Spirituality at St. James'

‘We touch on spirituality when we encounter an experience on life’s journey that causes us to reflect on the deeper things in life, its meaning, and our purpose within it, and as a consequence our lives are transformed.’ Jon Westwood

What is spirituality?

Spirituality can be difficult to define because it is a deeply personal experience that means something different to each individual. It’s important to remember that spirituality is not the same as religion. A person can be spiritual without following a particular faith or belief system. Spirituality often grows and changes throughout a person’s life, shaping the way they see themselves and the world around them.

At St. James’, we believe that spiritual development is a fundamental aspect of every child’s personal growth. We aim to nurture each child so that they become happy, fulfilled, spiritually aware, and socially and emotionally engaged individuals.

How we define spirituality

Spirituality, for us, is about a person’s relationship with themselves, with others, with God, and with the natural world. These four elements — self, others, God, and the beauty of our world — form the foundation of our approach to developing a strong sense of spirituality in both our children and our wider school community.

Guided by our Christian values of compassion, courage, and respect, we encourage everyone at St. James’ to show kindness and understanding towards others, to act with bravery and integrity, and to value and accept each person as a unique individual.

We explore spirituality through Window, Mirror, Door and Candle moments throughout our school day. We actively seek opportunities to explore our spiritual experiences throughout the curriculum as well as within collective worship. This allows for both planned and spontaneous ‘pause for thought’ moments and enables us to think and reflect carefully about the world around us and to consider our role within it.

The four elements:

Thinking about myself

Awareness of feelings; the ability to reflect and express.
Awareness of our uniqueness; happiness with who we are.
Gratitude for the things we have and the person we are.
Exploration of personal faith.
Development of imagination and creativity.

Thinking about others

Empathy and understanding; respect and tolerance.
To love and be loved (loving your neighbour).
Making a difference; sense of duty.

Thinking beyond the things that we can see

Encountering/experiencing God; having a sense of what lies beyond the material/physical.
Ability to formulate and discuss the ‘Big Questions’.
Opportunities for prayer, connecting with God.
Making sense of the world.

Thinking about the beauty of our world

Developing a sense of awe and wonder.
Enjoying the miracles of everyday life.
Taking time for what really matters.
Appreciating the beauty in art, music, nature.

How we aim to develop a strong sense of spirituality

Have regular time in the day for quiet and reflection. This might be listening to a story, lighting a candle, going for a walk in our outdoor area.
Provide opportunities for creativity and using the imagination.
Valuing play opportunities.
Singing often, especially with others.
Ensuring regular times for prayer.
Provide opportunities for children to discuss, explore and share feelings.
Discuss the importance of relationships; how we talk to and relate to each other.
Provide opportunities to express awe and wonder, appreciate beauty in all forms.
Encourage each other to show kindness, caring and compassion and to express these in practical ways.
Explore ‘Big Questions’.

How do we know we are being effective?

We believe our spiritually developed children are able to:

Love and accept themselves and enjoy good relationships with each other.
Take an interest and delight in the world around them.
Express and understand feelings.
Demonstrate a strong moral sense and a love of what is good.
Enjoy quiet and stillness.
Possess an active imagination and show joy in creativity.
Be open to what lies beyond the material.