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The video opens with a 12-year-old Muslim girl named Zara sitting at her desk in her bedroom, looking thoughtful as she writes in her diary. Zara’s opening lines are, “we all see the world through a different lens and this is how I see the world through my lens…”

Zara starts by explaining that as a Muslim girl, she sees the world as a place full of diversity, where people come from different backgrounds and cultures. She believes that diversity is what makes the world beautiful and interesting, and that everyone should be respected and valued for who they are.

However, Zara also acknowledges that the world can be a tough place for Muslims, especially in the current political climate. She talks about how she sometimes feels scared or unwelcome in certain places because of her religion, and how it can be hard to navigate these situations as a young person.

Despite these challenges, Zara remains hopeful and determined to make a positive impact on the world. She talks about how she volunteers at charity events including open hands, where she helps with community outreach. She also shares her love for learning and playing tennis.

The video ends with Zara closing her diary and looking out the window, as the camera zooms out to show the diversity of her neighbourhood and the world beyond. Zara’s voiceover reminds us that while the world may have its challenges, it is also full of beauty and potential, and that it is up to each of us to make a difference in our own way.

Voice over:

She video opens with a 12-year-old Muslim girl named Zara sitting at her desk in her bedroom, looking thoughtful as she writes in her diary.

Zara’s voiceover begins, “Dear diary, today has been an interesting day. I’ve been thinking a lot about the world and how it works. It’s a complex place, full of different cultures, religions, and people.” Zara’s opening lines are, “we all see the world through a different lens and this is how I see the world through my lens…”

As Zara speaks, the camera shows images of people from all over the world, engaging in various activities.

Zara continues, “As a Muslim girl, I sometimes feel like I’m on the outside looking in. People don’t always understand my culture or my religion. But that doesn’t mean I don’t belong. I have friends from different backgrounds who accept me for who I am, and that means a lot.”

The camera shows Zara’s friends playing together in the park, laughing and having fun.

Zara’s voiceover continues, “I think it’s important to celebrate our differences and embrace diversity. We can learn so much from each other if we take the time to listen and understand.”

“We are lucky to live in such a diverse city as 59% of Leicester population come from minority ethnic backgrounds”

The camera shows Zara’s family sitting around the dinner table, enjoying a meal together and sharing stories.

Zara says, “My family and I practice our religion by praying, fasting, and helping others in need. It gives us a sense of purpose and a connection to something greater than ourselves.”

The camera shows Zara and her family volunteering at a local food bank, handing out meals to people in need. During these visits Zara asked people of different faiths about how they view the world and how they envisage the world would look like in fifty years in relation to religion?

Whilst I was at Opens Hands I met a nun, sister Beverly. She says, “That I love that here in Leicester that there are so many people of faith and many different ones.” She finishes off by saying, “ I love it!” Next I went to speak to Ramila. Ramila says, “ Leicester is so diverse, it tries to factor in all religions and, even students are learning about different religions in school. Look how far religion has come. In fifty years’ time I believe religion will change even more; no set religions, more awareness, new faiths.”

Zara concludes, “The world can be a challenging place, but it’s also full of beauty and hope. I believe that by working together and treating each other with kindness and respect, we can create a brighter future for all of us.”

The camera shows Zara closing her diary and looking out the window, as the sun sets in the distance. The video fades to black as Zara’s voiceover reminds us to always look for the good in the world and to strive to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

“Kind” said the boy.
From the book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, by Charlie Mackey.

Isla and Millie take us on journey through time in Lichfield.

My RE career began in 1973-4 taking a PGCE at the London Institute of Education. My only experience of RE were my very varied lessons at school! I became intensely interested in the study of religion, gaining a London BD, or a Bachelor of Divinity, in 1969. Although my career eventually took me to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), now abolished, my best experiences in RE were seeing young people engage with the study of religion and becoming stimulated by it in terms of their own development.

