the Week
• Geography and looking after the environment for future generations
• Making connections between Anglo-Saxon deities in paganism and deities in Hinduism
• Awe and wonder in science - how diverse species of life on Earth and the role they play in it
• And much, much more!