Our Spiritual Journey

The Ilmington Definition of Spirituality

Spirituality is about feeling connected to something bigger than you. It is about caring and being kind through looking out, reflecting on our attitudes, actions and how we treat others by looking inwards, and bringing change about through our actions by looking ahead.

The Ilmington Model of Spirituality

There are various models for spirituality but we as a school have decided to follow the popular Windows, Mirrors Doors model of spirituality propounded by Liz Mills.

For us at Ilmington we feel that it fits our community well and allows all stakeholders the opportunity to explore where they are on their own spiritual journey. We see our role as a school to help educate the whole child and encourage a development of spiritual growth by providing as many opportunities as we can. We believe that this spiritual development can only benefit a child’s academic development.

Our school vision ‘To Faithfully Educate Every Child to be a World Changer’ along with our school Bible verse, ‘For with God nothing shall be impossible’ requires the need to look at the world in which we live and to consider what is around us, reflect and respond appropriately. We consider there are no limits on what every child can achieve and we seek to enable them to take their place in the world but still looking to never settle for less than their potential. As our school motto says, ‘Believe in Being Better’. We strive to enable our children to be spiritually aware and emotionally fulfilled with an eye on making a difference in the world around us.

The Windows, Mirrors, Doors model.

Using the model below we have thought about how this can be bespoke to us as a school.

Windows

“Windows are for looking out onto the world and becoming aware of its wonders, both the ‘wows’ and ‘ows’; things that are ‘awe-full’ and make us wonder and be grateful and things that are ‘awful’ and make us wonder and ask questions. The whole curriculum and life itself are full of opportunities to recognise this sensitively.”

The Ilmington Window:

We begin where we are. With our school located where we are in a beautiful rural part of the world on the edge of the Cotswolds, we have ample opportunity to appreciate the world around us. There are plenty of ‘wows’ but this in itself can be a barrier as we can think that this is the experience for all. Whilst appreciating where we find ourselves we strive to enable an understanding of the ‘ows’ where things are not what they should be. We appreciate that there are some parts of the world where the window looks onto another environment. We encourage all to question why things are as they are through our curriculum, collective worship and they way we behave towards each other.

Mirrors

“Mirrors are for looking into and reflecting, alone and together, to see things more clearly, for thinking and asking important questions learning from our own and each other’s responses. In schools we must allow time for this for individual and group reflection and sharing of perspectives. Some subjects and times allow for this specifically, such as religious education and collective worship but in all subjects, there will be opportunities, unexpected or planned, when things just ‘crop up’. Handled sensitively, it is possible to make the most of all these times, if there is ongoing deliberate and corporate staff and pupil support.”

Embedded in the life of Ilmington are the values we employ on a termly basis: Generosity, Compassion, Courage, Forgiveness, Friendship, Respect, Thankfulness, Trust, Perseverance, Justice, Service and Truthfulness. These help us to develop our own personal worldviews and link in with the Coventry and Warwickshire Agreed Syllabus. These form the basis of our collective worship each term. Each class has their own class value too: Friendship, Fellowship, Reconciliation and Service with a Bible story and verse linked to this value. Our Ilmington Learner Toolkit also picks up on this mirror approach by focussing on and rewarding Enthusiasm, Focus, Friendship, Perseverance, Polishing and Pondering. Our reflective practice in our behaviour policy also helps to build and develop spiritual development amongst the children whilst staff regularly reflect on and develop better practice through open discussion.

Doors

“Doors are for looking through in order to then act or express this in some way in response; for moving on, making choices, and doing something creative, active and purposeful in response. This can simply be done through a change in attitude or behaviour or thinking. It can also be expressed powerfully through music or art or drama or dance and through some form of social action or specific acts of giving.”

The Ilmington Door:

We encourage a spiritual journey by looking at how we respond to what we have seen and reflected on. We have regular charity events and fundraising opportunities with each house choosing a charity either, local, national or international. We regularly support events such as Children in Need and Red Nose Day. Children respond to those needs that they see around them and we regularly have special days or events requested by the children where they support events either locally or further afield. We look for opportunities to be more rooted in our local environment by having strong links with the local village church but also a local Baptist church and the local food bank. Our Ilmington 11 programme also provides us with opportunities to reach out to the local community and further afield.

How are opportunities for spiritual development provided?

We offer as many opportunities for spiritual development as we can, through ‘special’ moments in our school year and through day to day activities which happen in school.