I became acquainted with Culham and St Gabriel’s, two Anglican trusts established when church training colleges closed with the enlargement of state education. These trusts devoted funding to the development of Religious Education in schools. I cooperated on some projects with these trusts. When I left QCA in 2003 I was invited to join both of them. Later on, I chaired the Committee that negotiated their merger, creating the Culham St Gabriel’s Trust. I became Chair in 2018 when the renowned Dr Priscilla Chadwick retired. It was very satisfying to see how Culham St Gabriel’s makes a real difference by using its funds to support individuals and organisations.

In 2004 I became a consultant at the Department for Children Schools and Families (Department for Education today). I oversaw the development of the Non-Statutory National Framework for RE and established a partnership between the DSCF and the RE Council (REC). This greatly increased the REC’s status and available resources, securing a national “£1m” RE Action Plan from 2005-10.

In 2010 the arrival of Michael Gove as Secretary of State changed everything. I was retired from Department of Education work, having been awarded my OBE, and became Chair of the REC in 2011. I attempted to continue the same partnership with the Department for Education, but faced significant challenges. RE was neglected by the DfE and this damaged the subject. An increasing academisation agenda, the instigation of the EBacc, examination and National Curriculum changes have had a negative effect on RE’s provision and status. The fragmentary nature of RE provision, patchy professional support for teachers and inconsistent classroom practice continue as challenges today.

Despite this, in 2013 I published the REC’s Review of RE, with a foreword by Michael Gove. This enabled developments in RE, for example, the evolution of regional RE hubs, an RE Policy Unit at the REC, and the report of the Commission on RE. Educational provision in England has changed radically for people like me brought up under the 1944 settlement and the national support for RE by the QCA. There has been a clear RE decline in many schools since 2010, especially those not of a religious character. The diverse and variable provision now in existence, within which RE tries to thrive, is harder to engage with and manage, so I fear for RE provision and teachers in the short term. But have no doubt that the study of religion and worldviews will survive because of its intrinsic value. I just hope that in the next half century the REC will be successful in reforming the structure of RE, in articulating the subject in ways that the public, media and government positively value, and in supporting it with sufficient training and resources. If the REC cannot bring this about, I am not sure who can!

I have always seen change as part of growing and developing and this year certainly involves change. I am getting married, turning 30, buying my first house and moving the length of the country. With this move comes a professional change. After eight years in the same school I have taken on the role of Head of RE and Personal Development in a new setting. As well as trepidation there is an overwhelming sense of excitement at the opportunity to drive change.

I will be documenting my successes, failures and lessons learnt as I grow and develop a Religion and Worldviews department in a new setting.

In my previous school we had 6 specialist teachers, compulsory, universal GCSE RS and a pupil attitude that was overwhelmingly positive. In contrast, in my new school, there is one specialist and RE has been taught in conjunction with PSHE and there has been a struggle for GCSE uptake in the subject. Religion and Worldviews is in a position where it needs further identity and drive in its own right. There is however a strong appetite on SLTs part to give the department scope for growing in profile and impact, an essential ingredient.

The key to my new role is vision. What is my vision for Religion and Worldviews in this school? and what vision does the school have for the subject? Without being able to answer these questions I would be setting myself and the department up for failure. While there is a much wider debate about the aims of Religion and Worldviews, the very basic principles that I am working around are:

• Designing a Religion and Worldviews curriculum that is relevant to the pupils I am teaching.
• Planning a curriculum that challenges pupils’ own views and gives them opportunities to explore a wide variety of religious and non-religious worldviews.
• Developing pupil’s religious literacy, critical thinking skills, reading and writing skills.

This role is so exciting due to the autonomy given by the school to drive change in the subject. The school envisions Religion and Worldviews as subject in its own right, detached from PSHE. As of September we will be moving towards this vision with a designated hour for Religion and Worldviews on the timetable. We are an Academy so I have the freedom to bring some creative curriculum design into play, in order to excite, challenge and enthuse pupils.

At this early stage I can see my biggest challenge will be changing pupil’s negative attitudes; the most common comment is that RE is boring and/ or pointless. Therefore as well as high quality teaching and learning, branding and marketing is vital. The name will change to PRE (philosophy, religion and ethics) as part of this essential re-brand.

