Spirituality at Horndon
Spirituality is not about having a religion or faith. You can experience spirituality without having faith and what classes as spirituality will vary from person to person.
Some definitions include:
‘God’s way of being with children and children’s ways of being with God.’
‘Children’s spirituality is an initially natural capacity for awareness of the sacred quality to life experiences. This awareness can be conscious or unconscious, and sometimes fluctuates between both, but in both cases can affect actions, feelings and thoughts. In childhood, spirituality is especially about being attracted towards ‘being in relation,’ responding to a call to relate to more than ‘just me’ – i.e. to others, to God, to creation or to a deeper inner sense of Self. This encounter with transcendence can happen in specific experiences or moments, as well as through imaginative or reflective activity (thoughts and meaning making.)
As a school we define spirituality as:
“Spirituality is a feeling from within us. It is about finding and feeling the awe and wonder in the world around us. Spirituality enables us to ask questions and be inspired, while being aware of something ‘bigger’ than ourselves.”
When discussing spirituality with the children it will often be referred to as: a sense of awe and wonder, care for nature and all things living, and wanting to be loved and to love others.
Spirituality is not about having a religion or faith. You can experience spirituality without having faith and what classes as spirituality will vary from person to person.
Some definitions include:
‘God’s way of being with children and children’s ways of being with God.’
‘Children’s spirituality is an initially natural capacity for awareness of the sacred quality to life experiences. This awareness can be conscious or unconscious, and sometimes fluctuates between both, but in both cases can affect actions, feelings and thoughts. In childhood, spirituality is especially about being attracted towards ‘being in relation,’ responding to a call to relate to more than ‘just me’ – i.e. to others, to God, to creation or to a deeper inner sense of Self. This encounter with transcendence can happen in specific experiences or moments, as well as through imaginative or reflective activity (thoughts and meaning making.)
As a school we define spirituality as:
“Spirituality is a feeling from within us. It is about finding and feeling the awe and wonder in the world around us. Spirituality enables us to ask questions and be inspired, while being aware of something ‘bigger’ than ourselves.”
When discussing spirituality with the children it will often be referred to as: a sense of awe and wonder, care for nature and all things living, and wanting to be loved and to love others.
Awe and Wonder
Children are naturally inquisitive, and it is our duty to nurture this natural curiosity and help them to look at the world around them with awe and wonder. We want to encourage them to ask ‘big questions’ about life, religion, nature, science and any other area of interest.
Children are naturally inquisitive, and it is our duty to nurture this natural curiosity and help them to look at the world around them with awe and wonder. We want to encourage them to ask ‘big questions’ about life, religion, nature, science and any other area of interest.
Caring for Nature and Living Things
We provide opportunities for children to learn about nature and the role they play in protecting our world. As a Church School, this is especially important. We have chickens which live on site and the children take care of them at break and lunch times and through ‘Omlet club’. The school grounds are rich in bird and insect life and the children take pride in providing homes (bug house, bird boxes) and food for God’s creatures. Through science and topic work, children learn about the world and how they can care for living things.
We provide opportunities for children to learn about nature and the role they play in protecting our world. As a Church School, this is especially important. We have chickens which live on site and the children take care of them at break and lunch times and through ‘Omlet club’. The school grounds are rich in bird and insect life and the children take pride in providing homes (bug house, bird boxes) and food for God’s creatures. Through science and topic work, children learn about the world and how they can care for living things.
Love
We are a very caring school and pride ourselves on our ethos of community. Through our core values, we teach children to show respect for friends, family and the community. We offer curriculum workshops to share our work with those we love and our curriculum teaches us to love and understand those around us. The children have an understanding that the school community goes beyond the buildings and the grounds of the school, but encompasses and permeates into the local community around the school.
We are a very caring school and pride ourselves on our ethos of community. Through our core values, we teach children to show respect for friends, family and the community. We offer curriculum workshops to share our work with those we love and our curriculum teaches us to love and understand those around us. The children have an understanding that the school community goes beyond the buildings and the grounds of the school, but encompasses and permeates into the local community around the school.
