At Ashford CE Primary, we recognise that spirituality is a unique experience and is likely to differ between us all. Our approach to spirituality focuses on making connections which enables us to explain it to our children in a developmentally appropriate way.
We use the concept of ‘Mirrors, Windows and Doors’ as we support our children to reflect and ask big questions about life beyond themselves.
We focus on reflection and inwardly connecting with our own sense of self and emotions, illustrated by the mirror.
We look outwards and aim to provide a range of rich experiences to appreciate and connect with the awe and wonder in the world around us, illustrated by the window.
We look upwards to explore the feelings and sense of belief that there is something greater than our physical existence, something more than that which we can see, hear, smell, taste or touch. We consider how we can connect with this through prayer and worship and explore how this affects how we live our everyday lives, depicted by the door.
Through our school vision, ethos and Bible verse, ‘I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.’ Phil 4v13, we encourage all within our school community to know that they can find God’s strength in all things. Our values teach children to respect and value individuality, show compassion and forgiveness, develop perseverance and courage and be thankful for all that God has provided for us. This allows our children to spiritually appreciate the unique relationships we have with others, the world around us and the greater presence.
How am I feeling?
What do I think about.....?
How does.....make me feel?
What can I see in the world around me?
What is making me think WOW?
What do I feel grateful for?
What do I have questions about?
What am I going to do or going to change?
I wonder about.....
I am going to explore.....
Following the introduction of our spiritual development definition, we held some dedicated sessions in school to encourage children to explore each aspect more deeply.
Each session began with a worship led by Mrs. Bailey where the concepts of mirrors, windows and doors were introduced and the links to our school vision explored.
Mirrors - We used the text, ‘I am me’ by Susan Verde and considered our uniqueness and the wonderful strengths and talents we bring to the community. This then led to follow up work in class with deeper reflection on who we are and how we feel about different things.
Windows – Using the reflections from our mirror moments, we then considered the wonderful world around us, how God created this and our own reflections as to what we should do as caretakers of the planet. This coincided with David Attenborough’s 100th birthday and we used some of his work as a stimulus for further discussion.
Doors - We considered what faith means to each of us and how prayer and worship can be used to connect with a bigger presence. This then led to reflection about who we have faith in and how we should live, being guided by our faith.
Bringing our learning together, we then held a changemaker worship which was attended by our local MP, Lincoln Jopp. During this worship children from the Young Leader club shared how they had recognised a need and then completed their community project, making a difference to others. Year 5 children also shared their sustainability projects, considering how we can all make changes which will make a difference to others. Mr Jopp then spoke to the children about his work within the local community.