This term I will be refining and further developing my vision, ready for a September launch. Key factors will be early ‘quick wins’ to generate enthusiasm in the classroom. A test of my curriculum design will be interest in taking the subject for GCSE. However my priority is building relationships with pupils and learning what inspires and drives them.

I would be delighted to hear from and engage with other teachers and leaders as I document my journey.
Contact me on twitter – @AdamHoldsworth1

For some time, I have been interested developing a Religion and Worldviews approach in our curriculum. There is so much that our pupils would respond to, such as the idea of starting with people, not abstract concepts. I know teachers would enjoy looking through different lenses, such as Theology one week, and History another week, and maybe we would introduce children to using the language of ‘disciplinary lenses’ as children love using ‘big words’ and technical vocabulary, alongside age appropriate and more familiar explanations. I am interested in a Religion and Worldviews approach as it offers an authentic view of religious and non-religious lives around the world. Such a curriculum would provide our pupils with the knowledge that the world is a richly diverse community. In this blog I will discuss the elements of our curriculum that can be developed and adapted as we build, slowly, towards a Religion and Worldviews approach.

Pupils have commented that they want to learn about diversity in the world. They have also expressed enthusiasm to make links with other subjects as they learn. A Year 1 pupil showed me how they had linked their learning in RE to Science and History for themselves, and this got me thinking. Perhaps pupils get the impression that RE is stuck in the past. A curriculum approach which starts with people, rather than ancient texts, can embrace contemporary lives and issues.

We already explore diversity, such as the reasons for different baptism traditions, why Orthodox and Reform Jewish groups might have different synagogues and why some Sikhs wear a turban while others do not. Through these differences we explore the idea of diversity generally in human life, including in our school community. Pupils and teachers enjoy these learning experiences so we are starting from a positive point.

We already ask ‘Big Questions’ in every lesson. This established approach means we could ask different sorts of questions about different sorts of knowledge. Where we might ask a rather abstract philosophical question in our current curriculum, following a worldviews approach we could start with people and explore their context, whether geographically or socially, and ask a Big Question about this. We could take a hermeneutical approach and explore different interpretations. Sticking to the Big Questions approach means that although the subject knowledge has changed, the method has not, so teachers will feel secure in their skills. Teachers might find they can explore issues in more depth, make more links and connections and find their own subject knowledge deepening.

The idea of looking through different lenses could also be fruitful. We might use a word like ‘wondering’ to describe thinking philosophically in KS1, to make it accessible for those who find ‘big words’ challenging. At KS2 pupils will enjoy the richer connections to be made when exploring the world through Theology, Philosophy and Social Sciences. The different lenses mean teachers have particular questions to ask, such as about the past, places, people or beliefs, and can take children further into one mode of thinking.

There will no doubt be some anxiety about the change to Religion and Worldviews. Ideas have to be introduced to staff slowly and the reasons for the change made clearly. We can explore together the benefits for pupils’ learning and understanding. Staff need to look at examples, which I will provide. We can trial one unit and feedback, and work together to create quality resources so colleagues do not feel the workload is overwhelming.

I will report back. Watch this space!

Creative Perpetuation

This final blog of the series is a patchwork affair. I want to conclude with a tapestry of the creative ways people have engaged with theological ideas over the centuries.

Recitation features in several religious traditions; where the melody, emphasis and pronunciation of the words combines with meaning to communicate rich, nuanced ideas. This is true of the Qur’an. When Binyamin and Yusuf are reunited in Surah Yusuf (Surah 12), Yusuf says “I am your brother”. The ‘am’ is lengthened to convey the emotion of this reconciliation. In surahs where the mercy and compassion of Allah are extolled, the two words flow into each other to emphasise that Allah is ALL merciful and ALL compassionate. The final surah of the Qur’an contains sibilance, with the articulation of the ‘s’ sound conveying the concept of ‘secrets’ as the Quranic scriptures draw to a close.

Likewise, Sanskrit is designed to be articulated in melody, so that Vedic texts such as the Bhagavad Gita are sung more than spoken. The traditions and teachings of Sanatan Dharma were passed down orally, with the memorisation of verses greatly aided by the melodic pronunciation and recitation.

