Prayer spaces in schools offer children and young people the opportunity to explore questions about life and faith in a safe, creative and interactive way. These dedicated areas provide a place where they can engage in quiet reflection and use practical hands-on activities to explore their thoughts and feelings.
Prayer spaces are often a classroom sized area that are transformed for a few days or a week with a range of creative activities to prompt thoughts on issues such as forgiveness, injustice, thankfulness, identity and some of the big questions in life and events taking place in the world. They are often set up during special times of the year such as Remembrance, Easter or Christmas.
Recently the Diocesan Education Team ran an after-school training session to help anyone who was interested in running a prayer space in their school or church. Participants had the chance to experience some prayer space activities and share experiences with others.
Oakley Church of England Juniors near Basingstoke began using a prayer space around 7 years ago and runs one for a week each term.
The school library is transformed into a prayer space with a big silk tent and activities to help focus the children’s attention. Each class has two sessions in the space and it’s also available during break times. The school works alongside a team from St Leonards Church in Oakley, with a group getting together to plan activities and help run it during the week.
Naomi Sworder is the school’s RE lead, and says that the prayer space has become a big part of school life. “We tend to have an activity that makes the pupils think about our local community so, during the prayer space this Easter we will write cards to members of the community including our care home Oak Lodge. Our November prayer space is Remembrance based, and the theme of the summer one is ‘looking back, looking forward’, reflecting on what they’ve done this year and looking ahead to the following year.”
The children always make something to take home including badges, key rings or a bracelet with the words ‘forever rely on God’. These enable parents to feel part of the event and open up opportunities for conversation at home.
Naomi continued, “We also have activities to help for them to say sorry which is important for them to learn. It might be writing ‘sorry’ in some sand and then wiping it away, so they don’t need to worry about it anymore. They love that, as the burden has gone, and they often feel physically lifted by that.
“Our school is predominantly Christian, but there are other faiths and none. We’ve never had anyone not want to be part of the prayer space or not allowed to be part of it so that’s good. It’s invaluable, not only spiritually but for the well-being and mental health of children. Often children are taken from school to clubs, to bath time, to bedtime and they don’t always have time to just relax and they love the feeling, the peace and the calm within the prayer space.”
Over recent years the idea of prayer spaces has grown, with more schools introducing them as a regular feature. Within the diocese, over half the Church of England schools now incorporate prayer spaces into their spiritual and pastoral life as an important part of school activities, lessons and worship. Many churches are also setting up their own prayer spaces.
Sue Bowen, Diocesan Education Adviser, said, “Prayer spaces are increasingly important. They give children in the schools and in the parishes and the churches an opportunity to get in touch with, what can be quite difficult conversations sometimes. We use them to celebrate Christian festivities such as Easter, but they can also be used for bereavement purposes in schools, times where difficult things are happening in the world and dealing with life in general. They are safe spaces for children to reflect and if they want to, to talk to God. They are not solely Christian. They are inclusive which is important, so they are for children of all faiths and none.”
The activities within a prayer space are designed to be simple, practical and hands-on. Some of the examples include modelling playdough to represent something you have done wrong and to say sorry by screwing it up into a ball. Eating a love heart sweet as you pray to give thanks for someone you love.
Naomi Sworder added, “We put the prayer space up on a Friday for the following week and on the Friday afternoon, the buzz goes round that it’s going to be prayer space again and that’s amazing. I definitely feel it brings them closer to God. You’ll see that in the comments afterwards. They’ll write I felt really relaxed. I felt closer to God. I felt that I could ask God to help me. It’s important for their faith and their spiritual well-being that he is there.”
The comments from pupils at Oakley Junior reflect that:
“I like the peaceful music because you feel calm and all your worries float away.”
“I really liked that there was a space to be with God. Thank you. I hope we can do it again to be with God and share what we think with him.”
“When I go into the prayer space, it’s the best place ever. It’s the only place where I feel like I can be myself and calm and the people who help are very kind.”
The Diocesan Education team are keen to encourage the use of prayer spaces in churches as well as schools and the community too. Members of the clergy also attended the workshop. The diocese has a range of prayer space resources which can be lent out to schools or churches to get them started on the prayer space journey.
Jane Kelly, RE Lead for the diocese, said, “It’s good to bring people together to share ideas and share good practice and to give teachers and church leaders a chance to try out some of the activities and to see for themselves. I think prayer spaces open up a whole different area for children to grow in and opportunities to ask big questions, to be reflective to be still and to be quiet. For some of them, home is a very noisy, chaotic place, so it gives opportunities to slow down a little bit”.
