Spirituality Statement
At New Christ Church we believe in developing children’s spirituality.
We recognise that spirituality is something that every human being has and is something to be nurtured and developed in all of us regardless of age. We know that our beliefs, homes, cultures, friends and family all impact our lives and our spiritual awareness. Everyone has a spirit that needs time to flourish. We recognise for each of us this may be different and we may all be at a different stage in our spiritual journey.
Nyah, a Year 6 pupil here, described spirituality beautifully when she said “Spirituality is being in touch with yourself, knowing who you are and being in touch with your inner being. You don’t have to be religious but there can be religion in it”
During our school day and across the year, we provide experiences and time to explore different world views and faiths. We carve out time to create awe and wonder at the world around us through our curriculum and through our collective worship. We have discussions about faith, our beliefs, our values and what matters most to us; taking time to listen, to wonder, to appreciate and reflect. Our curriculum and day to day life at the school offers a bedrock for all of our community to explore faith, humanity and spirituality.
During our times of collective worship, we carve out times in the day to feed our souls. We also recognise that we all feed our souls in different ways: time in nature, thinking about the wider world, time spent in peace and reflection, time spent in wonder, time being mindful and meditative, time spent engrossed in music or movement.
In our times of collective worship, we use ‘windows, mirror, door’ to help us to reflect on our world, our space in it and our actions.
We are committed to modelling, leading and supporting all of our school community to enjoy, flourish and appreciate the strength and faith in oneself that spirituality can bring. We do this in a number of ways:
- Calm reflection time after lunch to consider our own mood and emotions
- Times of meditation
- Prayer times
- Candle reflection time
- Reflecting on bible stories
- Reflecting on stories from other faiths and from around the world
- Time in our natural environment
We recognise spirituality can go beyond religion and faith; it is about time and space to be present with ourselves and with others. At our school we aim to develop a strong sense of self, coupled with awe and wonder at the world.