Viewing archives for Blog

My three ‘take-aways’ from RExChange 2022…

Living with and navigating complexity

One of the themes running through the conference for me was the complexity of the space we are navigating regarding religion and worldviews. The vibrancy and energy generated through the conference space, with diverse and sometimes conflicting views being presented was to me inspirational. It was fascinating to hear Adam talk about the broken ‘chain of learning’ regarding religion and belief literacy, but his solution was not one of ‘uniformity’, but rather one of shared understanding characterised by contextuality. Culham St Gabriel’s is increasingly partnering with organisations across this ‘chain of learning’ and I hope we can bring some helpful contributions to this complexity. Our new promotional films are one example of this perhaps (see below). One of the positive outcomes for me of the conference was the hospitable nature in which people debated and questioned different perspectives. I thought Gillian Georgiou exemplified this particularly well coming with great humility and openness in her keynote presentation. Perhaps we can move to a place where we don’t just live with or navigate complexity but celebrate it.

Co-existing well

Being comfortable co-existing with those who have a different worldview to ourselves therefore follows from the above. Tom Fletcher CMG’s challenge to us as to whether we are promoting trust and equity, and whether we are using or being used by technology resonated with many of us, I think. Tom’s emphasis on the importance of co-existing well, rather than putting up walls of division lies at the heart of our subject. In particular, I believe a religion and worldviews approach to our subject puts this at the centre. If we understand our own positioning, and approach knowledge as interpreters, we will be able to see the value of different voices and co-exist well. The Culham St Gabriel’s vision sums this up rather well – we want to see a broad based, critically reflective education in religion and worldviews which contributes to a well- informed, respectful and open society. Once again, the Theos animation Nobody Stands Nowhere comes to mind too. This is about truly positive co-existence.

Being courageous

Tamanda Walker ended her presentation by calling for boldness and courage in relation to anti-racist education. Tom Fletcher ended his keynote by saying we need to be brave. In many ways the conference was a clarion call for teachers and other educators to step up, to show that education, particularly an education in religion and worldviews, is key for the future health and well-being of our children and young people; and beyond that for the health and well-being of humanity (I like bold claim!). It was a call for more freedom, curiosity and creativity in school curricula, and to equip our children and young people with skills of diplomacy and problem solving, and to encourage them to be curious and above all, kind.

Thankyou to all our amazing contributors!

New Promotional Films https://www.cstg.org.uk/campaigns/promoting-an-education-in-rwv/promotional-film-collection/

Theos Animation Nobody Stands Nowhere https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFRxKF-Jdos

Tom Fletcher CMG expands his thinking of ‘head, heart, hands’ in his book Ten Survival Skills for a World in Flux. Available here http://tomfletcher.global/

Recordings from the conference will be available soon at www.reonline.org.uk

I applied for Culham St Gabriel’s Leadership Programme because I wanted to expand the way I think about RE. I was also interested to see how far I would be able to apply any new insights, ideas or actions to my own school context. Additionally my own future was in the back of my mind. It is always good to have options and think about different pathways, would I want to change schools, Key Stages, or even career, such as to move towards advisory work?

I worked with a mentor, Gillian Georgiou. She was absolutely fantastic. She was patient, reassuring, intelligent and always knew the right way to support me. I found our sessions consistent and fruitful, and I always left the discussions feeling like I’d learnt more, as well as generating even more questions. For me this was an important part of the process.

As part of the Leadership Programme I took two Teach:RE modules. There was quite a lot of choice in modules and I chose topics that I was interested in and would be useful to expand my understanding of. It is hard for teachers to find the time to study and research, and this was another important part of the programme for me.

Thanks to my mentor’s advice and guidance, I was able to balance the demands of the programme. This included continuing to be the best teacher I can be at school, as well as meeting with my mentor to discuss my progress and working on the assignments in a productive way. I was able to balance these competing demands in a reasonable way because we set deadlines and I stuck to them. It is amazing to look back at the year and what I achieved in this time, alongside my usual work as a classroom teacher.

To anyone thinking of applying for the Leadership Programme, Primary or Secondary, I would say that it’s a great opportunity to develop your understanding of the subject. It also gives you the chance to focus on something that takes your interest and develop towards a particular expertise. Through my research for the course I have found the shift to Religion and Worldviews helpful in my thinking as a classroom teacher, it has helped me to guide my thought process with a curriculum from early years through to KS2. This is one way the programme and Teach:RE courses have been extremely useful.

