Global terms: Blog Categories

Dawn Cox | 30 November, 2021

This year we are trialling a new approach to the start of year 7 RE. In my teaching career I have tried several approaches including looking at why we study RE and have never been happy with them. This year I created a new scheme that asks the enquiry question ‘How do we study religion and belief?’

We see students for one hour a week, so time is very tight, and I proposed to my colleague that we trial using a booklet with students. This is a great time saver as students don’t have to write titles each lesson and it’s easy to refer to page numbers which is the same for all of them. I have also found that when exploring a new approach it helps to organise my ideas and share them with my colleague as I’ve had to create and sequence the learning in the booklet.

The booklet pulls together the different ways we can study religion and belief and the things that we look at. One part of this approach involves introducing students to worldviews.

We start by thinking about our own personal worldview. We are clear that this is about how their own views have been developed over time (and will continue to develop) rather than being their specific view on something.

We have used two short clips to support this. The Theos ‘Nobody stands nowhere’ clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFRxKF-Jdos and this ‘What is your worldview?’ clip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXnSE0uvwzM

Interestingly, I have found a very small number of students have struggled to grasp this concept. It is very abstract and requires a conceptual understanding of themselves that some students cannot conceive. A couple of my students have replied ‘I don’t have a worldview’ or ‘My view hasn’t changed’. This kind of self-knowledge is a challenge for a small minority of students and colleagues that teach students with some types of SEN may find this more common.

To help students with this abstract concept I chose to use the metaphor of a magnifying glass; to help students understand that our personal worldview is how we ‘see’ things. I have used some ‘big questions’ to help them to understand how their worldview works and then we work together to unpick where our views may have developed from.

I have bought several magnifying glasses to add to the explanation. This has helped students to understand that we all have different personal worldviews as I hold them up when explaining each individual view. It also helps to illustrate other worldviews. I have also shown how these lenses can ‘cross over’ which illustrates how views can be ‘combined’. An example was when we were discussing ‘how did the world get here?’ Students came up with answers ‘God made it’ and ‘the Big Bang’. I held up a lens for each of these views and then crossed them over. For some students this was a new Christian worldview; that God created the Big Bang.

This has helped them to understand that it may be better for us to discuss the many views within a religion for example we discussed ‘Christianities’ as a better term to show that within Christianity there are many different interpretations.

It is interesting to see how their understanding of worldviews is shown in their explanations. Here are responses from two pupils:

“We can study religion and belief by looking at people’s worldviews and opinions. But before we start we need to understand how people get their personal worldview. You are not born in the world with our own opinions as you cannot understand anything yet. But over time as you grow up you start to develop your own worldview and beliefs as you are surrounded by many different influences like your parents and what they believe or your friends and even video games! If you are a religious person your religion may have a big impact on how you see the world as religions normally have quite a lot of sources of authority….”

Jude, Year 7

“We can study religion and belief by looking at our personal worldview. We have got our own worldviews from many things but these aren’t permanent. These worldviews can change throughout your life, for example, when you are younger your parents would be your main authority and sources of your opinions and beliefs but when you’re older you probably wouldn’t take as much notice of them”

Luke, Year 7

About

Dawn is Head of RE at a secondary school.

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Josh Cass | 16 November, 2021

Hello! My name is Josh Cass and I am delighted to have recently joined the team at Culham St Gabriel’s where I will be supporting with advocacy and outreach work specifically relating to the Religion and Worldviews curriculum. As someone who has spent many, many years working in interfaith spaces, I am passionate about enabling conversations and encounters which allow more nuanced understandings of lived faith and belief to emerge. For me, that is what is so exciting about the Religion and Worldviews curriculum, and why I am delighted to be taking up this role. If you will excuse me, I will share with you something which happened recently which to me, highlights why this curriculum is so exciting.

One morning I was enjoying coffee and donuts (not necessarily a traditional Sukkot food but a treat nonetheless) in my sukkah at home with some friends (one Jewish, one Muslim, one Christian); it was a beautiful morning and sitting there I couldn’t help but feel that building a sukkah is one of Judaism’s loveliest mitzvahs full of meaning and metaphor. For those unfamiliar with the custom, a sukkah is a temporary structure which some Jews will build in their gardens, or on their balconies, or on their roofs, as part of the festival of Sukkot.

