Spirituality at Long Bennington Church of England Academy

In keeping with our school vision which speaks about the need to find joy in all that we do, spirituality at Long Bennington C of E Academy is that sense of wholeness of being that connects us as individuals with God, the wider world, and the people around us.

We:

• Look out: to see the ‘Wows, Ows and Nows’ of life. As we learn, we begin to appreciate the bigger things in life and this causes us to ask big questions about it all, marvelling at the wonders and complexities of life.
• Look in: to see the ‘Gains and Pains’ of growing as individuals. As we love and bring kindness to all that we do, we recognise the joys and sorrows that this opens us up to, but that are necessary for our growth as human beings.
• Look around: to make sure we live in the ‘Now’.  As we live in a community, we learn how connected we all are, to care about the needs of others and to share what we can to give and receive hope, healing, and strength from one another.
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We see these intangible things appearing in very practical ways. For example, to:

• Be guided by their beliefs and values and be willing to take a stand to defend them.
• Be self-aware and empathise with the experience of others in the school and the wider community.
• Love themselves, care for themselves, believe in their potential to achieve, and find inner strength and resilience when facing challenges.
• Exercise imagination and creativity, appreciate beauty in the world and be alive to experiences of awe and wonder.
• Be comfortable with stillness and silence and open to engage in reflection/meditation /prayer
• Be ready to say sorry when mistakes are made, to forgive others and themselves
• Be willing to take risks and to reflect, learn and grow following experiences of failures as well as success
• Demonstrate curiosity and open-mindedness when exploring life’s big questions
• Appreciate and be thankful for what is good in life, like family and friends, and show generosity towards others.