A sense of belonging: Spiritual development in christian-ethos secondary schools

Abstract

How does a sense of belonging to a Christian community contribute to the spiritual development of pupils? Drawing on data generated by the Ten Leading Schools research project (a collaboration between Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Warwick), this chapter explores the ways in which pupils and staff identified a sense of belonging to a Christian community. It considers why these aspects were perceived to contribute to students’ spiritual development, and how the school established and sustained this sense of belonging to a Christian community. The chapter concludes with a reflection on the potential implications of these findings.