Being together in the sukkah, our conversation turned easily to its symbolism and other Sukkot customs. We talked about the origins of the festival, how it commemorates one of the three pilgrimages undertaken by the ancient Israelites, and the journey they would make up to Jerusalem to celebrate the harvest. From there, the conversation moved to harvest festivals, traditional prayers for rain in all our traditions, and the way in which our various faiths and beliefs enable us to reflect on and engage with the natural world and the changing seasons.

For me, this experience was exciting and insightful for a number of reasons. Firstly, and perhaps more superficially, I learned something new about the faith and belief traditions of my friends. Secondly, and for me, more importantly, I gained a greater understanding of how that element of their identity contributed to how they see the world and how it might play into choices which they make. I imagine that it was a similar experience for them in terms of how they understand how my Jewish identity shapes my choices and actions.

In my experience, while having a grounding in the teaching and traditions of different religions and worldviews is really important, even more critical is an understanding of how those teachings and traditions shape the way that an individual or a community engage with the wider world and with the key issues of the day. It is this contextualisation which is so central to the Religion and Worldviews curriculum, a contextualisation which I believe is critical for us all (not just students!). That is what makes the Religion and Worldviews curriculum so exciting to me and why I am delighted to be working with Culham St Gabriel’s in this role.

I would love to hear what you make of this piece and am always happy to receive feedback – I can be reached at josh@cstg.org.uk I hope to hear from you soon!

About

Josh is Lead Consultant: Advocacy for Culham St Gabriel's

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Karen Steele | 02 November, 2021

It took just moments to decide the focus of my project for the Edge Hill RE Subject Knowledge Summer School. I’ve always loved teaching Islam and enjoyed the challenge of developing my subject knowledge for the 2016 specification. The support of people like Zameer Hussain with Shi’a Islam has been greatly appreciated. However, at times my lessons felt a bit plodding and superficial. I recognised immediately the Ofsted Research Review[i] reference to the use of ‘proof texts’ in GCSE. I’ve been guilty of that. Although I had included some textual analysis and scholarship into my lessons, I still felt I could do better. I knew straight away, therefore, I wanted to develop my confidence with Islamic texts and consider how to deliver the content in a more memorable, engaging and meaningful way. After attending the Summer School, I developed a student anthology with carefully selected and sequenced readings, clearly linked to the specification content.

Day 1 of the Summer School included an inspiring session on text and story by Mary Myatt. She reminded us of something we all know, but too often forget when preparing students to sit exams: humans love stories and stories matter. Daniel Willingham claims ‘our brains privilege story’[ii]. RE has an abundance! Text and story are a wonderful way into learning about the Islamic traditions and can be used to enhance our GCSE. That’s what I set out to do.

Islamic texts are daunting: the many collections of Hadith, the varied commentaries and interpretations. Even as an RE specialist, I worried about my ability to get it right. This is why Edge Hill’s offer is so important. Surrounded by specialists including RE teachers and academics, I could ask questions, share ideas and consider feedback. The very patient Dr Harith Ramil supported me with my project, answering my endless questions, offering suggestions and critiquing my work. If only every RE teacher had opportunities like this.

The ‘final product’ is by no means final. Like the tradition of textual interpretation in Islam, it will continue to evolve. Not everyone will agree with my selections and the interpretations I have offered. However, I’m now able to justify my choices and engage my students in a deeper dialogue about the ways texts and story are used in the tradition. The anthology includes 7 texts from the Qur’an and Hadith, chronologically covering key events in the early development of Islam.

Back in the classroom I have proudly issued Year 10 with their anthologies. Together we have analysed and annotated Al-Fatihah (Surah 1:1-7) and an Al-Bukhari Hadith narrating the Night of Power. I can see Year 10 already have a strong foundation for investigating the Islamic understanding of God and the importance of the Qur’an. They are instinctively referring to the texts they have studied to support their claims rather that ‘sticking in a quote’. Will this have the desired impact? Time will tell, but the early signs are good; students are showing a richer and more contextual knowledge.

