Spirituality

Our vision of Nurture with love- Grow through knowledge and wisdom- Flourish in hope along with our motto of ‘Reaching high, dreaming big, filled with the fullness of God’s love’ underpins life at CCH. in order for children and adults to truly flourish, we place a huge importance on nurturing each and every member of our school family so that they can grow and flourish- academically, socially, emotionally, morally- and spiritually. When we flourish in all of these domains, we can then say that we are truly flourishing as a human. This vision of human flourishing is captured in our school vision, and is underpinned by the central message of Ephesians 3.14- 21: that each of us may be filled with all the fullness of God.

The concept of spirituality and spiritual development is challenging so we have worked as a school and church community to define it in the following way:

Spirituality could be defined in several ways:

  • Being fully aware of one’s self
  • Aesthetic or ethical awareness and attentiveness to external and others
  • Religious devotion

At CCH, we use this quotation to help us understand spirituality in our context:

Spirituality is delighting in all things, being absorbed into the present moment, not too attached to self, and eager to explore boundaries of ‘beyond’ and ‘other’, searching for meaning, discovering purpose, open to more. (Rebecca Nye)

CCH definition

At CCH, spirituality is understood to be an integral part of each individual’s journey of self-discovery and exploration as we flourish fully as humans. As such, spiritituality is defined here as, “the act of being fully human, revealing our relationship with ourselves, others, with beauty and the beyond including the transcendental, and doing so through love.”

What does spirituality look like at CCH?

At our school, spirituality is nurtured from the innate sense of awe, wander and delight in the world that each child brings to school. Spiritual growth is enabled through plentiful encounters and rich opportunities to be curious, to be challenged, and to be still. Flourishing spiritually is evident when we feel safe to wonder, ask questions and search for meaning whilst being open to new possibilities. At CCH, spirituality is about being able to wrestle with life’s big questions (the BIG 7):

  • Where did I come from?
  • Who am I?
  • Why am I here and how shall I be?
  • How shall I live and learn with others?
  • Where am I going, what are my dreams and what can I contribute?
  • How do I manage in difficult times and from where do I draw my strength?
  • What do I believe?

CCH Approach to spirituality

At Christ Church Hanham CE VC Primary School, we understand spirituality to be an integral part of each individual’s journey of self-discovery and exploration as we flourish fully as humans.

In line with our school definition of spirituality, and to enable our vision, we use the following framework to root our understanding of spirituality and enable pupils and staff to explore their relationships self, others, beauty and beyond, including the transcendental:

  • Establishing a sense of self by exploring relationships with ourselves (I am unique and proud of my identity)
  • Building belonging and connection by exploring relationships with others (I can build good relationships with others)
  • Fostering fascination and curiosity by exploring relationships with the beauty of the world and beyond (I can see beauty in the world around me)
  • Asking questions and taking time to reflect on meaning and purpose by exploring relationships with beliefs, faith and the transcendental including the invitation to relate to God (I can think about the meaning of life beyond that which I can see and touch)

These four relationships are connected through the value of love and the feeling of gratitude. To be fully human and to be ‘filled with the fullness of Gods’s love’, we must learn to love ourselves and one another as well as being able to appreciate, and be grateful for, the world we live in. Taking time to stop, notice and marvel at the wonders of God’s creation runs through our approach to spirituality.

In order to support every member of our school community to flourish spiritually, we use the concepts of window, mirrors and doors to identify spiritual opportunities throughout each and every day.

Windows (learning about life): This is where we encounter new things, are presented with rich experiences, hear stories and learn about our world- the good and the challenging.

Mirrors (learning from life): This is where we seize opportunities to reflect, individually and together, to ask big questions and search for meaning from life. We also stop regularly- being present and still in the moment- to notice the glimmers of life.

Doors (learning to live life): This is where we respond to the encounters and opportunities. Our windows and mirrors help us to think anew and challenge ourselves and each other. We think about how we can act or express our human response including how we can advocate for, and play our part in, social action.

Spiritual opportunities happen throughout each and every day as children deal with delight, disappointment and the chance to be present with themselves.  For this reason, every member of the school community is familiar with the school’s shared language of spirituality and will respond to pupils appropriately.

Glimmers

At CCH, we use glimmers as part of our approach to spirituality. Glimmers are the small moments in our days where we feel joy, happiness, peace or gratitude. We support all members of our school to take time to stop and notice glimmers. Glimmers are an invitation to the present moment, inviting us to be more aware of ourselves, the connections we share with those around us, our environment and prompting us to consider questions of meaning and purpose. 

Policy

Our Spirituality Policy sets out our shared understanding, approach and opportunities for spiritual growth in more detail. This is available on our polices page.