The new year 7 pupils at Abbey Grange Academy have spent a morning at Leeds Minster exploring spirituality.
The session was organised to help the pupils consider what faith means to them and to understand the nature of a Church of England secondary school.
School Chaplain, Kay Brown says, “We had different activities to help the students explore their own spirituality, and it was also a good induction into what it means to be part of a Christian school – a way of letting them see from the outset that the school has a distinctive ethos”.
The activities included making a figure out of playdough to represent something they’re thankful for, writing down something they were sorry for and then shredding it (to represent forgiveness) and writing down something they were worried about on a post-it note and placing it on a cross.
The students took photos on their iPads and also made a record of what struck them as part of a reflection journal that they’ll keep throughout the year.
Kay adds, “The students really engaged with the activities and discovered new things about themselves and their spiritual identity. It was a great way of helping them to develop 'the space within' as a place of spirituality as they begin their journey at Abbey Grange”.
Some of the comments from the students were:
“I liked putting something bad I’d done in the shredder. It made me think that it’s really gone and forgotten about” . . . “I’m worried about being bullied at the school – it helped a bit to write it down” . . . “I remember the lady who said God does listen and answer our prayers, even if the answer takes a long time to come”.