Edge Hill will put my resources on their website soon. I have included a list of the many resources I discovered and notes for each text designed to help busy teachers.

I feel privileged and grateful to have had this opportunity. If you get the chance to apply to the Summer School, I recommend you go for it.

[i] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-review-series-religious-education/research-review-series-religious-education

[ii] Https://www.marymyatt.com/blog/using-stories-in-the-curriculum

About

Karen Steele has taught RE in secondary schools for over 20 years. She is a senior lecturer at the University of Worcester, where she leads the secondary RE PGCE. You can link to her other blogs which are full of recommendations to improve subject knowledge. https://missevareteacher.wordpress.com/blog/

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Matthew Lane | 19 October, 2021

In response to the 2018 CoRE report many SACREs are considering how to update their Locally Agreed Syllabuses. Effecting change in a busy and fast-moving environment such as a school can be a daunting prospect. In this blog I present how we changed our curriculum at my Norfolk Primary school.

This was not just an update or tweak, we adopted change. We reshaped the curriculum to utilise three disciplinary pedagogies, imagined as lenses to look through; Theology, Philosophy and the Human & Social Sciences. As these names are quite the tongue twister, we call them Believing, Thinking and Living in my school when discussing with younger learners.

With a new pedagogy and new freedom in mind I sat down to look at our current RE curriculum and discussed with children what they thought of the subject:

“I like doing our stuff but it’s interesting to see their stuff and see how different people live.”

Having heard their thoughts, I threw the old curriculum in the bin and started afresh.

Our stuff and their stuff

Our student body is 95% white British and Christian heritage. It is for this reason I do not want children learning about “our stuff” (Christianity) followed by an entirely different unit of “their stuff” (everything else).

If children are to see the beauty and value of other people, religions and worldviews they will need the skills to appreciate them and, most importantly, find ways of connecting with them. This got me thinking about exploring: if you know where you have been, it gives you a good basis to explore the new. So, I decided to be bold: every unit of learning would start with Christianity. We would learn about what we already know, or thought we knew or (in the case of Christmas) thought we knew but was actually wrong; and then branch outwards. Finding links and connections between Christianity and Religions & Worldviews would form the bedrock of our curriculum.

Branching out

We are a church school and therefore at least 50% of our learning content focuses on Christianity. The first 3 or 4 lessons of each half-term have a Christian focus. This gives time to explore our Key Question and reflect on Christianity’s answers. From this solid understanding we can branch out to consider how one or more other traditions would respond.

For example a Year 6 unit begins by pondered the philosophical question, ‘why was the Earth made?’ using Genesis 1 and 2. They explore the different presentation of women and learn that the books were written at different times by different authors and then collated together at a much later date. A lesson is spent looking at the scientific description of how the Earth was formed and what similarities this has to Genesis. This allows pupils to gain a greater sense of the context and concerns at the time Genesis was recorded.

From here we branch out to the events of the Hindu creation story and its expression of our universe as one in string of many (Samsara on a universal scale). Children quickly spot the beginning of the world in darkness and water and how a prime mover is needed to bring light and life into the world.

The most important part of the new curriculum is that the children begin by finding what is the same and then questioning why they are the same. How can two religions from different sides of the planet have similar beliefs? How can two faiths that appear so different actually be quite similar? This allows discussions of depth and richness.

Growing this new curriculum and pedagogy has taken time and lots of energy from the amazing staff at my school. As we move further towards a R&W curriculum, emphasis will be placed on denominations and how, for instance, there is no single “Christian Worldview”. The aim is that children can see how worldviews similar to their own can be very different, whilst the superficially different can be very similar.

About

Matthew is RE Lead at Hethersett CEVC Primary School in Norfolk. He tweets about Religious Education and leadership @MrMJLane and on his website www.theteachinglane.co.uk

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| 05 October, 2021

Would you start an RE lesson with a boxing match? By that we mean a lesson about a famous boxing match, not a re-enactment in the classroom! To celebrate Black History Month we present a set of four learning sessions (suitable for Key Stages 2- 4) on Muhammad Ali, one of the world’s all-time greatest boxers. Ali was also a conscientious objector, antiracist activist and devoted Muslim. All these aspects of his life are intertwined, as our multiple worldviews are. As well as a contribution to teaching resources for Black History Month, these lessons are also an example of what worldviews can look like in the classroom.

