Important things first (at least for me):
My new motorbike is grrrreat!
Autumn rains are feeling soggy and damp, but the sun is still emerging warmly.
Our chickens are still laying.
I’ve been silent for a few weeks, but very busy in the background. The diploma course in spiritual coaching and caregiving is successfully off the ground, being led by a great team of colleagues from the Spiritual Companions Trust. I’m in the background, leading the assessment and quality assurance process.
There is also a substantial piece of good news. Two decades ago I started contemplating how a person-centred approach to spiritual wellbeing could be incorporated into schools, to support the children, staff, parents and wider community. Our approach in the Spiritual Companions Trust has proven over the last decade to work well for adults. Could it help children and their schools? How can we integrate our approach into the system?
First, a reminder of our approach.
We always start with an enquiry and build on people’s prior experience. We ask these questions:
- In what circumstances do you most easily connect with the wonder and energy of life?
- How would you describe your experience?
- What is your favourite name for it – God, Goddess, Spirit, Allah, Source, Mystery . . .?
We then show our students the substantial evidence for the health and wellbeing benefits of spirituality. We explain the physiology and psychology of how these benefits are achieved, and we then coach the students in the universal practices that can deepen their experience and amplify the benefits – embodiment, somatic awareness, compassionate witnessing, emptying, and so on.
Over the years, developing and teaching this approach, as I wrote above, I pondered how this could be integrated into schools, possibly through the Religious Education (RE) or Personal & Social Health Education (PSHE) curricula.
Fast forward to a few months ago when I was contacted by Lady Hohn, wife of Sir Chris Hohn, asking whether I might collaborate on a mystery school educational project. I replied Yes, but a few weeks later when I was talking with Vanessa Jeffery, their project director, I had an intuitive nudge. Out of the blue, I asked Vanessa whether they might be interested in a project around schools’ spiritual wellbeing and curriculum development. There was an immediate response of Yes. I seemed to be falling through an open door.
The next stage in this process was to develop a spiritual wellbeing CPD offer for teachers and develop relevant resources. The big issue, however, was how we would be able to get teachers out of their schools for a day’s training. Individual teachers needed to want to come and their school heads needed to give them permission, plus be able to employ a supply replacement teacher. Working with Amy Morrison, our project manage at Spiritual Companions who has had previous experience with two substantial UK charities, the RSPB and Rethink Mental Illness, we began to research possible partners in the education world. It was obvious, however, that we needed advice on the best strategy.
Someone I knew came into my mind – Ed Gregory. We sit together on the board of trustees for Glastonbury Abbey (I live in Glastonbury) and he is a hugely experienced and relevant educator, now leading the education department of the Diocese of Bath & Wells and was a head teacher for thirty years. Ed and I had never hung out together, but I always found his presence useful and calming. So I emailed asking whether he and I could have a word at the annual trustees away-day. He said Yes and I suggested we might take a few minutes at lunch, where I would explain my problem and he might have some advice. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with this, the Church of England has 4,360 schools under its wing, and has a genuine ethos of inclusivity and compassionate care.)
At that lunch, before I had hardly said anything, Ed said he has hoping I might be able to help him and the diocese with some CPD for their schools! Within less than a minute, sitting at a table by a window looking across the beautiful grounds of Glastonbury Abbey, we were discussing a spiritual wellbeing CPD day for school staff. Within another few minutes, I was scheduled to speak for 40 minutes at a meeting of heads and senior educators, including Ofsted inspectors, working in the Southwest.
I then had several meetings with Ed and his colleague, Louise Jenkins (also a teacher), and we developed a plan for how and when we could move forward. We agreed that our CPD day be divided into two parts. In the first two thirds of the day participants would personally experience the approach and be taught some of the strategies. In the last third of the day, we would harvest their thoughts, insights and feedback on how this approach might best be integrated into schools — classrooms, special needs, staff, governance, curriculum, parents and the wider community. We would then build on this, running further CPD days, developing resources and strategies.
So, a few weeks ago I put on a smart shirt and suit (!), and delivered that presentation on a person-centred approach to spiritual wellbeing, ending with a request for support in delivering the CPD.
My heart is still moved by the fact that these senior and very grounded people in the teaching profession all liked our approach. They thought it useful and relevant. It spoke to them. They wanted to support it and they wanted personally to attend. In fact, they suggested that ideally each school would send a head teacher and a classroom teacher.
Our first CPD day in the Schools Spiritual Wellbeing project is now scheduled for early January and others are being planned. The generous support of Kylie Hohn and the LightEn foundation has ensured that schools can meet the costs of supply teacher cover, that we can develop resources and an ongoing appraisal, and as my daughter, who is herself a teacher, insisted, that all the teachers on the CPD day be valued and cared for with a cooked organic hot lunch!
In a future eLetter/blog I will let you all know how it goes. In particular, we will learn from the first CPD day and its feedback whether we have a project that can integrate into schools’ systems and cultures. Our intentions are, I believe, impeccable but there needs to be a grounded reality check on whether it is actually useful and whether the time is right. Watch this space. I’ll keep you informed.
Right now, it feels blessed.
