Spirituality
| At St Margaret’s CE Primary School, we believe that our children are spiritual beings and recognise that developing the spirituality of our pupils and adults is a fundamental aspect of enabling pupils and adults to flourish. 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. To talk about spirituality is, essentially, to talk about something which is beyond words. To make conversations about spirituality more accessible to every member of our school community, St Margaret’s CE Primary School has chosen to incorporate ideas that have been developed by the Education Department at the Diocese of Gloucester into tier everyday practice. This language of spirituality begins from a Christian understanding that everyone is a valued creation, individually and uniquely made by God, like pots made by a potter (Isaiah 64:8). Yet, in life things happen that impact on the physical ‘pot’ of life and create cracks that provide a glimpse of something ‘beyond’ the tangible. Christians would view this as an opportunity to relate to the Divine Creator God. Cracks may be caused when something so good and breath-taking happens that the pot expands and cracks – the wows of life. Cracks may happen when something challenging happens and threatens the comfort of everyday – the ows of life. Cracks can also happen in the stillness and ordinariness of everyday – the nows of life, when a moment of stillness, a pause or prayer creates a crack in the normal, physical every day. In these special moments there is a spiritual opportunity. Kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken ceramics with golden joinery or glue, creates something that has been broken into something even more beautiful. Using this metaphor, the wows, ows, and nows of life offer the possibility of cracks that are filled with gold and make the pot even more beautiful. The gold in the cracks reflect a little of the wonder of spirituality. St Margaret’s CE Primary School uses this language and the concepts of wows, ows and nows. These are used to explore relationships with: – ourselves – others – the wider natural world and beyond – and offering the invitation to relate to God. |