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The project came out of a response to the importance Ofsted has put on spiritual development at schools, but a poor definition and a lack of resources and curriculum materials meant schools felt ill-equipped to deal with it. We were a part of a consultation commissioned by the Royal Society for the Arts 2014, which in their report ‘Schools with Soul’, said: ‘Of all the four aspects of SMSC, it is the spiritual which is most at risk of neglect. The source of this risk to the spiritual appears to be its indeterminacy of meaning, as well as a level of teacher discomfort around the ‘teaching’ of spirituality. Yet there are ways to frame the concept of spirituality that can help it to speak to our deepest needs and present challenges in education.’
As far as we were aware no qualification has ever been written in Spiritual Development and we were inspired to find a practical way to put spiritual development at the heart of education. We put it through the exam board, tussled and tweaked it a bit, and came out with a level 2, OCN unit that is nationally recognised but delivered locally through the Eastern region.
Last year we did a pilot with 18 students in two-hour chunks throughout the year. It worked to an extent but we spread out the teaching so much that it lost some of how the teaching fitted together and some of the journey. So this year we piloted a more intensive model, with four teaching days, a one-to-one session and a two-day residential: we’ve just completed that on our site with nine students. We moved to a more intensive model to try and create a community and add in things that aren’t parts of the course – moments of reflection, team building, even the residential isn’t essential to the course but it allows space and for significant moments to occur. To gain the qualification the young people have to work through a portfolio and complete some criteria. It’s a pass or fail, so you either meet the criteria or you don’t.
At the start of the course we got them to identify a spiritual quality they want to grow in. Young people said things like vision, courage, hope and peace. We talked about spiritual role models and who in their lives model things they want to emulate, and we check in during the course to see how they’re doing with that. Some have grown in courage – we had Muslim young people who had never left Luton before, coming away on a residential with a Christian charity, which felt like a significant step for both them and us. One incredibly shy and sweet kid had never had his hair cut by anyone other than his mum and was really freaked out by the idea of anyone else cutting his hair – on the day we got back from the residential he was so full of confidence that he went and got his hair cut that evening. The thing he’d wanted to grow in was courage, and the course had given him space to grow in it. We built in space for spiritual moments on the weekend away – specifically space for awe and wonder (obviously you can’t make those happen) - so we went for a sunrise walk on the beach. This that was quite significant and a highlight for a lot of them – they talked about it being a moment of awe, something so everyday but they’d never stopped to think about it.
We’re working with young people of all faiths and no faiths but we’re clear about who we are and our faith. We’re trying to find sources and stories and bring in a flavour from different faiths but clearly showing who we are. When we’re sharing our own stories they’re coming from our Christian faith and perspective.
Before we started the course and were thinking about spiritual development, I probably entered quite naively thinking that if a young person is spiritually developing then they’re walking towards Jesus, but it became clear that that wasn’t the case at all. If we’re creating that space, they may well be walking towards Jesus, they might be discovering a faith they didn’t know they had, or they might be becoming more certain of their atheist perspective, their belief that there is no true God, or their belief that Allah is the one true God. We’re excited by this tension though: it gives space for young people to explore the deep parts of life – irrespective of their starting point. One of the girls came from a family who didn’t engage with Church and she was quite closed off, but she became more open and relaxed in those conversations, and found a lot of life in things such as the ‘examen’ and praying through the day with God, and wants to keep doing that after the course.
As the young people completed the course and some continue to drop in to a weekly community meal and drop in café, we feel confident that each of them in a different way discovered a deeper understanding of themselves, their relationships with others and the natural world and the big beyond. And ultimately, I believe that it is particularly in that in deepest sense of self, that you find God.
QUOTES FROM STUDENTS
‘This course has helped me discover my weaknesses and my greatest strengths. It’s helped me to strengthen my connection to God and I want to keep doing that when it’s finished’
Tirone, Year 9
‘I never really thought about spiritual things before, but the sessions have given me time to think and learn about them.’
Jeni, Year 9
‘This course has provided the group with the confidence to discuss spiritual ideas with those outside of their friendship group. During their time they have completed tasks examining the self and what strengths and weaknesses they have. This has been eye opening for many students and this will be beneficial to them throughout their school career.’
Head of RE, Icknield High School