Some of our ‘special’ moments occur regularly, some more ad hoc:

Worship Wednesday: All the school visit the church for an act of collective worship led by a class in rotation, the headteacher and the vicar. All parents and friends are invited to attend this act of collective worship. It is not a performance by a class but attempts to include parents and friends in a regular act of worship.
Church Services: At times the school is invited to take part in services at the church, maybe the crib service or the church’s Easter service. Children often take part in these events.
Harvest Service: Each year a class leads our harvest service where parents and friends are invited. As part of this donations of food are collected and then delivered to Shipston Foodbank for distribution to those who have need. This is an opportunity for reflection on the world we live in and an opportunity to respond to the need around us.
Easter Service: A class organises and runs our Easter service in conjunction with the vicar. This takes place in the church each year and parents and friends are invited.
Christmas Service: A class organises and runs our Christmas service in conjunction with the vicar. This takes place in the church each year and parents and friends are invited.
Leavers’ Service: At the end of the academic year, a service is held to say goodbye to the year 6 children. This is an opportunity to reflect on the children’s time at school and recognise their physical, academic and spiritual growth through their time at Ilmington.
Six Parishes Newsletter: Each month we attempt to foster deeper community links through a short contribution to the church newsletter where we highlight the life of the school.
Visits from clergy: We have regular visits from two visiting clergy, Richard from the village church St Mary’s and Dan from Stour Valley Baptist Church. This aids spiritual development through different styles of collective worship which are usually linked to the term’s Christian value.
Charity visits: Each year our houses choose a charity to support meaning we have 3 different charities each year, one local, one national and one international. We have opportunities to spiritually reflect on our world and place in it through the visits of the charities to the school and the fundraising events we undertake each year. The children are the driving force behind these charity events.
Newsletters home: Each week our newsletter home highlights our value, includes a prayer for children and parents to pray together and seeks to not simply be an information sheet but also an opportunity to build community and church links.
Celebration Assemblies: Each Friday we enjoy celebration assemblies where we recognise children’s academic achievements and also non-academic achievements. We strive to include children who have demonstrated the Ilmington 11 awards, Learner Toolkit qualities and our Star Student awards recognise qualities and values which are not necessarily academic.
Values awards: At the end of each term each class chooses a child who has demonstrated the term’s value in a significant way. Due to the fact that there are 12 values there are many opportunities for different children to be recognised.

Our daily moments include:

Collective worship: Our invitational collective worship includes specific Christian teaching and reference to the Bible. Wherever possible we include a song. The school prayer is shared each assembly and there are frequent times of stillness and quiet reflection. Children are left with a challenge to take ‘through the door’. Collective worship involves children leading whenever possible.
Relationships: We work hard to build positive relationships across the whole school community and the this is developed through our day to day relationships with children, all staff and visitors.
Curriculum: Our curriculum has been built with regular and multiple opportunities for spiritual development.

Curriculum Opportunities for Spiritual development

RE: By using the Worldviews approach and Understanding Christianity in our RE curriculum children have the opportunity to explore the nuances of belie within a wide variety of faiths or no faith and how the spirituality contained with these approaches shapes and forms people’s views and response to the world around them. This enables children to reflect and review and shape their own beliefs and response to the world around them. It also enables them to develop an understanding of a bigger world outside of Ilmington.

English: English is multi-faceted and therefore there is the ability to connect spiritually in many areas of English. Phonics allows the opportunity for connection with language and communication which allows a wider base to express belief and spirituality through extended language. The many genres of reading present the chance to explore moral dilemmas, ethical choices and moments of self-discovery, tales of courage, kindness or the wonders of the natural world, allow reflection on one’s own values and beliefs. Cultural and religious boundaries can be challenged which makes reading a journey of self-reflection which contributes to the spiritual development of all. Writing allows the opportunity to respond to the world and articulate thoughts and emotions, feelings and aspirations. It gives us the opportunity to nurture a deeper understanding of the world we are in and to express our spiritual response to it. Other aspects of English, drama, speaking, listening etc also enable a deeper understanding of spirituality by accessing different mediums of English. This enables a spiritual response to different cultures and genres.

Maths: Spirituality is evident in maths as it contains the opportunity to appreciate patterns, symmetry and order and can provoke a sense of awe and wonder in maths. The act of resilience and patience when tackling mathematical reasoning and logical problems can also build spiritual development. Group work and working together also enables the development of spiritual qualities through appreciation of mistakes and a collaborative approach to problem solving.

Science: Science provides many opportunities for spiritual development. Much science exploration is focused on the natural world enabling an appreciation of and a marvelling at the wonders of nature. It raises questions of creation, life and death. This can foster awe and wonder and also a questioning of deeper meanings of life. Scientific enquiry allows us to think about some deep questions and mysteries of the universe. Scientific experimentation can lead us to questioning around the limits of science and develop an even deeper appreciation of the mystery of the universe.

Computing: Spiritual development can be fostered through an exploration of technology by considering such areas as coding, animations, video creation, photography etc. Collaborative work in computing can help to appreciate others stand points. The use of technology allows interconnectedness with other cultures and different areas of the world in a quick and easy way. This can lead to discussions surrounding the immediacy of life and whether time for reflection can be easily lost. This can lead to discussions around the ethical use of technology allowing reflection on whether there are corporate responsibilities surrounding its use and mindfulness in an increasingly digital and immediate world.