Pupils might be confused to learn about a famous fight in RE, although some would absolutely love it. During his career as a boxer Ali fought in and won several iconic fights. His sporting career illustrates how he constantly challenged preconceived ideas about how a black athlete should behave in public. In our lessons, we present Ali’s actions inside the ring as just as important to an understanding of him as those outside. In a worldviews approach, the strands of someone’s life and context cannot be separated.

Ali was once called the most famous Muslim in America. Like most people Ali sometimes had contradictory beliefs and his Islamic interests shifted over the years. In our lessons we trace Ali’s path from Nation of Islam to Sufi Islam, to Sunni Islam. Pupils will consider Nation of Islam in historical and political terms, as well as religious.

After he had won the 1964 match, Cassius Clay announced to the world the name he now wanted to be known as: Muhammad Ali. He had always been interested in Islam. At high school he wanted to write an English paper on black Muslims (Nation of Islam), but was not allowed to. Muhammad Ali first saw Malcom X, one of the most influential black figures of his time when he spoke at a Nation of Islam rally and the two became friends. Malcom X watched Ali’s 1964 match with Sonny Liston match from the side-lines. The next day as the world was still in shock over Ali’s victory, with Malcom X by his side, he announced he was a Muslim and that he had a new name. He said ‘Cassius Clay is a slave name, I didn’t choose it and I don’t want it. I am Muhmmad Ali, a free name – it means beloved of God, and I insist people use it when they speak to me’.

Incredibly Ali visited the town of South Shields in 1977 to have his marriage blessed in the mosque there. The Al-Azhar Mosque serves the Yemeni community of South Shields, who had settled in the area around the First World War to work for the Merchant Navy. A short documentary details this moment, showing footage of Ali and his wife in South Shields and the pride of the local Yemeni community to welcome this dazzling figure to their mosque. In our lessons we give a link to this documentary, created by photographer and artist Tina Ghavari.

A worldviews approach to learning about Ali, whether in a lesson or at a lunchtime or whole-school event, means his antiracist struggle or his devotion to Islam is not separated from his whole life. Ali was an athlete, a campaigner, a public figure, a conscientious objector, a husband and father and a Muslim. All these strands make up the man. We hope you enjoy exploring Muhammad Ali with your pupils, you can find the resources on RE:ONLINE here.

Kate Christopher, part-time in a Secondary school teacher in East London and independent RE adviser

Lynn Revell, Faculty Director of Research, Canterbury Christ Chuch University

About

Dr Kate Christopher | 21 September, 2021

This September I am more aware than usual both of new beginnings and time passing. Although I have been in my school for almost two years, it has been mostly in lockdown. My experience of the school has not been in normal times, to say the least. When colleagues talk about a room, a person, a form to fill in, a process, an event, I am lost, it is like I started yesterday. I have existed in a bubble and now the bubble is burst.

Being back in the classroom, no longer confined to my metre box at the front, feels full of possibilities- students can work in groups and we can be more active in our learning, I can wander up to the back row or talk to a student quietly at their desk, rather than from the front of the room. Students can let off steam outside at break and lunch, no longer confined to their classrooms and bubbles. Being outside with all of year 7 and 8 as they tear around the playground feels surprisingly joyful, not how I would have described break duty before the pandemic.

I am also aware of changes closer to home. My daughter has started in Year 7. I have welcomed thousands of Year 7s in my almost 20 years in the classroom. Now I am finding out what goes on at home- making sense of the new systems, what books and kit are needed for each day, the pressures of homework. It is tiring and can be fraught if we are second-guessing a teacher’s instructions. But it is also exciting- a more independent young person is emerging, ready to take on these new challenges.

I have had the pleasure of working with Kathryn and the Culham St Gabriel’s team for some years. I am excited and privileged to take over stewardship of RE:ONLINE, building on the excellent work of my friend David Rees, who is much missed. RE:ONLINE brings together practical, classroom-focused guidance and resources, current research and information to keep you up to date. We will continue to offer high quality, practical and supportive material, whether for use in your classrooms or to adapt for another period of home learning. As always we welcome blogs from teachers or those working in and around religion and worldviews education. Email ideas you would like to share, however half-formed. We will develop them together.

