12 Days of a Culham St Gabriel's Christmas!

12 Days of a Culham St Gabriel’s Christmas!

22 December, 2025

As the year draws to a close, we’ve been taking a moment to look back on what has been a very full and rewarding year at Culham St Gabriel’s. Over the past twelve months, we’ve welcomed new colleagues, supported research and professional development, funded innovative projects, and created spaces for conversation, collaboration and learning across our community. Our 12 Days of Christmas is a way of sharing some of those highlights and of saying thank you to the many people, partners and communities who have made this work possible. It’s been a busy year, a challenging one at times, and a genuinely positive one to reflect on.

Day 1 of a Culham St Gabriel’s Christmas: One new team member

In August, we were delighted to welcome Jack Barton as our new Digital Operations Manager. Since joining us, Jack has brought energy, proactivity and a calm, thoughtful approach to all things digital. He’s already making a real difference behind the scenes, helping us strengthen our systems and think creatively about how we work and connect. It’s been brilliant to have Jack with us, and we’re very excited to see what the future holds!

Jack, our new Digital Operations Manager.

Find out more about Jack, and the rest of our team, here.

Day 2 of a Culham St Gabriel’s Christmas: Two Curriculum and Assessment Review updates

The publication of the interim and final reports of the Curriculum and Assessment Review represents an important and hopeful moment for Religious Education in England. The final report’s recommendation to embed RE within a new national curriculum signals a clear commitment to greater coherence, equity and educational quality. Culham St Gabriel’s welcomed this.
A national framework offers a constructive way forward. It creates the conditions for shared standards, stronger provision and a curriculum grounded in a contemporary religion and worldviews approach. Building on the National Content Standard for RE, this moment offers a real opportunity to strengthen RE so that every young person can access high-quality, meaningful learning.
At a time when our society is increasingly complex, Religious Education is more important than ever. It helps young people understand the religious and non-religious worldviews that shape public life, relationships and global events, and equips them to navigate difference with knowledge, care and critical insight. Find out more.

Day 3 of a Culham St Gabriel’s Christmas: Three Community of Practice meetings

This year, our Masters Scholarship Programme cohort has met three times as a virtual community of practice, creating space to share research, reflect on learning and explore how masters-level study is shaping professional practice. These meetings offer an important opportunity for thoughtful discussion, peer support and the sharing of ideas.

The Culham St Gabriel’s Masters Scholarship Programme supports teachers and others working in RE, RVE and RME to undertake relevant masters-level study with financial support. Looking for funding for your studies? Applications for the next cohort open in the new year, with a deadline of 23 January 2026. Find out more.

Day 4 of a Culham St Gabriel’s Christmas: Four podcast guest appearances

Over the past year, members of the Culham St Gabriel’s team have been invited as guests on a range of podcasts, sharing ideas, research and practical insight with wider education and RE audiences. Fiona Moss, our Education and Programmes Manager, and Josh Cass, our Lead Consultant for Advocacy, both appeared on the RE Podcast. Fiona explored barriers to engaging in research and reflected on the Culham St Gabriel’s Leadership Scholarship Programme, while Josh discussed Freedom of Religion or Belief and its significance within education and public life.

Fiona also joined the What Even is RME? podcast to unpack what a religion and worldviews approach looks like in real classrooms, sharing practical ideas for primary and secondary practice and highlighting how scholarship funding can support professional development.

Kathryn Wright, our CEO, will be appearing on the Flourishing Together podcast, hosted by the Diocese of St Albans Schools Team, continuing conversations about education, values and flourishing.

Day 5 of a Culham St Gabriel’s Christmas: Five Focus Weeks

Throughout the year, our Focus Weeks have provided space to explore key themes in the world of RE. Each week brought together short films, blogs, research and classroom resources, alongside In Conversation events that invited dialogue and reflection.

Our Curriculum and Assessment Review Focus Week examined the government’s review of the school curriculum in England, asking what it might mean for Religious Education and whether RE should become part of a new national curriculum. In our second Focus Week, we explored the role of oracy in RE, RVE and RME, considering how structured talk supports learning, understanding and engagement.

A Primary RE Focus Week, delivered in partnership with NATRE, asked how primary RE can provide a meaningful window on the world for pupils. Our Grants Focus Week, From Communities to Classrooms, highlighted learning from grant-funded projects and their impact in practice.

In November, we held Inter Faith Focus Week: Connecting Through Dialogue, which ran alongside Inter Faith Week. This focus week explored how dialogue across difference can deepen understanding and strengthen community connections.

Day 6 of a Culham St Gabriel’s Christmas: Six In Conversation events

Over the course of the year, we hosted six In Conversation events, creating spaces for thoughtful discussion and shared learning across the RE, RVE and RME community. Four of these events took place as part of our Focus Weeks, offering opportunities to explore key themes in more depth and to hear a range of perspectives from across the field.
Alongside these, we hosted an In Conversation event with Hazel Henson HMI, reflecting one year on from the publication of the Deep and Meaningful report. This conversation explored what Ofsted is currently focusing on and what schools and educators need to be aware of as inspection frameworks continue to develop.