*
If you are connected to a school and want to be involved, please email Amy – amy@spiritualcompanions.org
If you want to financially support the project, you can donate here: https://spiritualcompanions.org/donate/
If you want to give a substantial donation, then please contact me directly william@williambloom.com
This is FANTASTIC news!!! How beautifully you listened to your own intuition and took steps, for this all to fall into place. Wishing you all good things and blessed success; I just know this will take off!
What a wonderful idea! Soi many children struggling with mental health as well as SEN needs, the spiritual approach is so worthwhile, Good luck and best wishes
Well done William , obviously it’s the right project at the right time…May the Force be with you all in this timely and much needed idea.
Hurrah! Great stuff! So very much part of what Peaceful Schools is about!
http://Www.peaceful Schools.org.uk
and
http://Www.thepeacebuilding.org.uk
I just wanted to share a story that came to mind immediately when I read your interesting blog. I was helping with the music at my local primary school in Wales (for free) leading up to an Eisteddfod (Wales’ festival of music and poetry). I overslept and woke up 3 mins before I was due to start ….a 3 minute drive away!!
I threw my clothes on, brushed my teeth and raced down there.
I offered my apologies to the teacher and said I would start the rehearsal. The children raced towards me, “Hi Aunty Mandy,” they all said joyfully…..and loudly! My niece was at the school and they had heard her calling me Aunty Mandy.
I just thought, no way can I deal with this now. I asked the teacher if it was alright if I did some quiet warm up exercises with our minds. Trying to find something that didn’t sound like meditation!
Phew, I couldn’t believe it. They all sat quietly on the floor and off I went with a guided meditation. “We’re going to have a story now with our eyes closed.” Half way through, I said there was a dear friend there waiting to share something or they could ask them a question. The stories that unfolded afterwards were tear jerking and deeply moving.
“I’m going to say sorry for being nasty to Simon.”
“I’m going to help my mother more in the morning before school.”
“I saw my grandmother who told me it was OK to smile.” This pupil had recently lost her grandmother.
Afterwards, the teacher said to me, “I don’t know how much you charge but I’m going to pay you double. They have never been this quiet for this long!”
And the creme de la absolute creme of this story is at the Eisteddfod we did some grounding exercises (feet feeling into wet sand). All the children were calm and quiet……AND we came 2nd out of 4 choirs. All with 15-20 members and we had 7. I was so proud of them. A little silence really goes a long way.
Thank you William for witnessing something that still remains vividly in my heart 20 years on.
Hi William
This project is just GREAT. and the way it has developed gives it a “meant to be” feeling, under the care of angels. May it proceed everso smoothly. I am delighted that our great grandchildren look like benefitting from a more wholesome approach to life when they get into school – too late for grandchildren.
Glad you are enjoying your byke – but take care !
Our chickens are laying too – almost one a day each.
Yes, we are still here, well into our nineties but getting more dilapidated.
With love Ann
I was only speaking with friends about this yesterday- one has a daughter in law who just gave up teaching because the challenges in pupils’ behaviour management were leaving no room for teaching her subject. We puzzled over how the trend could be changed and today I read this William – serendipity at work. As others have commented it feels exactly the right time and the right approach. I am only too happy to support the project. Thank you 😊
I’m a retired teacher with 30 years experience in the Florida public schools here in the states, and I absolutely love your ideas and the energy that this plan is taking on. Oh it’s going to happen! We are about a decade behind you over here, but I see my own grandchildren wanting to be more aware of the metaphysical world and to add meaning to their lives by conscious and personalized spiritual development. These kids are ready. Thank you for designing a program to reach the young ones on a larger scale than in their grandmothers’ kitchens.
As a blessed Grandma with four young grandchildren I worry about what the future holds for them especially if I am not here to support them. So it really lifted my spirits to read about your plans. I really hope the time is right !!
Thanks very much William
Wonderful news!
A great ‘toe in the door’
Humanity needs this to know itself!
Blessing to all x
Fabulous! Inner smile for teachers and pupils 🙌
Sounds great William ; wishing you all the best /.. it maybe of interest that Heart math is taking off here in North America in the fields of mental health ;education ; nursing and first responders ;especially in the wake of the recent hurricanes where people have lost loved ones and their homes
This is fantastic, I work in two primary schools in Kent based from a charity called School Home Support As a practitioner.
I attend some inset days that are relevant to what I do which is mostly vulnerable children and their families.
I think a lot of school staff would be interested and possible training could be given on inset days.
Are you doing any train the trainers courses ? If so, I would like some information 😊🙏🏼
Thanks for asking, Marina. For certain, if this project gets off the ground, we will be initiating train the trainers. But nothing planned right now.
This is great news and hopefully can extend beyond the southwest. It might be useful to integrate with work on relating to nature
Quite simply, what hope this project inspires
and with it, a full breath that I didn’t know I was holding
I will follow progress with deep interest and gratitude
Well done, and the timing is so ripe/right!
Im very moved and inspired by this CPD project that you and others are developing after years of careful reflection.
Bringing these grounded spiritual practices into schools will be fantastic for pupils and staff
Thank you William
William
You are wonderful as ever!!
Love your blogs. What a great initiative this is.