As well as the recitation and song of oral traditions, dancing has played its part in transmission of beliefs, through sacred stories. More prevalent in the Indic-traditions, I am nevertheless reminded of King David dancing before the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament, the circling of a Jewish bride and the widdershins processions in the liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox Church. In the Hindu tradition, carefully learned dances convey the epics of Vedic literature and the ecstatic whirling of the Sufi tradition is practiced as a form of active meditation.

Theatre can provide a forum for encounter with religious truths. In the morality plays of the medieval and early Tudor periods concepts such as virtues, vices, temptation and human nature were personified. Most commonly the plot followed a trajectory of temptation, fall and redemption. The audience reflected on the importance of confession, repentance and salvation, seen through the Christian sacraments, applying the struggles of the protagonist to their own lives.

In the ruins of the old cathedral of St Michael in Coventry outdoor theatre is still performed today. I have seen Shakespeare plays performed by the fabulous theatre group, the Three Inch Fools, in that setting. I often envisage the ‘stage’, a platform of flat stone, being used centuries earlier, with Coventry’s humble folk gathering for a performance of Everyman, where entertainment, morality and a good dose of theology would mingle under the stars.

In this six- part blog series, I have explored ‘ways of knowing in the past’. There is so much more to discover. Through literature, art, oral religion, recitation, song, dance and theatre, we can see that people of the past articulated and explored the theology of their belief systems and worldviews. Better than a textbook? I am inclined to think so. I hope you have discovered something useful (and beautiful) for the RE classroom through the time you have devoted to reading my blog series.

The Vernacular

Over the centuries, those who had the luck of being educated made efforts to bring their theological learning to the benefits of those less fortunate. In Europe, Christian theological understanding could be complicated and abstract and also expressed in Hebrew, Latin and Greek, providing a further barrier to understanding for those who could not read or write. Over the centuries ways developed to express Christian theology in the ‘vernacular’, the language spoken by ordinary people in a region. Bible stories and the lives of the saints were retold in local languages ordinary people could hear.

This was not always welcomed by those in authority. In 1382, John Wycliffe translated the Bible from Latin into English, an act that earned him posthumous excommunication; his body exhumed and burnt. In the 1530s, Martin Luther translated the Bible into German, causing one of the great rifts of the Reformation. However by 1611, the King James version in English was made widely available, suggesting a melting away of objections to accessing Christian theology in the vernacular in Protestant regions.

Making Christian teachings more accessible inevitably led to reductionism. Ordinary people worked long, hard hours. As well as illiteracy, they did not have the time to engage in abstract theological meditations. Yet in a religion like Christianity with official doctrine and heresy, people must know what they believed. The church responded. The Heidelberg Catechism, 1563, was composed in Heidelberg, Germany, under the guidance of many theologians. The catechism was designed as a teaching tool, divided into fifty-two sections known as ‘Lord’s Days’, each one of which could form part of a Sunday service. Ordinary people were given weekly access to essential dimensions of Christian theology and ethics. A sixteenth century ‘Alpha Course’ perhaps?

It wasn’t just Christianity that developed systems for distributing information with hard-working, uneducated people. On converting to Buddhism, The Indian king Ashoka (reigned from 268- 232 BCE) erected a series of 50- foot pillars in the kingdom to spread Buddhist teaching. The pillars combined teachings of Buddhist compassion with the merits of King Ashoka. Erected at places of pilgrimage, such as the Buddha’s Enlightenment and first sermon, they spread across northern India, to spread the Buddhist religion to the ordinary people of Ashoka’s lands.

Guru Nanak also ensured ordinary people could access teaching and holy scriptures for themselves. The Gurmukhi script (meaning: from the mouth of the Guru) is used to write Sikh scriptures. It is the script of the Adi Granth (literally translated as ‘the first book’). The vision for Gurmukhi was a script that could be learned easily and was in the common tongue of the area.

It seems that in order to thrive and spread, religions needed to put their theology and ethics into the eyes, ears and hands of the lay people. Over time, literature, poetry, stories and art emerge which meet this aim.

