How I… Make sure my classroom is a safe space for spiritual development

In many ways, embarking on spiritual development involves ‘risking on purpose’. For many pupils there can be a stepping out of the safety of family beliefs and into exploring their own beliefs and worldview. Pupils become aware of the things that influence what they think, feel and believe and begin to recognise the lenses through which they view the world. It can be a moment of vulnerability and uncertainty where changes to spiritual schema can at times feel unsettling as what they think and believe changes.

David Smith, in his book ‘Making Sense of Spiritual Development’[1], rightly encourages us to acknowledge the darker side of spirituality with pupils, addressing how at times spiritual growth and motivations, coupled with our free will, can lead to outcomes that are less than desirable for society (such as using our creativity for evil or fulfilling a sense of belonging but through joining a cult or Neo-Nazi group).  Being open and honest towards the potential downsides of spirituality is important but must obviously be handled sensitively, with knowledge of pupils, their lived experiences and potential vulnerabilities at the forefront.

With regards to spiritual intimacy, Rebecca Nye says “The central factor is probably ‘feeling safe’, a feeling that it is okay to come closer, to surrender to something greater, than my conceptual (distancing) handle on things.” Nye believes spirituality thrives on intimacy- coming closer, delving deeper, taking risks and pursuing passions. It is ultimately a coming closer to yourself, others, the world and the concept of God or ‘Beyond’. Pupils need to feel safe and supported to be able to explore that ‘coming closer’ with a sense of authenticity and lasting value and adults should be aware of the potential of both sides of spiritual development at play in the classroom.

It is clear that spiritual development can, and should, only be undertaken with pupils within a safe and nurturing environment where there are strong, positive relationships between adults and children/young people and wider discussion and engagement amongst peers is well-facilitated to allow for respectful, positive interactions and the freedom for conflicting and contrasting views and beliefs to be expressed and explored. A community of enquiry and a culture of questioning will help to nurture safe spaces for spiritual development in any areas of the curriculum. Safe spiritual spaces, for both teachers and pupils, will maximise the positive effects of spiritual development whilst realistically confronting the potential negatives and exploring how best to help pupils to overcome these when they occur. Some strategies for nurturing ‘spiritual safety’ and supporting ‘risking on purpose’ with regards to spiritual growth might include:

• Embracing a worldviews approach to teaching RE so that everyone in the room feels seen and validated
• Nurturing a questioning culture in the classroom rather than a place for definitive answers
• Allowing for and actively encouraging the asking of ‘Big’ or ‘Ultimate’ questions about God, faith, life and the world.
• Resisting presenting matters of faith as definitive answers but instead allowing time for pupils to puzzle it out, question what they have previously believed and thought, challenging their own and other people’s spiritual convictions peacefully and respectfully and with a sense of curiosity. Creating a community of enquiry that extends to spiritual development itself.
• Embracing the concept of undoing and unlearning, so that spiritual development is also seen as a taking away, an adapting and a reducing, as well as a cumulative, additional process.
• Use of ‘silent debate’ to introduce pupils towards the art of sharing and reflecting honestly before whole class discussions are embarked upon.
• A class charter drawn up to capture the class’s agreement on how each member of the group/class should be respected and listened to when discussing matters of spiritual significance.
• Building in times for listening and making the connection between spiritual growth and vocation for pupils.
• Training for school staff on how to manage difficult conversations.
• Allowing time for private reflection which won’t be shared with anyone else. Journals and prayer/reflection spaces can support this.
• Embracing the two core statements of the ‘protective behaviours’ approach to safeguarding within a spiritual context:

 – We all have the right to feel safe all the time

 – We can talk with someone about anything, even if it feels awful or small

• Developing a ‘network hand’ of trusted adults pupils can turn to specifically with regards to spiritual growth.
• Planning for safe spiritual spaces in the physical environment of the school.

[1] David Smith, Making Sense of Spiritual Development, The Stapleford Centre, 1999