We are developing an exciting online CPD platform for teachers- watch this space! The ‘In Conversation’ events which ran throughout two lockdowns will continue for the foreseeable future. These have been extremely beneficial in both communicating current research and thinking and allowing people to connect with others. It has been wonderful to see new faces at every session, perhaps people who would not usually join a face-to-face group for a variety of reasons. We look forward to welcoming new people to every event. These events and others like it have been an unexpected benefit of the pandemic.

As we look forward to a new term, some things feel really new- the mingling, mixing and moving feels at once rather scary and liberating. We are also looking back at almost two years of completely different working. We have learnt how to support each other in new ways, we have learnt to use Zoom (no mean feat), we have learnt how to carry on and how to change. Whatever is around the corner, we are looking forward to working with you. Have a great term!

About

Kate teaches part-time in a secondary school in inner London, is an RE Advisor and is Culham St Gabriel's Lead Consultant for Professional Development. Email: kate@cstg.org.uk

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David Rees | 15 June, 2021

How important can 2 minutes 34 seconds be? Time can be significant – the reign of the dinosaurs was long and will always captivate me yet sometimes tiny fragments of time are also significant – the famous football coach Brian Clough said it only takes a second to score a goal. I’d like to add to that – it only takes 2 mins 34 seconds to make you question everything! This is what happened to me. The new animated film from the Theos Think Tank ‘Nobody stands nowhere’ by Emily Downe completely stopped me in my tracks! 2 mins 34 of film stuffed with powerful questions and statements. If you haven’t seen it please do – if I was still teaching I would be using this in so many ways! So why am I so affected by it? Is it because my way of life has been to just get on with things? Always being aware that I was never the sharpest tool in the box? Have I just not really stopped and thought about Who I am or why I am the way I am? Could it be that I just haven’t thought about my worldview? This film has changed that. The film opens with the narration ‘What is your view of the world? How do you see things? What makes you who you are? On what do you base your decisions? Why did you react like that?’ Wow – all this delivered over vibrant and thought-provoking animations… suddenly I asked myself these questions for what felt like the first time, particularly the reaction one. As the film continues more engaging material emerges – everyone has their own worldview and the lens we look through is affected by our upbringing, surroundings or religion – sounds so obvious but over the years I have never really considered the different subtle and unsubtle things which have shaped my worldview. As I look back now I can see moments in my life where shifts were made. Big changes like when my family relocated from the West Midlands to Dorset when I was 13 leaving everyone and everything I knew behind. The film goes on to say that our worldview changes throughout life – wouldn’t it be great if we all realised and accepted that? I am not the man I was when I was 18, 21, 33, 40 , etc my worldview has changed so much. I can recognise that I was deeply unrewarding as a youth and am eternally grateful that my family and some good friends have stuck with me through that process – now my worldview is ensuring everyone I come into contact with is helped by me where possible and given the chance to flourish. As a teacher I would always advise new teachers to my school to always think before speaking and acting ‘never give a message you wouldn’t want to receive’ – some of my colleagues were permanently cross and rude to students, unsurprisingly they did not gain much respect or co-operation. The film goes on to say that we have a personal worldview, it shapes how we live but we need to recognise the worldviews of those around us – even if we have much in common on the surface our lenses will be different and consequently our worldview will be different too – how fascinating to see and understand a different worldview to our own? One of the final questions raised is ‘Where does truth lie?’ – so much can come from this; truth claims from religions and worldviews, media bias and enforced stereotypes, ‘knowledge’ passed down from families as well as things that directly happen to us or those we know. This film challenges us to think about, examine and understand our worldview, then recognise the right of others to a completely different personal worldview. We need to be perfectly happy that we are all different, able to share our world with those who are different but have just as much right to inhabit the space as we do. I think this film is an exceptional teaching aid for all phases – there are so many ways you can build from it. Next time you have 3 minutes to spare and a cup of whichever beverage your worldview favours, please watch this and reflect upon your personal lens.