Hagiography

Having always enjoyed biographies of inspirational figures, I was interested to find this isn’t a new phenomenon. In fact, it seems an important source for theological learning in the past is ‘hagiography’. Hagiography refers to writing about the lives of saints, combining the Greek words ‘hagi’, ‘holy’, and ‘graphy’, ‘writing’. Hagiographic texts are a unique biographical writing form, not offering a strictly historical account of a saint’s life but with the aim of assisting the reader in their own salvation.

A hagiography might not mention dates or places of birth, but details which show the saint’s exemplary Christian life, inspiring in others ideas about their own salvation. Hagiographic writing was common in the early church, with collections forming over the centuries.

Hagiographies often included the stories of those who had been saved from a life of ‘sin’, such as Moses the Black (saved from a life of violence) and Mary of Egypt (saved from a life of sexual liberty). Check out these two saints; wow! Often in hagiographic writing the saints are portrayed as without sin, suggesting a miraculous dimension to their lives. In Medieval times, the ‘Vitas’, or ‘life stories’, became a source of biblical education for ordinary people.

Hagiographies provided an important source of Christian education for ordinary people, along with church windows and story-telling. The merging of Christian belief with earlier mythology is not uncommon. Images of the Egyptian goddess Isis with her son Horus bear a strong resemblance to early Christian icons of the Madonna and Child. A weaving together of saints’ lives and social concerns are visible in the modern age. St Perpetua was an early Christian martyr who was executed alongside Saint Felicity. They died clinging onto each other have been adopted as patron saints of same-sex relationships. Perpetua dreamt she was transformed into a man and this has led to her being adopted by the Christian Trans community as an icon.

Hagiographic icons, or images, became a form of theological storytelling. Dating from the 12th & 13th century onwards they depict a saint and scenes from their life. They are ‘read’ much like a book, allowing ordinary people to learn for themselves, even if they cannot read.

Hagiographic icons reached their golden era in the fifteenth century. They were particularly popular in Orthodox Russian and Slavic regions, as well as in pre-Protestant Britain. 14th Century icons of St Anthony and St Cuthbert in Carlisle cathedral survived the Reformation, although their faces have been scratched out. They were later painted over by people fearing idolatry, but have been discovered and restored. Through panels such as these, ordinary people learnt about saints, God and themselves.

The panels showing the lives of St Cuthbert & St Anthony of Egypt, the faces scratched out. Images by Jen Jenkins, used with permission.

The panels showing the lives of St Cuthbert & St Anthony of Egypt, the faces scratched out Images by Jen Jenkins, used with permission

I wonder what a modern equivalent of hagiography might be for Christians today? Twitter? Pinterest? For medieval Christians the vitas and hagiographies provided information, inspiration and hope. I was interested to read recently that the Indic Traditions have similar stories of spiritual heroes and holy people, to provide a similar role. I wonder why knowing about those who have trod our own spiritual path seems so important? Does it help us to understand the beliefs that shape our lives and worldviews? I also wonder if we are as ready to learn about and from others as those in centuries past.

British Religion in Numbers is an online source of data about religion and belief in Britain. It is gathered and presented by academics for the purposes of investigating both religious diversity in Britain, and of the extent and impact of religious commitment in Britain. The data can support an understanding of how far religious groups and beliefs have an impact on policy or other public decision-making.

I am a Year 6 Primary teacher and together with two other teachers, Primary and Secondary, we experimented with bringing this data to our classrooms. We wanted our children to have the opportunity to engage in a statistical analysis of numerical data about religion and belief as part of their richer understanding of the world.

We focused on two sets of findings from the overall data set, which is large. These were, firstly, the ways Jesus is depicted among Christians in Britain, and secondly, the representations of Muslims in the British media. We helped pupils to explore the data through pie charts and tables, as well as written reports. We thought carefully about scaffolding the questions children would engage with so they could make sense of and evaluate what the data is telling them.

My class were surprised to see so many images of Jesus existed, depicting him from all sorts of cultural backgrounds. However the data shows some interesting findings- that while Jesus, a Middle- Eastern man, is often represented as white, as well as black or Asian, most people in Britain viewed Jesus as a Middle Easterner. For myself I was surprised. My pupils had a mixed response, especially those for whom the image of Jesus is sacred. They were not sure if anything other than his actual ethnicity should be portrayed.