As part of my final module I produced speeches for different audiences. While I often feel that I express myself best in writing, I wanted to challenge myself in speaking my ideas rather than writing. I wanted to consider how I would say my ideas in conversation with others, where perhaps there is little time to think and process. Writing allows you to check and proofread whereas I think a speech can express thoughts more honestly.

Download Naila’s speeches here

Find out about the Leadership Programme here

Last October I jumped at the invitation from Angela Rundle of Wandsworth SACRE to pilot a faith trail in Wimbledon. Not least because during the covid pandemic, real school, let alone school trips had become rare pleasures. As RE coordinator, I was able to prepare Year 6 for the trip with some discussion about expectations and answer some questions. I was wondering if any parents would want to know more details, but perhaps because we had previously been in the habit of visiting a different place of worship each year, there were no concerns.

We started at the white, red and gold Buddhapadipa temple. We are immensely fortunate to have such a fabulous temple close by. After removing their shoes, the children were immediately captivated by the colourful paintings covering the interior walls and ceiling. They were able to see scenes from the Buddha’s life and spot some well-known characters besides. These, plus the dramatically drawn eyes of Mara at the temple door, raised their interest. Seated on the red carpet, a talk from the Venerable Piyobhaso gave a succinct yet detailed overview of the Buddhist faith and how the Thai monks in Wimbledon live.  A walk through the garden with a bridge across the lake imbued all with a profound sense of peace.

Next came Wimbledon Synagogue where we were welcomed by Sharon and Tony. A contrast in building style was immediately apparent. A modern structure with few external clues of what lay within, although the sharp-eyed noticed a tiny mezuzah at the entrance. Inside, a large hall with stylish stained glass windows revealed more evidence of stories of creation and prophets. As we took our seats in chairs, we were all given jewel-bright kippahs to cover our heads. Sharon and Tony invited children to take out the precious Torah scrolls from the ark and display them to us all.

Finally we walked to the Roman Catholic church of Our Lady and St Peter, where the children inspected the stations of the cross and the confessional booths. The priest demonstrated the Eucharist and Angela gave a rousing performance on the organ.

As a non-denominational school with one or two families from each of the six major faiths, each of these holy places was a source of wonder. Visiting three in one day heightened our ability to compare what we’d experienced. The children noticed the similar ways that respect was shown and were also able to reflect on how this resonated or differed from either their own faith’s place of worship or those previously visited with school. A Muslim pupil observed that she felt most connection with the synagogue where similar stories and the lack of visual images felt more familiar to her.

It takes significant organisation to line up three visits and as two schools were involved, everything has to run to time to avoid congestion. However, the outcome is even greater than the sum of its parts, so well worth the effort to arrange it if possible.

When I encountered the new Norfolk Agreed Syllabus, which brings Theology, Philosophy and the social sciences to the classroom, I experienced trepidation mixed with excitement. However, I could immediately see links with other curriculum subjects and clear opportunities for enhanced learning. For example, the new ‘Philosophy’ strand gives children ‘permission’ to ask deep and searching questions. Change is something we might be tempted to avoid, with all the new work and uncertainty it brings, but it also brings positive new opportunities.

After some reflection and time spent with the Norfolk Agreed Syllabus, a multidisciplinary syllabus, we alighted on knowledge organisers as the best way to meet several goals. We wanted to support non-specialists with planning and resourcing as well as cement good practice throughout schools, to enhance all teaching and provide consistency. We hoped that we would be developing a more effective and exciting way of teaching RE that would engage learners.

We predicted that increased challenge and opportunity for complex and reflective thinking would lead to a higher level of achievement in RE. This is certainly something we have seen in practice. We can see that our children are able to articulate complex ideas, as well as express themselves with confidence. We can also see that the children enjoy exploring the religions and worldviews in their local area. We wanted to build an awareness of worldviews in the world around us, as well as develop scholarly thinking in pupils.

