What is spirituality?

Our shared school definition is:

‘Spirituality is the nourishing of the soul. It is the opportunity to stop, think,
reflect and grow into the type of person that you want to be now and in the
future.’

‘Spirituality is a very personal experience and is about the opening of hearts
and minds. This can be through becoming aware of the awe and wonder
within the world, through reflection and learning from ourselves and learning
about how we can move forward and make choices to become the best
versions of ourselves. It differs from person to person and often spirituality
changes within people during their lifetime. Spirituality is not the same as
having a religion or faith; a person can be spiritual without having a particular
faith or any religion.’

Staff, governors and pupils have collaborated and agreed on the definition of spiritual development, ensuring a shared, consistent approach to recognising spirituality.

Spirituality at St Oswald’s

At St Oswald’s, spirituality is at the core of our theologically rooted vision, which makes up the foundations of our school:

Learning for all, caring for each other, preparing for the future
Let us encourage one another – Hebrews 10:25

We attach great importance to the role that spiritual development plays in the embodiment of our school vision and the role it plays in the growth and well-being of all within our school community.

Our Spirituality Tree exemplifies how spiritual development is intrinsic to school life:

Spirituality at our school is expressed through a statement rather than a formal policy. We recognise that spirituality is deeply personal, reflective and evolving, and therefore cannot be confined to a set of procedures or rules. Instead, our statement captures our shared values and intentions, providing guidance while allowing space for individual experience, curiosity and growth. This approach reflects our belief that spirituality flourishes through lived experiences, meaningful moments and thoughtful reflection rather than compliance or prescription.

As a school, we recognise that spirituality is a concept that some may find difficult to grasp. To support this, we use a simple format with images that encourages children to stop, think and reflect. This is represented by ‘Windows, Mirrors and Doors’.

Windows are looking out onto the world and becoming aware of its wonders. The whole curriculum and life itself are full of opportunities to recognise this sensitively.	Mirrors are for looking into and reflecting, alone and together, to see things more clearly, for thinking and asking important questions, learning from our own and each others’ responses.	Doors are for looking through in order to then act or express this in some way in response; for moving on, making choices and something creative, active and purposeful in response.

Promoting Spirituality

Spirituality is promoted in all that we do at St Oswald’s. Our deeply rooted theological vision embeds the practice of spiritual development and allows us to be promoted throughout the school day.

We support children in their spiritual development by:

• Allow time for spontaneous moments of spiritual development, providing opportunities to reflect and learn from our own thoughts and feelings.
• Plan opportunities for spirituality throughout the wider curriculum, encouraging children to create their own beliefs and views about the world around them.
• Recognise that spirituality plays an active role in every aspect of the curriculum, alongside R.E. and RHE.
• Providing opportunities for spiritual development in collective worship
• Capturing opportunities for awe and wonder as they arise
• Providing ‘Reflection Spaces’ in classrooms, public spaces, outside and more
• Providing a wide range of extra-curricular experiences or events that allow for growth and can inspire
• Offering pupils opportunities to lead spiritual development moments through the School Worship Team