Spiritual Development refers to the children’s beliefs, religious or otherwise, which inform their perspective on life and their interest in and respect for different people’s feelings and values.

At Bishop John Robinson CofE Primary this is promote opportunities for spiritual development through:

• giving pupils the opportunity to explore values and beliefs, including religious beliefs and the way in which they impact on people’s lives. This is done, for example, through acts of collective worship, PSHE as part of our My Happy Mind provision planning, R.E. lessons and wider curriculum;
• giving pupils the opportunity to understand human emotions and feelings, the way they impact on people and how an understanding of them can be helpful;
• developing a climate and ethos within which all pupils can grow and flourish, respect others and be respected e.g. our AAA Club, House captains, Green Team, School Council and celebrating achievement through our weekly Thanksgiving Collective Worship;
• exploring the spiritual lives of our heroes and role models;
• accommodating difference and respecting the integrity of individuals, for example using restorative justice, safe spaces in classroom discussions, an acceptance of disagreeing well etc.

We promote teaching styles that:

• value pupil questions and give them space for their own thoughts, ideas and concerns;
• enable pupils to make connections between aspects of their learning;
• encourage pupils to relate their learning to a wider frame of reference – for example asking ‘why’, ‘how’, and ‘where’ as well as ‘what’;
• allow participation in enrichment activities and to meet with visitors to promote aspirations.

Fundamentally, it includes offering pupils the opportunity to explore their own personal faith and to be aware of their own and others' faith journeys. 

We encourage our pupils to make informed decisions about the world around them. To support pupils' understanding of religion, philosophy, ethics and morals, we promote the fundamental aspects of Religious Literacy through our RE lessons and PSHE discussions.