Spirituality

As a Christian primary school, our educational mission at Northiam is to set the conditions for all to thrive academically, morally, emotionally, socially and also spiritually.

In the same way that children do not develop their academic knowledge base incidentally, we believe that children need planned opportunities to grow spiritually and to flourish in this facet of their personal development. Therefore, we have recently introduced a schedule of activities across the school year designed to provide the space and possibility for reflection and spiritual development. We call this Friday Focus which takes place on Friday afternoons.

Curriculum

Our school curriculum intent includes a key focus on the model of 'Windows, Mirrors and Doors', a well-known religious concept made famous by Liz Mills, as a driver for the planning of the way of our children interact with new learning.

MIRRORS: Reflection - The learning from We provide children with time for reflection. We give children opportunities to reflect on their experiences, to look inward and to consider the big questions of life. Enquiry permeates our curriculum, where learning is constructed in a way that puts big questions at the center, rooting the acquisition of knowledge in the spiritual concept of searching for answers. Similarly, all Collective Worship begins with the use of philosophical questions that spark moral and ethical self-reflection in our children. Through all of this, our children are learning from life by exploring their own insights and perspectives and those of others.

WINDOWS: Encounter - The learning about We give children the opportunities to become aware of the world in new ways, to wonder and broaden the virtues of empathy and understanding. Through learning about new life

DOORS: Transformation - The learning to live by putting into action what they believe.

We give children opportunities to respond to all of this; to do something creative as a means of expressing, applying and further developing their thoughts and convictions. In this they are learning to live by putting into action what they are coming to believe and value.

As such, the children are given opportunities to develop their own ideas about how to respond so that learning becomes truly transformative; through reflection inspiring action, we help our children to become advocates and agents of change, driven forward by their growing spirituality.

2023/24 Reflection Spaces

We are currently looking to develop the quiet area in the playground into our first outdoor reflection area.