Covid presented somewhat of a barrier. We had lost the face-to-face connection and immediacy of learning and conversation in the classroom, which made it hard to assess the effectiveness of our planning. Usually new teaching evolves over time through trial and evaluation. We embarked on this project before Covid hit and assumed we would have this time to assess the foundations of the new syllabus. Due to Covid, we have had to rethink what might need repeating, and building on, to ensure children have secure understanding. We have put a lot of emphasis on the Enquiry Cycle for this reason and we feel this has had a very positive impact on children’s confidence and understanding.

Through translating the Agreed Syllabus into knowledge organisers we have gained new understanding of our own. We love the idea that everyone has a worldview. It is our job to enable the children to critically engage with worldviews in a complicated and ever-changing world. We also find the multidisciplinary approach very helpful for the balance it provides. Theology builds knowledge and information, philosophy enables the children to ask questions and think freely and the human and social sciences give them the opportunity to see the impact a worldview can have in a person’s life and in a society. So far we feel the results have been positive. We are seeing inquisitive learners who want to know more, ask more, to be able to explore and experience more of the world around them.

Other teaching staff across Norfolk have also reacted positively. The syllabus offers a clear intent and steps of progression, which is welcomed. Moreover, questions that engage learners are clear to see. Overall, I am excited about the impact and opportunity to change the presumption that RE is a boring and dead subject. To anyone thinking of embarking on your own project, I would say go for it! Unlock your potential. Be part of change.

Knowledge organisers:

https://www.dioceseofnorwich.org/schools/siams-re-collective-worship/religious-education/curriculum-planning/

‘RE in a Broad and Balanced Curriculum’. This practical panning tool provides essential background thinking for developing a multidisciplinary Religion and worldviews curriculum: RE in a broad and balanced curriculum: A practical tool – RE:ONLINE (reonline.org.uk)

In our final edition of summer reading recommendations, we bring you  Islamic art, love and monotheism.

Aliya Azam teaches at Al-Sadiq and Al- Zahra school in West London. She works closely with RE teachers and interfaith groups.
Islamic Art and Spirituality

Seyyed Hossein Nasr

State University of New York Press, 1987

I recommend this book because to me is appears to be unique. Seyyed Nasr describes many aspects of Islamic art, from the chanting of the Holy Qur’an, which is the most central expression of the Islamic revelation, and therefore sacred art par excellence, to calligraphy and architecture which are the “embodiments” in the worlds of form and space of the Divine Word. Through this book the sacred art of Islam is revealed, which has always played and continues to play a fundamental role in the spiritual life of Muslims.

The goal of the spiritual, or inward, life in Islam is to reach the Divine. Seyyed Nasr shows how for Muslims in all societies art provides a climate of peace and equilibrium. Art creates an ambience in which God can be remembered.

For teachers, unlocking Islamic art is a wonderful way to explore Islamic beliefs, culture and spirituality. Islam considers beauty as the necessary complement of the manifestation of the Truth. We could say art is a ‘silent theology’. The language of beauty is a universal language that draws us together and in Islam art is a gate towards the inner life.

Alexis Stones is Subject Lead for the PGCE on Religious Education at the Institute of Education, UCL’s faculty of Education and society.

All About Love

bell hooks

William Morrow and Company, 2016

This incredible book is written from the heart for the heart. The genius of bell hooks is heard through her honest discussions and her call for love to be more crucial in our lives. She reminds us that love is the most important resource for individuals, groups and community. This treatise on love taught me that love is fierce in its strengths. It teaches, guides, forgives and challenges.

As a teacher educator, I encourage student teachers to reflect on their own perspectives and become familiar with the complexities of their own worldviews. All About Love dedicates a chapter to love into fourteen different contexts including justice, spirituality and community. These function as lenses to think about how love manifests across time and space. There are religious, philosophical, ethical, sociological and psychological perspectives that are thought-provoking, humbling and inspiring. It allows me to think about RE on my own terms before I teach.

Kate Christopher is a Secondary teacher and consultant.

The Price of Monotheism

Jan Assman

English translation by Robert Savage

Stanford University Press, 2010

I have become interested in monotheism as a hugely powerful worldview, but one that is rarely the subject of study itself. Someone recommended Assman to me. It is a challenging read, but worth the effort. Assman argues that the shift to monotheism brought into being an idea hitherto alien to the ancient world; the idea of false gods or false religion. Assman states that monotheism is not a distinction between one God and many gods, but between ‘truth and falsehood in religion’ (p. 2).