About

David was the Head of RE in departments of one for 25 years and an Advanced Skills Teacher for 12 years. He now advises SACREs as an RE adviser and is Lead Consultant with RE:ONLINE.

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Dr Kathryn Wright | 09 June, 2021

This week we’d like to highlight the following blog on the Religious Education Council of England and Wales website where Dr Kathryn Wright, our Chief Executive and Chair of the RE Council Education Committee opens up the conversation about religion and worldviews.

https://www.religiouseducationcouncil.org.uk/news/religion-and-worldviews-a-conversation/

Kathryn says, ‘It was a privilege to write this blog for the RE Council and share some of the current thinking within the Education Committee about a shift to a religion and worldviews approach. As I began writing it struck me that our religion and worldviews community is very much thriving and alive with debate and discussion at the moment. I wanted to encourage everyone to be part of the conversation’.

About

Dr Kathryn Wright is CEO of Culham St Gabriel's Trust

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Dr Kathryn Wright | 25 May, 2021

The recent Ofsted Research Review has sparked much debate and discussion particularly on social media. The review sets out what it understands by a quality education in RE. In terms of the curriculum this is defined in terms of three types of knowledge:

Substantive
Ways of knowing
Personal

One of the questions which struck me as I read the review, was how we theorise the relationship between these three types of knowledge. This is illuded to in the report (see Interplay of knowledge in the RE curriculum), but I felt I needed to think about it creatively. I like to think in pictures. So, what I offer here is an analogy. It is not perfect, but I hope it will help us to understand a little more about the interdependence of different types of knowledge. Let us weave a knowledge tapestry….

Image of a hand waving loom with a blue and white fabric being created

The curriculum– this is like a developing tapestry. In theory it may have an ‘end point’ (i.e., end of formal education) but in my opinion it continues through our lifetime as we develop the three different types of knowledge. Therefore, it might be described as an unfinished tapestry. This emphasises the flexible nature of curricula. Yet this fluidity still enables the tapestry or knowledge to build over time into a beautiful masterpiece…. Substantive Knowledge – this is the warp. These are the threads on the loom over and under which other threads are passed to make the tapestry. Without this there would be no tapestry! The warp is laid out at the beginning with a clear sense of what you are going to produce. There is some intent here. Choices must be made about how many threads, how wide the tapestry will be and so on. This is like the choices that must be made in relation to the substantive content. Ofsted talks about illustrative content that leads to an end goal. Ways of Knowing or Disciplinary Knowledge – these are threads of the weft. They are woven in and out of the substantive content. This is important. Unless they are woven into the content, they will not contribute to the overall tapestry. This means that as pupils’ journey through the substantive content they learn about and use a range of tools and methods such as interpretation, observation, analysing data and so on. Personal Knowledge– these are also threads of the weft. They are also woven in and out of the substantive content. Our own positionality, our own worldview is woven into what it is we learn about. This means being self-aware, recognising and reflecting on how we relate to the ‘warp’ or content. This is a process of reflexivity. So, now is the time to think about the tapestry you are creating, what choices will you make to build towards and create a masterpiece…. References: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-review-series-religious-education

About

Dr Kathryn Wright is CEO of Culham St Gabriel's Trust

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Dr Kathryn Wright | 04 May, 2021

Voices of children and young people.

