Spirituality at Forsbrook CE Primary School
At Forsbrook CE Primary School, spirituality is at the heart of everything we do. As a Church of England school, we aim to nurture the spiritual development of every child, helping them explore life’s big questions, understand themselves, and appreciate the world around them. Our approach is guided by our Christian values and informed by the Church of England’s vision for education, which encourages pupils to flourish academically, socially, morally, and spiritually.
Spiritual Footprints Across the Curriculum
We believe that spiritual growth is not confined to Religious Education lessons—it is woven through all areas of our curriculum. Using the concept of Spiritual Footprints, we help pupils reflect on their experiences, consider their feelings, and make meaning of the world. This approach enables children to:
- Wonder and explore: Encouraging curiosity about life, nature, relationships, and God’s creation.
- Reflect and respond: Supporting pupils in thinking about their own values, choices, and actions.
- Connect and belong: Developing a sense of empathy, community, and awareness of others.
- Express and create: Allowing children to express ideas, emotions, and beliefs through art, writing, music, and play.
- Question and discern: Helping pupils to ask thoughtful questions about life and faith, exploring different perspectives in a safe and supportive environment.
Windows, Mirrors, Doors in Worship
Our worship follows the Windows, Mirrors, Doors framework, which actively supports the development of spirituality in children:
- Windows: Worship provides children with a window into the lives, beliefs, and experiences of others. Through stories from the Bible, examples of Christian life, and exploration of world faiths, pupils gain insight into perspectives beyond their own, fostering empathy, understanding, and respect.
- Mirrors: Worship acts as a mirror, encouraging children to reflect on their own lives, values, and choices. Through prayer, discussion, and reflection, pupils consider who they are, how they respond to challenges, and how their actions align with Christian values such as kindness, courage, and respect.
- Doors: Worship opens doors, inspiring children to take their learning and reflections beyond the school walls. Pupils are encouraged to act on their beliefs, live out their values in everyday life, and engage in their communities with compassion, creativity, and purpose.
By embedding the Windows, Mirrors, Doors approach in our daily worship, we ensure that every child has opportunities to learn about others, understand themselves, and discover meaningful ways to live out their faith. This, alongside the Spiritual Footprints woven through the curriculum, deepens children’s spiritual development and helps them leave positive footprints in the world.
Spirituality in Daily School Life
Spirituality is nurtured across the school in many ways:
- Collective Worship: Daily worship offers moments of reflection, prayer, and celebration, helping children connect with God and each other.
- Classroom Practice: Teachers integrate opportunities for reflection, discussion, and creativity across all subjects, linking learning to pupils’ spiritual understanding.
- Outdoor Learning and Forest School: Children connect with nature and consider their place in the wider world.
- Emotional and Moral Development: Through Jigsaw and our Christian values, pupils learn to understand emotions, develop resilience, and make ethical choices.
Spiritual Development Days: Forsbrook CE Primary works in partnership with other local schools and St Peter’s Church to host dedicated Spiritual Development Days within school, giving pupils the opportunity to engage in collaborative activities, reflective workshops, and shared worship experiences.
Partnership with Families and the Church
We work closely with parents, carers, and our local church to nurture spiritual development. Families are invited to join in worship, special events, and curriculum activities that highlight spiritual growth. Together, we support children in leaving their own spiritual footprints—growing in character, understanding, and compassion.
Spiritual Spaces
Children are innately curious about life. Growing up raises lots of questions, some to do with their experience, both the good and the bad, and some to do with their sense of wonder at the universe we live in and whether there’s more to life than meets the eye. Many have an interest in the non-material aspects of life, the spirit or soul, and want to explore how these ideas and experiences help them to develop their own sense of identity, self-worth, personal insight, meaning and purpose.
Our spiritual spaces in schools enable children and young people, of all faiths and none, to explore these life questions, spirituality and faith in a safe, creative and interactive way. Taking a broadly Christian perspective as a starting point, spiritual spaces give our children an opportunity to develop skills of personal reflection and to explore prayer in an open, inclusive and safe environment. The approach does not proselytise and purposely allows pupils to make their own meaning and to draw their own conclusions.
Spiritual Development Day
Across the whole school today each class were given the opportunity to take part in our Spiritual Development day that was led by Sophie and her team of volunteers from St. Peters church. The children took time out of their busy days to encounter God through...