It is a shift that took millennia. In polytheistic times, pledges and contracts were sealed with oaths of loyalty to a deity. Neighbouring tribes had to establish the corresponding deity in dealing with each other. By 3,000 BCE, ‘tables of divine equivalence’ had been created to allow commerce, allegiance and collaboration among tribes (p. 19). None of this is possible once all other gods are deemed to be false. This is an example of how monotheism changed the way different groups could engage with each other.

Assman is an Egyptologist rather than a theologian, although he appears to me extremely well-versed in theology. His thesis, not unexpectedly, has received significant challenge, such as of anti-Semitism and intolerance, and he spends much of this  volume addressing the challenges. I probably wouldn’t teach this before A Level, and I am not expert enough in Assman’s field to know how outlandish or mainstream his argument is. I recommend it because it reminds us as educators to look beyond the world as we find it and dig a bit deeper. Although so widespread we might take it for granted, monotheism is a worldview too, and as such can be investigated.

Continuing our series of short recommendations from the Religion and Worldviews community, this week we bring you the warmth of the black Pentecostal church, an Ahmadiyya philosophy of the teaching of Islam, and how humans recover after catastrophe. Enjoy!

Alexandra Brown is an RE teacher, poet and academic decolonial practitioner whose work, thoughts and ontology resides in liminal spaces

In My Grandmother’s House: Black Women’s Faith and the Stories we inherit

Dr Yolanda Pierce

Broadleaf Books, Minneapolis, USA, 2021

Following the painful, and yet inevitable, realisation that my previous place of worship was unable to speak to my lived experience as a black woman, whose theological posture uncompromisingly encompasses Womanist theology, radical black queer politics and social justice, this book acted as a gift, a warm embrace, and a timely affirmation, that I too am created in Imago Dei.

In typical Womanist fashion, through the use of stories, and an unapologetic centering of the African-American woman’s lived experience, Dr Pierce successfully critiques rigid Eurocentric-Cartesian approaches to Christian beliefs, practices and rituals, whilst simultaneously sharing the beauty and depth that lies within a Protestant-Pentecostal tradition.

The chapters that explore sacred traditions within the black church such as washing feet, a shared witness of grief on Maundy Thursday and knowledge of Jesus as a personal friend, were truly wonderful to read and acted as gentle reminders that there is sacredness in my embodied experience.

Including elements of Dr Peirce’s book into lessons, will also act as an effective means to help decolonise your lessons and broader curriculum, for example when teaching Christian Practices on the GCSE.

Waqar Ahmedi is Head of RS and author of GCSE and A level textbooks and revision guides. He serves on the NATRE Executive and is part of Birmingham SACRE representing the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK.

The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad

English translation by Muhammad Zafrulla Khan

Islam International Publications Ltd, 2010

Available for free here: https://www.alislam.org/book/philosophy-teachings-islam/

My book recommendation is The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

It is based on a lecture given at the Conference of Great Religions in India in 1896 where experts from different faiths were asked to address specific topics based solely on their own holy texts and tenets. These included the physical, moral and spiritual states of humanity, the purpose of life and ways to fulfil it, and what happens after death.

Ahmad cites only the Qur’an to present his impressive exposition and offers a unique insight into Islamic philosophy, ethics and theology, as well as a distinct Muslim worldview of what it means to be human. Additionally, he provides a compelling case for the existence of a Living God.

The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam is a brilliant exegesis – as pertinent today as it has ever been – that will enrich every RE department’s library and enhance the quality of teaching and learning about Islam as part of a diversified curriculum. This and many of Ahmad’s other works also make him ideal as a scholar, thinker and figure to be studied in his own right.

Another great benefit of this book is that it’s available for free in various formats online, as the link above shows.

Ben Maddison is a teacher, trainer and lecturer.

When the Dust Settles: Stories of Love, Loss and Hope from an Expert in Disaster

Lucy Easthope

Hodder and Stoughton, 2022

Lucy Easthope is a disaster recovery expert and this is her memoir. She talks about her involvement in events such as the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and Grenfell Tower fire.

