DCSF Guidelines for Religious education in English schools
Non-statutory guidance for Religious education in English schools: 2010, from the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Download the guide here.
Thinking
Guidelines for religious believers visiting schools
A booklet from 2003 which may be helpful in outlining appropriate conduct from a religious visitor to a school in the UK. Developed by the Professional Council for Religious Education.
Global Perspectives in the Classroom
Through 2008 and 2009, Ruth Wills developed a series of programmes for children of Primary age under the title 'Spirituality days.' These provide the opportunity for classes to take a break from the normal timetable and to experience something of the 'spiritual.' On a typical 'Spirituality day' the children take part in activities which relate to personal and global issues and are able to make personal responses as global citizens. Time for silence and reflection is provided and children connect imagination to creativity through music, art, drama and creative writing. Space is given for children to reflect on how the experiences affect their own personal lives and the day aims to be a transformative experience.
This paper provides a theoretical reflection on the value of 'spirituality days' for the growth of children to be global citizens and for school as the place where children's spirituality is met and nurtured.
Rights, religion and poetry: Expressing the spiritual
Lat Blaylock, RE Today Adviser and NATRE Executive Member, shares about using poetry as a form of expressing the spiritual. Lat has a unique gift of helping children and young people ask the big questions in life and helping them explore their own beliefs at the same time as giving them a reference point from Christianity.
Interview with Wayne Dixon
Wayne Dixon is what you would call a veteran schools worker and all round great guy. Back in October last year I asked Wayne a few questions about how he got into doing work in schools and what's most important to him. Here's what he had to say...
Religious Studies new OCR curriculum
curriculum for GCSE short and long course RE for 2009 - http://www.ocr.org.uk/Data/publications/key_documents/GCSE_RS_B_Spec.pdf
Reality Bites course
Lillie Jenkins is the Chaplaincy Director at the Luton Churches Education Trust. Here she reviews for us the latest course available from the ever brilliant Mark Roques and Urban Saints.
Want to help your young people improve their critical thinking skills, challenge the world's standards and explore the effects of a living faith? Well, a new course from Urban Saints and Mark Roques (everyone's favourite philosopher), will soon help you to do just that.
Schoolswork compentencies
We've been working for a while on trying to figure out what skills you might need to do schoolswork....it's an incredibly varied role that can see a day start with public speaking in a school assembly and end supporting a student one to one on a complex family situation. Here's our first go (note: it's a work in progress!). We want to develop a self assessment tool so you can explore where you training and development needs might be, but in the meantime here are the 18 competencies we've come up with. Comments, additions and advice welcome.
Reality Bites part 1, a new approach to schools work
Mark Roques (storyteller, speaker, WYSOCS tutor) joins with Arthur Jones (senior WYSOCS tutor, author and teacher), to write about their belief that effective engagement with young people today must include the stories of culture-shaping Christians. It's an insightful, creative and dynamic approach to schools work, and you can read all about it and download the pdf here.