THE SPIRITUAL DIMENSION
We are a Church of England Academy and as such, we have a deep sense of Christian community and the spiritual dimension of our life together is of vital importance and underpins all our activities.
What is spirituality?
“I came that they may have life – life in all its’ fullness” John 10:10
In its most fundamental sense, spirituality is about becoming fully human, fully alive. Traditionally, spirituality has been associated with God, prayer and church but permeates every aspect of living and so also has to do with creativity, art, music and serving others. In this sense, it affects the whole life of the school and all members of the school community. The Headteacher, together with the Governors and local clergy are responsible for the spiritual life of St Michael’s, although all members of staff have an important part to play here.
We believe we educate the child in body, mind and spirit.
Relationships are key:
- Relationship with ourselves - how we use our talents, skills, emotions and what we think about ourselves and our life.
- Relationships with others - how we relate to other people be they children, staff, parents, Governors, visitors and the wider community.
- Relationship with the environment and the awesomeness of God’s creation
- Relationship with God
We introduce children to new and different experiences and opportunities in order to ‘grab the moment’ and see the world ‘in the eye of the beholder’ with those ‘first ever experiences’ – skiing, trips abroad without Mum or Dad, fieldtrips into the outdoors, a new game or sport, an experiment of discovery in science, the joy in solving a maths equation, creating something beautiful from nothing, that first time a passage from a book or play makes sense or reading poem that is moving and wonderful.
Giving children time, space and stillness to build a relationship with God, find for themselves the person God wants them to be. Allowing children to make mistakes along the way and know forgiveness when they are truly sorry. It is about promoting excellence in Religious Education and excellence in collective worship, worship that is special and distinctive – that time in a busy day where we can meet with God and share our life with him.
What is collective worship?
Collective worship is an opportunity for members of the school community to explore various aspects of the Christian faith, to reflect and pray together. It may be as simple as reading a prayer or reflection during tutorial. It may involve leading a year group in the main hall during period one or the whole school at the end of term. As a Church of England High Academy, worship is at the heart of our daily life. Ultimately, the Headteacher is responsible for the worshipping life of the school, and is actively involved in leading and planning collective worship. The Spiritual Development Coordinator and Christian Youth Worker (Dan Bishop) supports this and organises collective worship at St. Michael’s.
Who leads collective worship?
All members of the school community lead worship.
On a rota basis, staff lead morning prayers in briefing. Prayers are offered before every meeting in school, including those with parents and carers.
Staff and pupils are also invited to plan and lead collective worship for the whole school. Tutorial Collective Worship Representatives in Years 7-11 are trained to lead and facilitate reflections and prayers at the beginning of the day, unless the year group has a Collective Worship in the main hall.
All tutorials are provided with prayers and reflections each week to be read in morning tutorial and at the end of the day with the ‘Grace’ when teaching the last class. Tutors are asked to support and encourage pupils to take part in designing and leading collective worship.
For the RE Policy please see Policies.