She blends together the practical details of how people deal with recovery after a disaster with reflections on what this tells us about being human. Easthope uses the sociological phrase ‘the furniture of the self’ to explore the internal recovery the people affected by catastrophe. The idea of the furniture of the self is used to explore how we build resilience as human beings facing catastrophe.

I often find myself picking up a book for use in a lesson. I came across this book because I wanted to look at the events surrounding the Grenfell Fire on the 5^th anniversary of the tragedy and found it fascinating. The insights from this book sat at the core of my lesson. It helped to sew together emotions and practicalities. I found it accessible, interesting and thought provoking, and one of those books where you pause after a paragraph and think about what you have just read.

In our ‘summer series’ we bring you a range of reading recommendations from a wide variety of people involved in Religion and Worldviews. As subject specialists, whatever age range we teach, it is always good to know about new books, or books that have helped others with their understanding.

In our first edition, we present recommendations on the ways psychotherapy draws on religious thinking and an investigation into worldviews. Enjoy!

Dr Alastair Lockhart, Director of the Centre for the Critical Study of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements www.censamm.org

Religious Thought and the Modern Psychologies

Don Browning and Terry Cooper (2^nd edition)

Fortress Press, Augsburg, USA, 2004

I’d like to recommend Don Browning and Terry Cooper’s Religious Thought and the Modern Psychologies. The second edition came out in 2004, extending the ideas developed in the original 1987 edition which was written by Browning without Cooper. The book excavates the ways in which psychological theories – and especially psychotherapeutic forms of psychology – encode or draw on religious and ethical forms of thought.

While the idea that psychotherapeutic psychologies might have a mixed pedigree, so we can understand them as less than “strictly scientific”, is perhaps not as challenging today as it once was, Religious Thought and the Modern Psychologies was an important milestone in my own engagement with the practical ways that psychological approaches can be examined as “religio-ethical thinking… mixed disciplines which contain examples of religious, ethical, and scientific language”.

Ultimately, for me, the conclusions of the book are perhaps secondary in significance to the core exercise it carries out: a powerful critical archaeology of the complexity of psychological ways of viewing the world, which has implications for how we understand the common ground between religious and scientific ways of thinking more generally.

Kathryn Wright, CEO, Culham St Gabriel’s Trust

Worldview Religious Studies

Douglas J Davies

Routledge, 2022

The opening paragraph of this fascinating, yet challenging book sums up for me why it is an essential read for everyone wanting to explore a worldviews approach to religious education.

Davies begins with a bold claim that worldviews emerge, intensify, and change. From the outset, Davies wants us to grasp hold of the value and importance of worldview thinking for education. For him worldviews are dynamic, and this resonates with me and the ever-changing nature of curriculum in our schools.

Davies follows an interdisciplinary approach offering a provisional framing for how worldviews may be studied in higher education. He begins with a detailed journey through different historical and philosophical understandings of the concept of worldview. He concludes that worldviews can be understood at different levels in relation to meaning-making, attachment, and orientation to the world (p.20). This leads him to offer different concepts through which worldviews may be studied (p.33f). He begins with destiny, identity and hope arguing that these are a characteristic of many worldviews. He advocates for studying ritual-symbolism, such as mantras, creeds, pilgrimage and so on. Related to this is the notion of gift theory whereby ordinary life exists in and through processes of reciprocity. Lastly, he claims that all worldviews have underlying ideas of evil, merit, and salvation; where evil depicts perceived flaws in existence and salvation offers ways of overcoming them (p.43).

It made me wonder whether this could provide a framing for studying religion and worldviews in schools?

The second half of the book offers some provisional classification of worldviews with religious studies, theology and ethics topics in mind. Davies is very open about the need for it to be improved in the future! He puts forward eight types, namely, natural; scientific; ancestral; karmic; prophetic-sectarian; mystical; ideological and ludic. He also acknowledges that there may be overlap between them as worldviews change, and some worldview traditions may sit within many different ‘types’. Whilst I am not completely convinced by his categorisation, one thing that did strike me was the overwhelming sense that we should begin study within a particular context and with people. I would also argue that his approach is a hermeneutical one; he talks about ‘seeing-through’, being human-curious and self-aware. Reflexivity lies at the heart of his approach. He acknowledges that this may be personally challenging (p.123).

