Spirituality

At St Anne’s, spirituality is deeply woven into the curriculum, offering students a holistic, faith-enriched learning experience that fosters both personal and communal spiritual growth. Through various curriculum components and unique activities, students are encouraged to engage in self-reflection, explore their beliefs, and connect with their faith in meaningful, age-appropriate ways.

The language of spirituality is woven into every day life – staff frequently refer to our vision, values, window/mirrors/doors and wows/ows/nows in discussions with our pupils.

Knowledge Organisers in Religious Education

Each Religious Education (RE) unit is designed to include structured knowledge organisers that provide students with avenues for deeper spiritual exploration. These organisers present thought-provoking questions and activities that help students connect classroom teachings to personal beliefs and encourage spiritual growth beyond structured lessons. The Knowledge organisers are available for parents so that they too can encourage spiritual developement outised of the classroom. 

Spirituality throughout the curriculum

At St Anne’s, the child-led approach to learning offers children greater autonomy in exploring topics that interest them, which naturally creates more opportunities for personal spiritual growth. This approach empowers students to engage with their own questions of faith and spirituality, fostering an environment where they can discover and express their values in ways that resonate personally. In addition to this, curriculum leaders have reflected on planned and spontaneous opportunities for spiritual development in their curriculum area. See below for further detais: 

Visits to Places of Worship and Engagement with Visitors

Visits to places of worship and invitations to faith-based visitors allow students to experience different faith practices firsthand, deepening their understanding of spirituality and creating moments of spiritual reflection. These immersive experiences encourage students to think beyond their immediate world and reflect on their place within a larger faith community.

Prayer walls and spontaneity

Each classroom features a prayer wall, providing a space where students can express their thoughts, prayers, and reflections. These walls are an ongoing invitation for students to connect with their spirituality during the day, fostering a supportive space for personal and shared prayer. During collective worship sessions, students are given the opportunity to lead spontaneous prayers, allowing them to voice their individual reflections and experiences in a communal setting. This practice builds confidence in expressing their faith and enables students to actively contribute to their spiritual community.

Spiritual Garden

The spiritual garden serves as an outdoor sanctuary for learning and reflection. Here, students can connect with nature while engaging in guided and self-led activities that inspire a sense of peace, wonder, and appreciation for creation, all of which enrich their spiritual lives.

Support for Charities and Service-Based Learning

St Anne’s curriculum integrates community service initiatives that emphasise compassion and charity, such as partnerships with Shoe Aid and efforts to support homeless and refugee communities through the Young Leaders Award. These initiatives help students develop a sense of social responsibility and empathy, key components of a faith-centred education.

Cross-Curricular Spiritual Expression in Art

Art provides a creative medium for students to express their spirituality through projects like the Spirited Arts competition, the Letters for Creation exhibition, and explorations of climate justice and global images of Christ. These projects link artistic expression with spiritual and ethical themes, helping students visualise and reflect on spiritual concepts.

Prayer Bags

St Anne’s encourages family involvement in spiritual practices through the use of prayer bags, which students can take home to share prayers and reflections with their families. This initiative extends the school’s spiritual environment into the home, creating a bridge between school and family faith practices.

Global Christianity

Our curriculum link with Melanesia in Geography and RE, is at early stages of development.  The project has already encouraged our children to see their role as a Global Citizen; inspired them to fundraise and providing a better understanding of Christianity as a global religion.

Through these thoughtfully designed opportunities, spirituality at St Anne’s becomes an integral part of the students' educational journey, encouraging them to grow in faith, empathy, and awareness in every aspect of their learning.

Worship and Spirituality

St Anne's CE Primary School, the Christian vision and CofE foundation are central to shaping worship and spirituality. The school's theologically rooted Christian vision emphasises inclusivity, spiritual growth, and living out Christian values. This vision permeates all aspects of school life, from the curriculum to collective worship, encouraging pupils and staff to reflect on Christian teachings and apply them in daily life. Worship is integral to fostering spiritual development, with regular collective worship sessions that inspire reflection, community, and personal prayer. The partnership with the local church further strengthens this, as clergy members are involved in preparing students for leading worship and engaging in spiritual practices. The school also celebrates Christian and other religious festivals and includes pupils in community worship, creating a strong connection between the school, the church, and the broader community. Moreover, the school's religious education is grounded in the Anglican tradition, giving students a solid foundation in Christian theology while fostering respect and understanding of other faiths. Spirituality is nurtured through opportunities for reflection, prayer spaces, and engagement with ethical issues, all tied to biblical principles that encourage social responsibility and justice. See our Collective Worship Policy for further information.