The Downs Spirituality at The Downs CEP School
Spirituality in Collective Worship is the beating heart of The Downs CEP School. It provides the opportunity for our school community to share experiences, ideas and understanding. It is the context in which the language of spirituality, which we use as a school, is regularly and explicitly shared. Collective Worship provides the opportunity for pupils to become aware of the importance of reflection and how our positive and negative experiences can be formative. It also provides a real sense of being present (moments of wonder) which are often linked to invitations to pray.
Through daily Collective Worship, pupils are offered a space and a place for hearing the Christian story. They are offered an understanding of worship by being invited to participate in, or observe, Christian spiritual practices such as: prayer, reading and reflection on the Bible and liturgy and are introduced to different musical traditions.
Opportunities to reflect on the moments of wonder in life such as beauty and joy of the world are given, as well as time to reflect and empathise with the moments of disappointment or pain. Pupils are given time to consider their responsibilities to others and to grow in love and service. Time is given for celebration, both for the accomplishments of school members and to mark seasonal Christian festivals and celebrations in the calendars of other faiths. In this way pupils are offered time to be able to contemplate and develop spiritually.
Collective Worship in The Downs CEP School is invitational, inspirational and inclusive.
More information can be found here
/docs/Spirituality_policy_March_2024.docx
Spirituality in Religious Education The Church of England’s Statement of Entitlement outlines the aims and expectations for Religious Education in Church of England Schools and guides this school’s approach to RE and spirituality. Learning activities in RE provide for the needs of all pupils, offering a safe space to explore their own religious, spiritual and/or philosophical ways of seeing, living and thinking, believing and belonging. They provide opportunities to engage in meaningful and informed dialogue with those of all religions and worldviews, linking these to pupils’ ideas of spirituality and the language of wows, ows and nows where appropriate. For further details, please refer to The Downs CEP School Religious Education Policy and The Church of England’s Statement of Entitlement.
More information can be found here