This is an important book for the religion and worldviews community. It is not easy to read in places, but it is worth persevering! I would be interested to see if any curriculum designers take up his approach for schools…

You can also listen to Douglas Davies talk about his book at an online Religion Media Centre event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7VPvnfK5TU (from 26:31)

Jane Brooke and I started the REQM in 2012. We realised that while there were quality marks for other curriculum areas such as art, geography and science, religious education would benefit from a similar scheme to recognise and celebrate high quality provision in the subject.

We wanted to create an award that would showcase the best work being done in religious education across the country. What was distinctive about the REQM is that we started with pupil voice – what were their experiences of the subject? Only then did we consider the evidence provided by the subject leader.

Jane and I were closely involved for about five years, before handing over to the brilliant Linda Rudge. At the beginning, we were fortunate to receive seed funding from Culham St Gabriel’s. This allowed us to do the original scoping work with RE colleagues on the criteria, as well as recruit and train assessors and set up the website. We were very lucky to have Sharon Artley on board, as an assessor, website manager and wise sounding- board. After about a year, we arranged for the REQM to be under the auspices of the RE Council. This brought a level of accountability which we needed.

When I look back over 10 years of the REQM, I reflect on how exciting it was to start something from scratch. While we took inspiration from the other quality marks, we ensured that the REQM was distinctive, not least in making sure that evidence required to secure an award was light touch. We had a wonderful launch in the House of Lords, invited pupils and their teachers along with the great and the good, including Stephen Lloyd MP founder of the chair of the APPG for RE.

I very much think the REQM still has value in the RE world. In fact, the ‘quality of education judgement’ in Ofsted’s Education Inspection Framework has increased the focus on high quality provision in all subjects, not just the core subjects. Achieving the REQM is solid evidence that a school is taking the subject seriously and that pupils are getting a good deal.

So much I have encountered over the years has delighted me, but I do remember visiting two special schools and seeing the stunning provision and the delight expressed by pupils in the encounters with and experience of appropriately developed provision: no dumbing down there! It has also been interesting working with teachers in school to note how keen they are to share what they are providing for pupils. This becomes a space for reflection, evaluation and to think about next steps.

To teachers today I would say that the REQM represents excellent professional development. You focus on your headline work and achievements for an external, supportive audience. There are also great networking opportunities. To heads and school leaders I would say that pupils and colleagues deserve to have their hard work recognised.

In another 10 years I hope the REQM is still supporting, still challenging and still celebrating brilliant work in religious education in schools.

We are a small, Norfolk Primary school and I am delighted to say that we were awarded a Gold REQM. We decided to go for the REQM to celebrate the completion of our Religion & Worldviews curriculum. We had been told that it was an innovative way of designing a curriculum, so this was a great opportunity and method for having our work and ideas externally validated. What happened next was surprising and very encouraging.

When we were making the application we actually discovered that the teaching of RE in our school was of a much higher standard than we had realised. We had hoped to achieve Bronze, maybe Silver, yet working through the assessment grids and checking with advisors from our Diocese showed that we are at the Gold standard. As a primary school, there are few ways to check how you are performing against neighbours or nationally. Therefore, REQM helped us see how we compared in a subject that does not normally produce performance data at KS1 or KS2.

The process hugely improved our confidence as a team and mine as subject lead. When discussing our curriculum before we went through this process, there was the ever-present feeling of impostor syndrome. While we knew our RE was helping our children learn and grow, we had little idea as to how I compared to other high performing schools. With an REQM, you have the badge, but also a sense of a national standard.

Since achieving the award, I have been invited to speak at conferences and schools have made contact asking for advice. As a subject leader, earning the REQM has certainly improved my profile!

The experience of being assessed was surprisingly pleasant! Our assessment was in 2021, so we spoke via video calls and submitted evidence electronically. It was very much a professional discussion with the assessor doing their best to help us show off our RE. The student voice activities were very insightful and ones we will be repeating in 2022.

We received the support we needed from our leadership team and this is essential. Our leadership liked the idea of external accreditation to showcase our RE, especially as a church school. The REQM process provided validation to the previous 18-month process of curriculum improvement that the whole school, including the leadership, had firmly supported. The REQM is an opportunity for each school to highlight their unique contribution to education at a local and national level.

