Spiritual Development

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Leigh

POLICY FOR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT

Live and Learn with Jesus.

We follow Jesus through fairness, kindness, love, friendship and happiness.

At Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, we believe that everyone who interacts with pupils needs to be involved in promoting the pupils’ Spiritual Development. This policy outlines the purpose, nature and management of Spiritual Development at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School. The school’s mission statement clearly reflects the importance of Spiritual Development.

Mission Statement

Live and learn with Jesus.

We follow Jesus through; love, fairness, happiness, kindness and friendship.

The children will be enabled to further understand the school mission statement through work carried out to support the way they reflect on and follow Jesus in love, fairness, happiness, kindness and friendship in developing their spirituality.

At Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, we believe that Spiritual Development is concerned with how an individual acquires personal beliefs and values, especially on questions about religion, whether life has a purpose and the basis for personal and social behaviour questions which are ‘at the heart and root of existence’.

Spiritual education helps pupils to acquire insights into their personal existence which are of endearing worth. It is characterised by reflection, the attribution of meaning to experience, valuing a non-material dimension to life and intimations of an endearing reality. “Spiritual” is not synonymous with “religious” and so all areas of the curriculum may contribute to pupil’s Spiritual Development.

Promoting Pupils Spiritual Development

The school aims to promote pupils’ Spiritual Development by providing them with opportunities and encouragement to:

follow the example of the life, words and actions of Jesus and understand how doing this affected the life, words and actions of the saints and other significant Christians
explore the school mission to understand how to live out the values of love, fairness, happiness, kindness and friendship.
experience awe and wonder - to be moved by creation and by excellence in human achievement
engage in prayer, worship and reflection
reflect - on themselves, others and life’s fundamental questions
develop self-respect and respect for their environment
exercise intellectual curiosity - testing their beliefs against others and exploring similarities and differences
exercise imagination and intuition - in creative pursuits and in forming theories in their academic work and in daily life
discuss and debate - insights, beliefs, ideas, emotions, feelings and experiences
understand how to appreciate and care for the earth, our common home.

To achieve these aims the school will:

provide and broad and balanced curriculum giving opportunities for spirituality in all subject areas – most notably in Religious Education, RSE, PSHE, Art, Music, Drama etc.
use teaching methods that provide pupils, and staff, with the opportunity to share their feelings, opinions, emotions etc.
enable children to use their imagination and be creative in all areas of the curriculum
provide opportunities for children to experience life outside the classroom and appreciate the wonders of creation (residentials, retreat days, meditation with Fr Kieran and day trips)
provide extra-curricular experiences for children to appreciate and develop their own gifts and talents therefore developing in self-confidence and esteem
promote Catholic Social Teaching and follow the Pope’s guidance from ‘Laudato Si’
have an agreed set of shared values, which the children and staff follow. (Seen in our Mission Statement and every classroom)
provide quality experiences of Collective Worship which enable children to reflect on their lives and appreciate the presence of God
invite a range of visiting speakers to share their life experiences e.g. overcoming adversity / challenge / diversity etc.
ensure that work relating to Spiritual Development permeates the whole school and ensures our environment reflects our Catholic identity
be aware of opportunities to discuss spiritual issues.
promote Spiritual Development through actions, relationships, ethos/ climate, unspoken expectations and through the way adults interact with each other and pupils.
respond appropriately to spiritual issues that arise in the work being carried out or as a result of something that happens in class or in the world around us.

Steps to Spiritual Development

The school believes that children’s spirituality will mature in line with their age stage and capability. The steps to show progress in Spiritual Development might include:

developing a sense of the presence of God in their everyday lives and then having the opportunity and ability to reflect on and respond to that presence
following the example of the life, words and actions of Jesus and understand how doing this affected the life, words and actions of the saints and significant Christians (Collective Worship, assemblies and R.E lessons)
living out the school mission showing the values of love, fairness, happiness, kindness and friendship
showing an awareness of the relationship between belief and action
developing a sense of awe, wonder, reverence and imagination
developing an awareness and respect of other faiths and beliefs
becoming aware and respectful of how people of other faiths respond to the spiritual dimension of life
recognising the existence of others as independent from oneself
becoming aware of and reflecting on experience
questioning and exploring the meaning of experience
understanding and evaluating a range of possible responses and interpretations
developing personal views and insights

Planning and Teaching

Developing the children’s spirituality is the responsibility of all staff and will be intrinsic in all areas of the curriculum. All pupils are encouraged in their Spiritual Development by being given opportunities to respond at their own level and so tasks, questions and challenges may be differentiated accordingly.

Aspects of Spiritual Development planning will be found in:

Come and See planning
Collective Worship Planning
Assembly themes
Planned Circle Time/PSHE activities
Early Years Foundation Stage Planning
Art, music, dance and other creative opportunities
Science and Nature

Evidence of Children’s Spiritual Development

Formal assessment is clearly inappropriate in this area. However, the Head Teacher, Senior Management Team and R.E Subject Leader evaluate children’s Spiritual Development by the impact the school’s provision has on them and in the way they grow – in an age appropriate way – to:

develop a sense of the presence of God in their lives
reflect on and respond to God’s presence
acquire knowledge of the life, words and actions of Jesus and understand how this affects behaviours in themselves and others
reflect upon and find meaning in experience
consider how the teachings the Church provide insights into the explanations for the fundamental questions of existence
reflect on their own attitudes and values in the light of the Gospels and the teachings of the Church
develop an imaginative sense of awe, wonder, respect and reverence
develop a range, depth and quality of their prayer life- using different prayer styles with reverence
become familiar and empathise with the life, words and actions of the saints and significant Christians
learn that there is something beyond the material in life and value inward experience and consciousness
become aware of how people of other faiths, religions or none respond to the spiritual dimension in life.

Adapted: Summer Term 2023 By T. Nice

Review Summer Term 2025