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It was a delight to attend and give the keynote at NATRE’s Strictly RE Conference on Saturday. I enjoyed talking about the various jewels in our treasure boxes – our own worldviews, our pupils’ worldviews, our context, the intent of our school curriculum, our subject of religion and worldviews, and our curriculum content. I talked about falling in love with our subject all over again! If you are interested, you can find a link to my keynote at the end of this blog.

It was wonderful to be with so many dedicated teachers and other RE professionals all sharing their love for our great subject. The enthusiasm of so many teachers to develop their expertise and subject knowledge was evident throughout the day, and it was a pleasure to chat with so many. A few stand-out conversations for me included…. One with a Primary teacher who was so thrilled to be undertaking action research in her classroom with the University of Huddersfield, a Secondary PGCE student who wanted to immerse herself in the RE community from the beginning of her career, a secondary teacher who was now leading RE across a large MAT of over 30 primary and secondary schools, and a University tutor who is passionate about teachers undertaking their own research through Masters study.

Something I noticed this year was teachers’ desire to engage more with and in research i.e. finding out about and applying research and/or doing their own research. The presentations by Emma Raven (MSc), Anne Moseley (PhD) and Jennifer Juniper (Action research) highlighted this. We have recently published an introduction to Theologies of Reading which I spoke about in my keynote https://www.reonline.org.uk/resources/theologies-of-reading-new-perspectives-on-pupil-engagement-with-texts-an-introduction/ and some examples of application of this by Jennifer which she used in her seminar https://www.reonline.org.uk/teaching-resources/theologies-of-reading/

We are also delighted to be partnering with all the main RE Organisations and with Templeton World Charity Foundation to host a conference on Saturday 3^rd October which will bring together researchers and teachers in an exchange of knowledge and expertise. The booking for RExChange 2020 is now open https://www.cstg.org.uk/programmes/rexchange/

We look forward to continuing to resource and reimagine RE by opening up our treasure boxes together.

Download a pdf of the keynote below:

Looking back….

At the start of a new year it is good to reflect on things, to review and evaluate. I’ve now been in post as CEO of Culham St Gabriel’s for eight months. It seems to have flown by! I love my job! In those eight months I have met and worked with some amazing people who are passionate about the study of religion and worldviews. I’ve met teachers who want to see the subject valued and taught well in their schools. I’ve debated and discussed with advisers who spend time and energy supporting quality curriculum and pedagogical choices. I’ve attended meetings of various stakeholders who want to see the importance of the study of religion and worldviews promoted not only in schools, but more generally in public life. I’ve enjoyed getting to know other funders and exploring new ways of engaging with our grantees. The last eight months have been rewarding and fulfilling.

Looking forward…

Culham St Gabriel’s began a strategic review at the end of 2019 and will complete this ready for a new strategic plan to begin in September this year. It is evident that not only is society changing but also the lived reality of religion and worldviews is fluid. The world of education is changing too. These contextual factors are important for everyone, but particularly for a Trust like ours. Over this coming year we will be reviewing our programmes (Teach:RE, RE:ONLINE, Leadership Pilot and Research) and grants, as well as our work with stakeholders and funders in order to ensure they are fully aligned with our new strategy.

We look forward to working with you all in 2020.