Spiritual Development at St Oswald's
Spiritual development relates to fundamental questions about the meaning and purpose of life which affect everyone, and is not dependant on a religious affiliation. (Ofsted)
Spiritual development is not about becoming, more spiritual (in a measurable or expansive sense). It is about realising or becoming more and more aware of one’s natural, innate spirituality.
Our new reflection garden has been developed in the corner of the school field centred around our remembering tree.
What do we mean when we talk about Spirituality?
At St Oswald’s, we pride ourselves in nurturing the spirituality of everyone in the school community. All children have an inborn spirituality. However, if spirituality is not nurtured, it can wither. Spirituality is not the same as religious faith but it is the bedrock on which faith is founded.
What Is Spirituality?
Spirituality is about relationships: relationships with ourselves, others, the world and with God. It is like a bird – if held it too tightly it will choke, but if held too loosely it will fly away. It is the sense of our engagement with the world, with ourselves and with others that is intangible but a deep part of us. We like trhis video which explains Spiritual Development
How we develop Spirituality at St Oswald's.
In school we a wide range of activities throughout the week and school year that help develop spirituality across different areas of the curriculum. Examples of these are as follows:
- Daily worship either in class or in the hall
- Windows, Mirrors and Doors focus on Collective Worship for 2023-2024
- Daily promotion of school values
- HeartSmart PSHE programme
- Picture News
- Time to Be Still
- Fruits of the Spirit Day
- Love Your Neighbour Vision Day
- School Ethos Group
- Prayer Spaces at lunchtimes
- KS1 and KS2 Young Leaders Club
- Residential Visits
- Forest School