History: History allows us to consider the moral and ethical aspects of human history and how the world has been shaped over time. It enables opportunities to consider why people have reacted in the world in the way they have and how societies have been shaped. It also enables an appreciation of the changes in physical geography and the way the world and the responses of diverse cultures have affected our world. There are opportunities for a pondering over why the world is how it is and the stories of the world. The historical contexts over time can cultivate a deeper understanding of and appreciation of the quest for spiritual meaning.

PSHE: PSHE promotes spiritual awareness and development through many areas of the subject. Self-awareness, empathy, ethics and a sense of purpose are frequent themes in PSHE and allows an exploration of the beliefs and values that we and others hold. There is the opportunity for a consideration of why others may hold differing views and the chance to be challenged over why we hold the views we do which strengthens our understanding of our own spirituality. It draws upon community and corporate responsibility and a consideration of ‘the greater good’ whilst recognising an individual’s ability to choose. In areas which consider health decisions PSHE encourages a reflection on health decisions and the implications of choices that are made thus helpng to drive spiritual development.

MFL: Learning a new language is not simply a technical skill but an opportunity for spiritual development. Learning a new language leads to an appreciation of cultural diversity and a connection with others from different cultures and backgrounds. This gives opportunities to gain insight into and understanding of different worldviews, beliefs and expressions. It fosters a sense of empathy and respectful understanding of a different culture which can lead to a deeper spiritual understanding of one’s own culture and background. The resilience and collaboration required to develop new language skills also builds a greater self-understanding of spiritual development.

Art and Design: This provides a unique opportunity for spiritual expression. There is the opportunity to explore and appreciate creativity and beauty but also the understanding of different cultures and backgrounds are expressed through art. It can stimulate some ‘wow’ moments but also cause reflection those artistic items that cause a different response. There is also the opportunity to respond in art and design to the world around and to express spirituality through art and design work. there is the opportunity for self-discovery and self-expression and also the chance to encourage a ‘door’ moment by inspiring others to consider their spiritual growth.

Music: Music is unique in many ways in the way it can foster spiritual development. There are opportunities for a deeper connection with our inner self. By listening to and appreciation of different musical styles borne out of similar or different cultures to our own, there is the opportunity to express feelings or aspirations and a sense of wonder. The inherent beauty of musical concepts can foster a deep spiritual response. When composing and performing children can begin to express their spirituality. When performing or singing there is the opportunity to share one’s spiritual development.

Design Technology: Opportunities for spiritual development arise in D& T through discovering how things work and the appreciation on creative ingenuity. There is the chance to appreciate beauty in design and the connection between the spiritual and tangible. The construction of an object which may have personal significance allows for spiritual reflection. The act of evaluating a product or design allows for reflection on what processes and influences shaped it and can open avenues for spiritual growth.

Geography: Wonder at the diversity of environments and people can stimulate spiritual discussions. Cultural and religious differences observed during geography fosters an appreciation of different backgrounds and why people respond in different ways and that people are different and not necessarily like us. There is opportunity to reflect on the beauty and complexity of different environments and ecosystems. Reflection is facilitated through the appreciation of diverse human practice which may stimulate a ‘doors’ response to a situation. Engagement with geographical study raises the eyes of the community to bigger world than the local community.

PE: In PE we attempt to make a space for children to think about and explore their physical capabilities which draws upon an appreciation of physical, mind and spiritual synchronisation. We have opportunities to consider a holistic approach to PE and physical wellbeing which encourages spiritual development. PE offers the opportunity to consider health, resilience, teamwork and self-care which aligns with spiritual development. Values such as respect, teamwork, determination and an appreciation of other’s abilities are fostered and enrich an understanding between physical and spiritual wellbeing.

Some of the ways we recognise spiritual development are:

o A working out of our one school rule of Respect – Respect yourself, Respect others, Respect property. This applies across our whole school community.
o How our community is guided by its beliefs and values and how it stands up for what is right and opposes what is wrong.
o Self-awareness and an empathy with the experiences of others local to them and in the wider community.
Resilience to respond to life’s challenges and drawing on inner strength to overcome these challenges.
Belief in the potential to achieve our very best. Our motto of Believe in Being Better is worked out in every situation.
To use creativity and imagination and to appreciate the world around us.
To have an appreciation of mystery, that there are times when there are no clear answers to the questions of life and an appreciation of interpretation through the lens of belief or no belief.
Comfort in stillness, to pray or meditate or reflect.
Forgiveness is evident on a day to day basis.
To take risks and appreciate mistakes and failure are not the end but a building block for life.
Curiosity in the world around us, to ask questions and challenge our own perceived understanding.
An appreciation of what is good in life and a desire to strengthen and build accordingly.