The vision of St George’s is to use the example of Jesus Christ and the good news he offers to shape a living reality for our children who have faith or none.

Spirituality is part of our whole lives and so we attempt to nurture an awareness of life that is more than what we can see and to create space, time and opportunities for this spirituality to develop in every person. We create connections between Christianity, Islam, and other faiths, and encourage questions to help our children deepen their own understanding where they do have faith and to appreciate and respect difference.

Derek Holloway suggests spiritual “Development can mean the realisation or revelation of something which is already there, but just hidden…. like an old-fashioned photograph”. 

Our aim is to see children develop a love of learning and curiosity about the world but also to learn how to love themselves and other people and for this learning to continue throughout their whole lives. We believe that the ability to see connections in everything is the key to enabling our children and adults to flourish. Our desire is for children to know that they are valued, precious and have a purpose and for our staff and our wider community to know the same. For us all to begin to understand together this is the love God has for each one of us. God’s love is unconditional, and we are challenged to think about how we respond to that.

Our scripture from 1 Corinthians 16 “Let all that you do be done in love,” has been carefully chosen for this reason and is used to guide all our behaviours.

We recognise that spirituality encompasses so many elements and the windows, mirrors and doors approach help shape our thinking and reflecting in our Collective Worship, Religious Education and across all other areas of the curriculum. Our values which shape our focus each half term, give us the opportunity to reflect and respond to new ideas as well as embed current thinking and to think differently or in a new way. ‘Windows, mirrors and doors’ allow us to see how these values influence our responses as we learn about difficult and often painful times as well as wonderful and

remarkable things, and how we can all make a difference to those around us and in the wider world.

Our decision to employ gifted, creative people to lead art and music who bring with them skills from their other spheres of work, means that children’s experiences of beauty, pleasure and joy in the creative realm has greater depth and is another signpost to the beauty and goodness of God. We cultivate our outdoor spaces to facilitate an appreciation of the wonder of creation and believe that times of joy are a window into gratitude. As children develop in their spiritual journeys, an attitude of thanksgiving is a strength and a protective factor for good mental health and positive relationships.