In defence of the concept of ‘spiritual education’: a reply to Roger Marples

Abstract

In a paper published in Volume 11, no. 2, of this journal, Roger Marples argued that the term ‘spiritual education’ is at most superfluous and at worst entirely meaningless. He suggested that the use of the term is unhelpful and will continue to be so unless and until we can identify some body of spiritual knowledge and understanding, linked to experience, which is distinct from, and in some sense ‘beyond’, those of moral, aesthetic and other forms of experience.

This paper critique's Marples's thesis. It examines his ploy of admitting only certain forms of knowledge and understanding, and of privileging certain languages, when determining the rules of engagement with the concept of ‘the spiritual’. It is further argued that to require some empirical evidence in the form of personal experience before the words ‘spiritual’ and ‘spiritual education’ can be meaningful is fundamentally misguided. In conclusion, it is suggested that a willingness to embrace the spiritual as concept, experience and awareness is essential to the education of the child as a whole person.

Keywords:

• spirituality
• spiritual development
• spiritual education
• SMSC

Acknowledgements

Earlier versions of this paper have been presented at the Roehampton Education Research Conference at Roehampton University on 14 December 2006; a symposium at the Centre for Research in Beliefs, Rights and Values in Education, Roehampton University on 15 March 2007; the international conference, Affective Education in Action, Cukurova University, Turkey, 29 June 2007; the European Conference on Educational Research, University of Ghent, 19 September 2007; and the annual conference of the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain, at New College, Oxford, 29 March 2008. This version has been revised in the light of the helpful comments received from those in attendance on those occasions.

Notes

1. Ofsted is the government body responsible for the inspection of schools in England and Wales. Schools which are found, on inspection, not to be delivering an effective education through the National Curriculum, or not offering a curriculum which achieves the aims set out in the Education Acts and related statutory requirements, may be ‘put on special measures’ until the necessary improvements are made. Schools which do not achieve the necessary improvements may be closed, replaced by new schools or merged with more successful schools.

2. The QCA is the wing of government responsible for the school curriculum and especially for those programmes of study which are statutory requirements of all state schools (the National Curriculum).