You might think prayer and schools don’t really go together. But you would be surprised how it can be accepted and attractive to students and staff. Many schools will allow a time of reflection, or maybe say the Lord’s Prayer in assembly, but a prayer space takes this a step further.
Prayer spaces in schools are opportunities for students to be still, express hopes, dreams and fears and explore different ways of praying in ways that fit different learning styles. Students are able to stop in the middle of the busyness of the day, to express themselves through activities that are anonymous and that they aren’t going to be assessed on.
During Lent, we set up prayer spaces at Twyford CE High School and William Perkin CE High School as part of the schools’ marking of Lent, supported by local youth workers and clergy.
The space was split up in to four zones, each geared to fit with aspects of the RE/PSHE curriculum, supporting the student’s spiritual and moral development. Each zone explored a different motivation to pray: stillness, forgiveness, interceding for/reflecting on the world and reflecting on ourselves.
The prayer space allowed students to explore ways of practising prayer from broadly Christian traditions, however it was accessible for those of other faiths and none. The space allowed students to focus inwards on themselves, upwards to God and outwards to the world. Students from Years 7 and 8 came in to the spaces to think about the question, ‘Why pray?’
Staff and students embraced the prayer spaces and wanted to come back. Students expressed an enjoyment of the Bubble Zone, with its colour-fazed bubble tube and bean bags, because ‘it was quiet and I could think’. In addition, the Be Still Zone, a small pod-tent which could only fit one student at a time, was appreciated as ‘it was space to be alone’.
Students prayed for the things that were on their mind during the day-to-day: themselves, their families, friends, school work, issues in their communities and the world. They were asking some of the big questions of life, from ‘What is my purpose here on earth?’ to ‘If you are all loving, why is there suffering and poverty?’
Sally Turner, an RE Teacher at Twyford CE High School, described the space as ‘a calm and tranquil environment where individuals were able to truly reflect and consider the things that really matter. The range of activities were varied and thought provoking. It was a unique experience that could be appreciated by anyone from any faith. I loved it!’
If you are interested in running your own prayer space in a school, check out the Prayer Spaces in Schools website or come along the London day conference in October.
Susy Dand is an experienced schools worker based in West London.