Spirituality
Spirituality at St Michael's is deeply intertwined with our Christian vision and the foundation of our school. As a Church school, we strive to help pupils and adults understand the true meaning of spirituality, further enhancing their individual spiritual development. We aim to ensure that our school remains a place where all can grow and flourish spiritually.
In light of this, we have developed our own definition of spirituality at St Michael’s CE Primary School:
To talk about spirituality is to talk about something which is beyond words.
Spirituality is linked to big questions about the meaning and purpose of life; it includes ideas relating to oneself, others, the natural world and the transcendent.
We refer to this as:
The stillness of the mind
The settling of the soul
The uplifting of the spirit
Being at one in the world and finding meaning and purpose in life.
For some, but not all, this will be experienced, expressed or explained through faith or belief.
When discussing this with our pupils, we refer to spirituality as:
The way WOWS, OWS and NOWS shape me into the person that I am and will become.
The Wows, Ows and Nows of Life
In our school we recognise that the ups and downs of life cause chinks and cracks that continually transform us; challenging, changing and growing us into a flourishing version of our unique selves. To make conversations about spirituality more accessible to every member of our school community, we have chosen to follow ideas developed by the Education Department at the Diocese of Gloucester. We talk about these as the WOWS, OWS and NOWS of life.
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 everyday.
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 Michael’s uses this language and the concepts of wows, ows and nows to explore relationships with ourselves, others, the wider natural world and beyond, and offering the invitation to relate to God.
Our Multi-Faith Prayer Corner
Opportunities are available for all to develop spiritually in our supportive and nurturing school inspired by our vision and lived out through our Christian values. Our Worship Leaders have been working hard with Miss Jones and Mrs Burke to design and create our new school prayer space. This was officially opened by Reverend Ruth on 22nd April 2024. This multi-faith prayer corner is a wonderful addition to our school, providing a peaceful environment where pupils of all faiths can come to worship and reflect.
Space Makers
For our Class Worship, we use the resources from Space Makers. Space Makers is designed to embrace some of the ancient wisdom of the Christian tradition. Worship is based on five contemplative practices: stilling, noticing, dwelling, mending and blessing. These exercises are designed to normalise the contemplative within the lives of our children so they can flourish, finding peace and hope, realising their dreams and finding deep fulfilment.
The five contemplative practices:
- Stilling – seeing things more clearly. Settling, using breathing techniques, and becoming aware of oneself and one’s surroundings.
- Noticing – becoming aware of how life can energise or drain us. By noticing the absence of faith, hope and love in moments of unhappiness and difficulty and the presence of faith, hope and love in moments of comfort, children are encouraged to act, choose and seek consolidation – that which energises and inspires.
- Dwelling – finding meaning in the words of the Bible. Listening to, dwelling with and
experiencing how inclusive words, phrases or scenes from the Bible can ‘come alive’ for us as individuals. - Mending – forgiveness and healing. A brief activity using stones to represent life’s hurt, pain and sorrows. By forgiving ourselves and others, we free ourselves to be, and to encounter, in a different way.
- Blessing – focusing on human flourishing and growth. Having received blessing through the other four practices, how do we now bless our families, homes, school and communities? This practice uses the metaphor of a root, producing a shoot, producing a fruit. What fruit might emerge for all to share?
Miss Coe regularly leads staff training on Space Makers for the teachers. This gives them a time to reflect and contemplate also. Here are some photos from our latest 'mending' practice.
Peace Garden
We are proud of our Peace Garden, a place of sanctuary and a space to reflect where our Christian values are displayed alongside a garden of remembrance dedicated to both pupils and a staff member who have sadly passed away.
The garden is under development and plans to link our Christian values alongside our outdoor environment and learning are underway.
Here are some of the ideas we are planning to create:
Forgiveness
A Purple Hyacinth is an emblem of forgiveness and means "I am sorry," "Please forgive me" and "Sorrow." To tell someone that you are sorrowful over an event and wish for them to forgive you, give them a bouquet of purple hyacinth flowers to represent these emotions.
Trust
Freesia flower meanings generally include trust, thoughtfulness and innocence.