When it came to reading a report of how Muslims are portrayed in the British media, this was upsetting for the class. The data hows us clearly the discrimination against Muslims in the British press. As an adult I was surprised to find Islamophobia in broadsheet as well as tabloid newspapers. While this raised some difficult emotions, it is important for pupils to be able to explore and make sense of our complex society as it is in a safe space like school.

Pupils had the chance to reflect on the implications of their learning. Myself and the other teachers all teach in different regions, so we had geographical and demographic variations to compare. It was clear that life experiences and social exposure determined pupils’ interpretation of the data and the conclusions they arrived at.

As teachers we found that the use of statistical data in RE serves to contextualise religious diversity and provide pupils with tangible material for comparison and analysis. Pupils could evaluate the impact of past events on current trends. Across all three schools we felt that pupils were making connections and encountering ideas they hadn’t considered before – their world had expanded beyond what they knew to be true or thought to be true.

There is always the danger that a data-informed analysis of the world brings pupils into contact with how the world is, not just the ideal worlds described in religious traditions. While this can raise controversial questions, this is a chance to help our young people to make sense of the world as it is. As teachers we can model curiosity, as we show our pupils how to examine complex information, and confidence in an open attitude to knowledge and understanding of the world.
Visit the website at British Religion in Numbers

When the RE:Connect Teacher Fellowship Programme was promoted on Twitter it immediately caught my eye. Combining two of my great passions – RE and the climate emergency – I felt drawn towards the project, which aims to support teachers in connecting RE teaching to the environmental crisis.

I have been teaching RE for 19 years. While I have kept up with new ideas and research, I was not actively looking to embark on a new project. However this project offered me an opportunity to gain high quality CPD in an area I am deeply passionate about. I applied and was accepted onto the programme.

From October 2021 to June 2022 the Fellowship group met for 7 online evening sessions and 2- day gatherings, including a final celebration day. I was exposed to people and ideas that inspired and challenged me; including a climate scientist, religious environmental activists, researchers and experts in RE pedagogy and practitioners who are at the forefront of climate education in RE. Each valuable session opened up new ways of thinking about scholarship, lived experience and my own teaching practice.

I have taught a unit on ‘Creation Stories and the Natural World’ for some years. Through the programme I came to realise that this unit did not reflect the lived experience of the religious activists I met, nor allowed students to engage personally or deeply with the reality of climate justice. This inspired a re-design of the unit to put my new learning into practice, built around the idea of story.

Now my students engage with images, graphs, maps and the stories of real people impacted by a changing climate. This is the ‘Earth’s story’. We explore both Judeo-Christian creation accounts and the Big Bang, the ‘stories of origin’, through scriptural reasoning, introduced by Professor Nick Adams. The students engage with the texts and consider how they could influence religious and non-religious attitudes towards climate justice. We then explore real-life activists from faith and non-faith backgrounds. These are ‘inspiring stories’. Finally students tell their own ‘climate story’ using creative media to respond to and reflect on their learning.

The engagement from students was excellent. My learning from the Fellowship sessions invigorated my planning and allowed students to encounter real voices. I am looking forward greatly to sharing my findings with my department and beyond in the years ahead.

I would recommend participating in a Fellowship programme to any RE colleague, whatever stage of their teaching career. My investment in terms of time and effort is far outweighed by the impact on my own practice, as well as the shared benefits I bring to my team. I have not just ticked a CPD box, I have journeyed with a community of like-minded teachers, been exposed to new ideas and inspirations and been challenged to take my responsibilities to the environment seriously. Bill McKibben, a leading USA climate justice campaigner, says that if we are to save the planet, the whole world, every country, needs to ‘play the perfect game’ for the next decade (McKibben, 2020). I aim to ‘play the perfect game’ in encouraging the next generation of citizens to consider where they stand in relation to climate justice.

Information about the project

Bill McKibben (2020) Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play itself Out? Holt Paperbacks