Our most recent event, On the Road with the CaAR – Uniting Around a National RE Journey, revisited the themes of our Curriculum and Assessment Review Focus Week in light of the final report’s publication. With strong panel contributions and wide participation, it offered a timely space for the community to come together and reflect on the next steps for RE.

Day 7 of a Culham St Gabriel’s Christmas: Seven Religion & Worldviews Home Educators’ Fund community panel members

This year, we were grateful to work with seven community panel members as part of the Religion & Worldviews Home Educators’ Fund. The fund followed a participatory grant-making model, meaning that members of the home-educating community played a central role in shaping decisions about how funding was allocated.

Some of our community panel members at our Religion and Worldviews Home Educator’s Fund Celebration event in September.

The community panel brought insight, care and thoughtful judgement to the process, helping to ensure that funded projects genuinely responded to the needs and priorities of home educators working with religion and worldviews. Some of the panel come together in person at the Religion & Worldviews Home Educators’ Fund celebration event. The day provided a chance to celebrate the creativity, commitment and impact of the funded projects, and to recognise the shared effort that made them possible.

Day 8 of a Culham St Gabriel’s Christmas: Eight partnership grant awards

This year, we made eight partnership grant awards. These grants are about supporting shared priorities and long-term relationships, as well as helping important work to happen and grow.

This year, our partnership grant awards included funding for NATRE’s Leadership Fund, which helps strengthen teacher voice in campaigning and advocacy for religion and worldviews education. We were also pleased to support the Faith & Belief Forum, helping to fund the schools and education category of the London Dangoor Awards 2025.

In November, we attended the Dangoor Awards in London. We supported the Schools and Education category.

We also supported the Maternity Paternity Project, contributing to a coaching programme for RE teachers during and after parental leave. Together, these partnerships reflect our commitment to collaboration, care for the workforce, and recognising high-quality work across the sector. Find out more about our partnership grant awards, and the other organisations we funded here.

Day 9 of a Culham St Gabriel’s Christmas: Nine new doctoral scholars

This year, we welcomed nine new doctoral scholars to Culham St Gabriel’s Doctoral Scholarship Programme. The programme supports teachers and others working in RE, RVE and RME to undertake doctoral study at reduced cost, while exploring how research can inform and strengthen practice in schools and other educational settings. Our doctoral scholars are researching a wide range of questions that matter deeply to the field, helping to build knowledge, insight and long-term capacity in religion and worldviews education.

Applications for the next round of doctoral scholarships open in the new year, with a deadline of 23 January 2026. We encourage those interested to get in touch and find out more about the programme. Find out more about the programme and our current scholars here.

Day 10 of a Culham St Gabriel’s Christmas: Ten trustee meetings

This year, our trustees met ten times to guide and support our work at Culham St Gabriel’s. These meetings are an important part of how we ensure strong governance, thoughtful decision-making and accountability across all that we do. Our trustees bring a wide range of experience, insight and care to their role, giving their time generously and engaging deeply with the opportunities and challenges facing our field and community. We are very grateful for their commitment, wisdom and encouragement throughout the year, and for the fantastic support they provide to the staff team and to our shared mission. Find out more about our trustees here.

Day 11 of a Culham St Gabriel’s Christmas: Eleven new Leadership Scholarship Programme scholars

This year, we welcomed eleven new scholars to the first year of the Culham St Gabriel’s Leadership Scholarship Programme. The programme supports emerging leaders in RE, RVE and RME to deepen their thinking about subject leadership through mentoring, research insight, structured challenges and opportunities to connect with others across the field. This year saw a record number of applications, making selection a real challenge for the steering group. The new cohort brings a huge variety of experience, representing primary, secondary and specialist settings from Cornwall to County Durham.

Our first in-person meeting with our new Leadership scholars!

Applications for the next Leadership Scholarship Programme (2026–2028) will open on 16 January 2026, and we encourage those interested to find out more and consider applying. Find out more here.

Day 12 of a Culham St Gabriel’s Christmas: Twelve project grants

This year, we awarded twelve project grants to support new, innovative and impactful work in religion and worldviews education. Our project grants range from small seed-funded ideas to larger initiatives, all aligned with Culham St Gabriel’s vision and strategic objectives. Through three grant rounds each year, we aim to support work that strengthens understanding of religion and worldviews, influences policy, empowers teachers and leaders, and encourages collaboration across the sector.

Our 2025–26 focus areas include SEND, the use of artificial intelligence, supporting teachers who teach religion and worldviews alongside other specialisms, and increasing support for educators from under-represented backgrounds. Find out about applying here.

This year’s grants were awarded to a range of organisations, including Bangor University, the Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre and the Religion and Media Centre. Together, these projects contribute to a richer, more inclusive and forward-looking religion and worldviews education landscape. Find out more about grant-funded projects here.