Our pupils were very involved in the process and this was particularly pleasing. They hugely enjoyed the pupil voice interviews: at times I couldn’t get away! They were proud to share their work as part of our assessment information. Giving pupils the sense that the adult world cares about their progress is so important.

Achieving a Gold award was my professional highlight of 2021, showing that the hundreds of hours spent developing our curriculum was well worth it. I would really encourage teaches to jump in- the process is friendly and professional, and aids teachers in the critical reflection of their practice that is so essential for growth and development.

Culham St Gabriel’s Trust turns 10 years old on 21^st June 2022! 2012 was an important year in many different ways- the Diamond Jubliee and the London Olympics spring to mind- I also turned 40 that year too! However, the birth of Culham St Gabriel’s bringing together two church college Trusts was a very significant moment for the religious education community. In this blog a former Chair and director express their reflections, alongside the current chair. I also draw out some themes running through the last 10 years and what these might mean for the next decade.

Reflections from the first Chair of Culham St Gabriel’s, Dr Priscilla Chadwick OBE…

‘Culham St Gabriel’s was created in 2012 by the coming together of two church college trusts which had worked in close partnership for several years prior to the merger. St Gabriel’s Trust arose originally from the college’s closure by Mrs Thatcher in 1977, leading to the transfer of its buildings to Goldsmith’s College. At that time, St Gabriel’s had only enough money to offer a few book grants each year, but a wise legal adviser had inserted a footnote to the transfer that, should Goldsmith’s ever wish to relinquish the buildings, these would revert to the St Gabriel’s trustees at the original price! Thus the trustees were able to sell the college on to another educational institution, thereby providing the Trust with a significant charitable endowment for the future.

The charitable objects enabled the trustees to support RE teachers wishing to enhance their postgraduate qualifications and later created an important partnership with the Culham Educational Foundation, setting up the St Gabriel’s Programme. This initiative developed innovative resources for RE and established the annual St Gabriel’s Weekend, firstly in Sunningdale and later at Wokefield Park, offering a free of charge opportunity for RE teachers to come together in a residential setting and share good practice, something that most would otherwise be unable to do, isolated in their own schools and often undermined by government educational policy: for many, these weekends were utterly transformative professional experiences which inspired them as they returned to their schools.

When in 2012 the two clerks of St Gabriel’s and Culham were both planning to retire, the opportunity arose for the two trustee bodies to come together, building on the cooperation over many years, to create the Culham St Gabriel’s Trust. Thus the significant legacy of both colleges would be safeguarded for future generations of RE teachers. With a generous endowment, this now meant that the Trust could more easily support major national initiatives such as the RE Council and the 2018 Commission on RE. This commitment vital to RE continues to flourish under the strong leadership of Kathryn Wright.’

What strikes me about Priscilla’s reflections is that the Trust’s focus on free, transformative, and inspiring resources and professional development still very much lies at the heart of the Trust. The reimagining of RE:ONLINE over the last few years, our scholarship programmes and the recent launch of our free e-learning platform continue to fulfil this mission.

Reflections from the first Director of Culham St Gabriel’s, Dr Mark Chater…

First, the merger itself: I gather that the idea first occurred to Priscilla and John Gay while on a walk. From this the idea grew, building on the many years in which the two former Trusts had worked together. Mutual trust, confidence and enthusiasm deepened. John Keast chaired the Implementation Committee which looked after the details – of which there were many! Within only a few years, Trustees saw themselves as ‘CSTG’ rather than ‘Former C’ or ‘Former St G’. Now, everyone takes the existence of the merged Trust for granted. But it was a major achievement at the time, based on shared vision and painstaking care over detail. 

Modernising the grant application process to make it more user-friendly for applicants, and less burdensome for Trustees, was an early achievement. Putting it onto an online process with new, RE-focused grant criteria helped to place CSTG on the map. The feedback from grantees was positive. Sharing information and ideas with other RE grant-givers has also grown gradually. 

Three significant CSTG grant decisions which, perhaps, have deeply influenced the course of RE for the medium term: Understanding Christianity, the NATRE/RE Today regional champions, and the Commission. The first of these had a long and at times lively gestation, but eventuated in resources which really enhanced the rigour and excellence of RE. The regional champions have strengthened the infrastructure of support available to teachers, and contributed to the growth and sustainability of NATRE. The Commission, which submitted its final report and recommendations in 2018, changed the conversation about the future of RE (or Religion & Worldviews) and we wait in joyful hope for a government bold enough to implement the much-needed change which it envisaged. 

