OFSTED and schools are largely agreed on what is meant by "spiritual development" for schools though debate continues at the theoretical level on the broader question of what might be meant by a spiritual education. In this article, it is argued that cross-curricular "spiritual development" as a form of spiritual education is not inclusive, even though it purports to be so. It is further argued that alternative forms of spiritual education, put forward by educationalists, are no more inclusive because they are derived from universalist notions of spirituality. The discussion puts forward an alternative approach to spiritual education that takes up the ground between the critical realist approach of Andrew Wright and the democratic approach of Clive Erricker. It is argued that a critical democratic approach to education for spiritual development can offer inclusivity through engaging young people in a critical examination of worldviews appropriate to the pluralism to which young people are exposed and through which they can explore and develop their own spiritual identities.