Spirituality

Awe and Wonder

Spirituality is a difficult to define.

At St Andrew's CE we believe it is fundamental to our mental and physical well-being (for children and adults too), but is not exactly the same as those things. It is not necessarily tied to a religious belief. People of faith and people of no faith can be deeply spiritual. 

Spirituality is not something we can see or touch - we feel it inside all of us. It might be a sense of awe and wonder. It might be a sense of empathy and compassion. It might be a sense there are important questions to be asked which might not have obvious answers. It might want us to laugh, cry, sing, be creative or be still. We might have spiritual experiences with others or we might have them on our own. Spirituality is a sense of something bigger than ourselves.

Nurturing Spirituality at St Andrew's

  • Our school Christian values are taught, lived out and celebrated. Values certificates are given each Wednesday to celebrate values in action of courage, kindness and respect.

  • We make sure there are times of peace and for reflection in the school day.

  • We spend time in special places such as St Andrew's Church each week.

  • We share art, music, stories and poems together.

  • We share moments of awe and wonder.

  • We foster a love of creation through our school grounds including our memorial garden, Forest School area

  • We encourage the spirit of 'courageous advocacy' and standing up for what we believe in.

  • We practice gratitude - we take time to give thanks and show thanks for the things, the actions and the people that bring us joy.

  • We learn about our feelings, how to recognise them and live with them.

  • We foster reflective thinking linked to our Christian values, encouraging us to look inward at our own behaviour and thoughts, outward at the wonderful world around us and considering actions of ourselves and others which make a difference moving forward.

spirituality_policy.pdf