Developing Spirituality
What is Spirituality?
Spirituality can often mean different things to different people. To some people it is about understanding yourself, to others it is about understanding and experiencing awe and wonder.
For us here at Winchcombe Abbey, developing spirituality is about the developing a person as a whole. It is concerned with the growth and development of each person as a unique, individual child of God; developing their sense of worth and helping them to understand their place place in God's world. Spirituality is also concerned with how our faith, beliefs and values inspire us to act. Finally, spirituality is about how we experience God and how he meets with us.
At Winchcombe Abbey, we develop Children's spirituality in many different ways:
A daily act of Collective Worship: Collective Worship is important to us as a school community. It is a great way to come together to listen to God's word, sing songs and pray together.
Time for reflection: During our Collective Worship, time is given for children to sit quietly and reflect on the message that they hear and think about ways in which they might live out what they have heard.
Time for prayer: Prayer is an important aspect of the school day. We have school prayers which we say at the end of the day and before lunch. Praying together helps us to worship together as a family. We also have a prayer area in school, each week there are different activities laid out for children to interact with. Say there own prayers and have quite times of reflection
Sharing our values: Our christian values form part of who we are as a school. Sharing these and encouraging each person to behave in a way that upholds our values is part of developing ourselves as individuals.
A well taught RE Curriculum: We have a well resources and well planned RE Curriculum that not only teaches children about Christianity but supports their understanding of other faiths too.
Celebrating as much as possible: We love to celebrate the successes of our children. We have a special celebration worship on a Friday, where we celebrate the achievements and attitudes of our children. We also have a special certificate worship once a term, in which parents are invited. Furthermore, nothing makes Mrs Johnson happier then when children come to show her their work.