This was the question that many teachers posed to their pupils last term for our inaugural Blog Competition. We had an amazing number of entries and it is clear that everyone has a view on Religion and Worldviews (or Religious Education). At the end of this blog you can see the names of all the winners, but here I want to draw out some of the key themes and creative ways in which pupils want to advocate for our incredible subject. An education in Religion and Worldviews enables us to understand diversity in our world. The diversity of our complex world was a recurrent theme. Bloggers spoke of everyone being different, having different worldviews and the importance of appreciating this. Many felt that studying Religion and Worldviews brought a genuine, real and authentic understanding of the lived experience of being a religious or non-religious believer. For many blog writers, Religion and Worldviews is about the nature of humanity; understanding who and what we are as human beings with all the complexity and divergence that this brings. An education in Religion and Worldviews increases our knowledge, providing global and historical perspectives. The importance of knowing about and understanding religious and non-religious worldviews came through very strongly in many of the blogs. Young people spoke about the importance of understanding historical contexts to comprehend the way things are today. They highlighted the interweaving of history with religion. Many felt that knowledge acquisition led to respect and to challenging some of the media stereotypes of some worldviews. An education in Religion and Worldviews supports development of positive values. Bloggers talked about the many values they felt an education in Religion and Worldviews promoted. These included peace, respect and empathy. A number talked about the way in which this was modelled in their schools by safe spaces being created to talk about controversial issues. An education in Religion and Worldviews helps you with your future career. From the youngest to the oldest, bloggers highlighted the value of Religion and Worldviews in terms of future career paths; professions highlighted included law, international development work, counselling, mental health services, diplomatic roles and journalism. Many more spoke about the importance of the subject for simple daily interactions with people they meet. An education in Religion and Worldviews offers something more….. For many of our bloggers though the subject offers something more…. It sparks the imagination and curiosity, it empowers and opens doors of communication, it unlocks a tapestry of ideas and enables young people to develop their own patchwork of views. It gives each one of them confidence to talk about religious and non-religious worldviews in the public sphere. For our bloggers, an education in Religion and Worldviews is considered vital so they are prepared for the real, complex society in which we all live. They want to be able to navigate this world and begin to make sense of it. They want to have knowledge, understanding and skills, but also values and attitudes which will enable them to be confident, free- thinking participants in this ever-changing global landscape. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR WINNERS!! Key Stage 1 Winners Areilla, Newbold and Tredington Primary School Abhijot, Clifton Primary School Harnoor, Clifton Primary School Highly Commended Namanpreet, Clifton Primary School Ishana, St Andrews (Barnsbury) Church of England Primary School Key Stage 2 Winners Soha, Old Trafford Community Academy Catherine, Lythe Church of England Primary School Nancy, Newbold and Tredington Primary School Emily, St Andrews (Barnsbury) Church of England Primary School Highly Commended: Sohani, Clifton Primary School Farzad and Idris, Old Trafford Community Academy Avineet, Clifton Primary School Hunter, Pickhurst Junior Academy Key Stage 3 Winners Matthew, Thomas Gainsborough School Abby, Saint Francis Xavier School Arwen, St James’ Senior Girls School Maxwell, The Bishops’ Blue Coat Church of England School Cara, King’s Rochester Preparatory School Highly Commended Skye, Prenton High School for Girls Maisie, The Morley Academy Brooke, Prenton High School for Girls Niamh, The Bishops’ Blue Coat Church of England High School Vanessa, Goldington Academy Ella, Lincoln Christ’s Hospital School Olivia, St Mary’s Catholic School Key Stage 4 Winners Scarlett, Fulston Manor School Caitlin, Goldington Academy Lucy, Cox Green School Maisy, Hagley Catholic High School Highly Commended Meadow, Saltash Community School Jordan, Saint Francis Xavier School Lily, Albany Academy Pennie, St Hild’s Church of England School Zama, Bradford Academy Key Stage 5 Winners Ashton, Old Hulme Grammar School Ella, Highworth Grammar School Jessica, Highworth Grammar School Anna, Hagley Catholic High School Megha, Langley Grammar School Highly Commended Reva, Langley Grammar School Philippa, Old Hulme Grammar School You can read all of the winning blogs on RE:ONLINE Kathryn Wright, on behalf of the Judging Team 2021

About

Dr Kathryn Wright is CEO of Culham St Gabriel's Trust

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Global terms: Blog Categories

Introducing worldviews as part of studying religion and belief

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Conversation, collaboration and connections

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Beyond the ‘Proof Text’: Analysing Islamic Texts at GCSE

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Curriculum and Change: How can it be Done?

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Boxing, Activism and Nation of Islam: the amazing life of Muhammad Ali

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New Beginnings and Time Passing

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Nobody stands nowhere – especially me

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Religion and Worldviews: A conversation

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Weaving a knowledge tapestry

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Why does an education in Religion and Worldviews (R&W) matter?

Voices of children and young people.

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