Welcome to our wellbeing and spirituality page.
There is an expectation that Church of England schools will ensure the spirtuality development of all children. The Vision for Education sets out a goal whereby, in addition to embracing an agenda of excellence and academic rigour, a wider framework is required where all children flourish. "Life in all its fullness" means giving emphasis to physical and intellectual development, while also meeting the needs for spirtual, moral, social and cultural development.
Within the SIAMS 2023 Framework the expectation is that spirituality will be clearly defined and understood by school leaders. It should also form an intrinsic part of the school curriculum. It is possible to identify opportunities for spiritual development in all aspects of school life and school leaders should look to how spiritual development is key to the flourishing of pupils and adults.
Defining spiritual development
Spirituality can be difficult to define as it is such a personal thing. Rebecca Nye suggests that:
"Spirituality is not something that can be confined into words. It can be a powerful kind of knowing that is less worried about proving how you know .... it shapes our ways of being. It potentially affects everything." (Rebecca Nye, Children's Spirituality: What it is and why it matters).
A simple view of spirtuality could be about "Connection", where each individual, through different means finds meaning through making connections with, "Self, Others, Beauty and Beyond". However, each school must look carefully at how spirituality can be defined for them taking into consideration their unique context and their theologically-rooted Christian vision.
Training and Support
The Diocese offer a range of training courses to support schools in their understanding and implementation of spiritual development, as part of the Training & Support SLA offer.
For further support, advice and guidance about spirtuality and spirtual development, please contact Rev. Duncan Hutchison by email on dhutchison@cofe-worcester.org.uk, or by telephone on 07960 977847.
Policies and guidance on spirtuality in schools can be found at the bottom of the page.
Wellbeing & Spirituality Compendium
As we lived and worked through the unprecendented and difficult circumstances of 2020-2021 we were aware that many school communities were keen to acquire ideas for promoting positivity and wellbeing. In response to this need, we created a series of reflective activities to support children, young people and adults.
Training for the first edition (containing 12 activities) took place in Spring 2021; we are now providing training for the second edition (containing a further 10 activities). Please note, this resource will only be made available to schools who have undertgone the dedicated training. Please email education@cofe-worcester.org.uk for further details.