But that is not the end of the story. I hope and pray that CSTG will continue its vital leadership, support, and innovative thinking for many years to come. 

Having worked with Mark for a number of years as a CSTG Consultant I think he instilled in me an understanding of the Trust’s forward-thinking approach. Mark’s reflections show how the Trust has always been sensitive to the ever-changing educational landscape, responding to new contexts. At its heart, though always remains the focus on serving others in the best possible way. Therefore, we have some exciting new grant making plans to announce. Firstly, we are launching special 10^th Anniversary grant awards for small, innovative projects that make a difference. Secondly, later in the summer we will be sharing details of our new scholarship programme series to run alongside our current masters and leadership programmes. Watch this space!

Reflections from our current Chair, John Keast, OBE…

So CSG (as I think of it) is ten years old. How time flies! As we commemorate this milestone, my mind goes back to the two constituent trusts, with their illustrious Chairs, trustees and staff, as well as to CSG itself. There are too many to mention them all in this short piece, but their vision, dedication and skill not only served those trusts well, but led to the formation of what is now a very effective force for good in the world of religious education. As I retire as Chair of CSG this year, I indulge myself below in surveying the whole period from 2003 when I first became a trustee of both constituent trusts then the merged trust. What highlights come to mind?

First, the people:

• Three prominent and very effective chairs – Colin Alves, Tony Williamson and Priscilla Chadwick, each of whom had distinguished but varied careers in their own right, but brought their considerable expertise and experience to bear in building up the separate and then joint trusts.
• Four extremely competent and dedicated officers (although they had different job titles) – John Gay working for both Culham and St Gabriel’s separately, though often in partnership with Brenda and Peter Duffells at St Gabriel’s, and Mark Chater, first CEO of the merged trust. All of these excellent people served the trusts so well, along with some many other partners and consultants over the years, with whom they worked.
• The many trustees, who so well connected CSG to other organisations and spheres of influence, who brought the benefit of their links and experience to the work of the trust.

Second, specific events:

• The massive teacher conferences, mostly held at Wokefield, which did so much to inspire and build the confidence and morale of teachers in RE classrooms. Not cheap to put on, but how exhilarating, powerful and enjoyable they were!
• The smaller but very visionary colloquia, conferences and meetings which did so much to influence how RE both survived and thrived after the introduction and development of the National Curriculum, after the Great Education Reform Bill 1988.
• Working in partnership with other organisations in RE, again too many to mention.

The reference to teachers, meetings and partners above encapsulates some of the core aims of the trusts over the years – the importance of the teacher of RE, and providing opportunities for training and support via grants and events; the need to influence policy and curriculum development in RE both nationally and locally; and the support of RE in schools of all kinds, not just those with a religious character.

Times change, and so must the capacity of RE to respond. CSG is now very properly focussed on clear strategic objectives. These have become so important in the past ten years when the threats to the wellbeing and structure of RE, based as it still is on the 1944 Education Act model, have become more serious. So in the past ten years, in addition to its continued focus on teachers, CSG has developed a leading role in helping to bring the stakeholders in RE together, not least through its support of the RE Council, which is essential to the future of the subject. With its current CEO and Board, CSG will become and even more significant player in the RE community of the future. Long live CSG!

It has been a pleasure to work with John over the last three years. He will step down as Chair this summer, and the Trust will enter another new chapter. John’s emphasis on the importance of people shines through his reflections. Nurturing relationships with all our grantees is vital. Yes, we provide funding for individuals and projects, but we also want to invest in people. We often talk about becoming part of the CSTG family. Empowerment and collaboration are two of our values, and we aim to live these out through all our work. As we enter a season where a new Education Act is on the horizon, John’s final words will be vital. We will continue to strive towards our vision by:

• Increasing public understanding of religion and worldviews education
• Engaging with, informing and influencing decision makers
• Creating well-informed, empowered and influential educationalists
• Establishing and building strategic and collaborative partnerships and networks
• Commissioning and publishing focused and accessible research
• Championing and developing inspired and well-resourced teaching and learning

Here is to another ten years… and beyond!

Kathryn Wright and guests