SPIRITUALITY @BUGSUT

What is Spirituality? Our Statement:

Spirituality is the opening of your heart and mind; it is the personal development of the voice within us. It is the opportunity to pause, think, reflect and develop into the person you want to be now, and in the future, so you can ‘follow your pathway and grow with confidence’.

• At Bugthorpe and Sutton upon Derwent C of E Federation, we use the ‘windows, mirrors and doors’ approach to Spirituality.
• Windows – we look out to the world and experience and appreciate the awe and wonder of God’s creations. This links to the ‘Learning’ section in our Collective Worship.
• Mirrors – we self-reflect. We consider, and are exposed to, questions which make us think. (supported by our enquiry-based broad curriculum) This links to the ‘Reflecting’ section in our Collective Worship.
• Doors – We open the door and go out and ‘do’. We ‘speak out’ with confidence, for what we believe in. We ‘step out’ to make a difference in the world. We are ‘agents of change’ and develop our courageous advocacy. We consider how we develop ourselves so we can be the best version of our being; supporting pupils’ spiritual development through meaningful thinking and growth. We enhance pupil opinions and discussions by utilizing Picture News in Collective
Worship each week. This links to the ‘Responding’ section in our Collective Worship.

School Development Plan:

• Continue to embed our spirituality work, with a key focus on encourage our pupils to be ‘agents of change’ who ‘speak out with courage’. Linked to ‘doors’, provide them with opportunities in the curriculum to stand up for what they believe in and challenge injustice. Embed our ‘windows, mirrors and doors’ across the curriculum; this is so that pupils more naturally reflect upon all aspects of their learning.

You can view our policy here.

Our Courageous Advocacy – Speaking out with Courage (linked to Doors - Spirituality)

• @Bugthorpe child – Litter Club and litter in the village due to cars throwing out of windows. Written to Parish Council.
• @Bugthorpe child – researched sauce sachets and campaigned for school to move to larger bottles of ketchup with school dinners.
• Eco Warriors – Blue recycling bins contract set up in September 2023 so we recycle plastics and paper across the Federation.
• Eco Warriors – Food Policy – children working on a food policy to tackle packed lunches. 
• @Bugthorpe child – Bees – planted lavender and wild flower meadow is being created down the right-hand side of the field.
• Eco Warriors – Eco Schools – Solar panels were approved by Governors October 2023 and installed in Easter 2024 at both schools.
• @Sutton child - Raising awareness for children with hearing aids in school; Reading Dog, Biscuit, visits both schools and we support Hearing Dogs for the Deaf.