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We are very excited to announce the launch of a new, pilot fund for home educators. From this week, home educating families in the West Midlands region will be able to apply for small grants to support children and young people’s learning around religion and worldviews. 

The fund has been co-designed by a group of home educating parents and three grant-making trusts, All Saints Educational Trust, Culham St Gabriel’s and St Peter’s Saltley Trust. It has also been supported by The Social Innovation Partnership (TSIP).  

Ian Jones, Director of St Peter’s Saltley Trust said: ‘Many schools do fantastic work in religious education, but we also know that some children and young people thrive best in a home education setting, and in recent years the number of children being educated at home has been increasing in most regions of the UK.  It has been exciting to be part of creating something which specifically seeks to benefit these families, who are often not eligible to access other sources of funding for their children’s learning. 

As funders of religious education, we also recognise that a strong education in religion and worldviews has a wider societal dimension in addition to what takes place in institutional settings such as schools and colleges; home school education is an important part of that wider canvas.” 

Alice Khimasia is one of six panel members for the fund and has been involved in the project from the beginning: 

“As a long-term home educator, it has been wonderful to be invited into the process of co-creating this fund. We are an oft overlooked community, despite our growing numbers. For me, the decision to deregister my sons from school was about giving them a wider world than the classroom, connecting them with global community and with their mixed heritage. Exposure to different religions and worldviews has been an important part of that process, in learning to understand others, to develop empathy and grow to be compassionate citizens.  

With increasing numbers of children unable to access schooling, the recognition and support of alternative pathways is crucial, and this fund is a positive step in supporting, encouraging and enabling home educators to mindfully incorporate creative learning about religion and worldviews into their children’s education. Our hope is that it will have a wide reach and lead to a wonderful variety of projects and outcomes which can further resource learning beyond the classroom.” 

Home educators will be able to apply to the fund throughout October, with a closing date for large project grant applications of Sunday 17^th November 2024.  

Find out more:  https://www.cstg.org.uk/grants/religion-worldviews-home-educators-fund/ 

On Friday we received the tragic news that our wonderful friend and colleague Jane Chipperton had died.

Jane was someone who lived their life for people- friends, colleagues, family. She cared, she nurtured, she listened, and she loved. I got to know Jane when she and I both worked for the Diocese of St Albans, she wanted someone who had secondary school expertise to work alongside her. I think I learnt far more about the primary context than what I taught her about secondary. She was for many years my ‘go to’ colleague for primary expertise, and for all things ‘Church of England’ related. She also put my name forward to become a representative on the RE Council for the Hockerill Educational Foundation before I worked for Culham St Gabriel’s. Little did she know at the time I would end up on the Board. She always saw the best in people, and empowered them. One of my most cherished memories with Jane was going to Rome with her and a group of church school headteachers in 2016. It was a wonderful time of spiritual refreshment, balanced beautifully with sight-seeing, conversation and glasses of limoncello. Jane knew I would benefit from going but had to persuade me. How right she was. It had a profound impact on me.

Below are some reflections from Fiona Moss, Olivia Seymour and Gillian Georgiou. Many colleagues may not realise that Jane was integral in developing ways of knowing/disciplinary language in RE. We should not underestimate the legacy for RE that she has contributed to so passionately as well as being an amazing friend.

Fiona says…

First and foremost Jane was a friend. The sort of friend that noticed when things were getting a bit tough, the sort of friend who called and offered acts of kindness from a place to stay to sending a card at the right time.

That is the same Jane that I knew professionally as an RE adviser. She had teachers and pupils at the absolute heart of everything she did. She was creative and knew what teachers needed. When she got St Albans diocese to work in partnership with RE Today to create best practice films I’m sure she would have no idea the affect those films still have over 10 years later, some still used to show what remains good practice, particularly in Primary.

When she got involved in Understanding Christianity and the training roll out she asked the hard questions about what would work and what wouldn’t. Once it started she went all in being the first diocese to begin training. And that describes Jane all in. All in with passion and commitment. All in for the teachers. She was not afraid to ask the hard questions, ‘but how will that work for a non-specialist primary teacher?’ All in for teacher and colleague well-being. She didn’t need to go with the flow she went with what she thought was right.

We will miss her and, despite her being retired, her wise words on our subject. But I, as I’m sure lots of you too, will miss my friend who swam in the sea with me and had an amazing laugh, a cheeky smile, twinkly eyes and an amazing open heart.

Oliva says…

Jane truly believed in empowering others and the immense value of professional voice and reflection. Jane cared about people and was a true advocate for teachers and RE. She wanted the very best for the subject but above all she wanted the very best for the people she encountered. She cared deeply. As an adviser she invested in me with her time and wisdom drawing me in to wider professional conversations and encouraging me to contribute to the wider RE conversation. She drew me in to the Balanced RE conversations with Kathryn Wright and Gillian Georgiou ( I think on the promise of a G&T!). This shared friendship centred on deep conversation, questioning , critique, challenge, and most of all many moments of laughter and tears has shaped who I am today. Jane always went out of her way to help people. She once took a big detour to rescue me from an RE conference in High Leigh when the heatwave melted the train tracks and I was stuck with no way home to East Yorkshire. I will be forever grateful for Jane, for the many times we shared over a plate of food putting the world to rights. Most of all I will miss that mischievous look and her wonderful laugh.

Gillian says…

I write a lot for my job, but this is one of the hardest things I have ever had to start writing…

My friend Jane died last week.

She had been unwell for a while, and we knew what the direction of travel was likely to be, but the end was sudden, unexpected and swift.

Jane was one of the first people to reach out in support when I started my new role as an RE Adviser in the Diocese of Lincoln. She was an old hand in both diocesan and RE circles, and her advice and guidance were invaluable to me throughout our professional and personal relationships. It was Jane who was an integral part of our Balanced RE gang, bringing wisdom, experience and patience to our excitable plans for the future of RE. I remember hours discussing our Balanced RE self-audit tools and guidance, Jane always making us see things from the perspective of the non-RE specialist teacher who teaches RE. She was always on the end of a phone or an email as I learned to navigate the professional politics of both the faith and education sectors, and she was by my side in the happy and more challenging moments of my home life. She had a wicked sense of humour and did not suffer fools gladly, but her generosity was boundless and, my goodness, she was an excellent teacher.

Before starting to write this, I took a look back at our correspondence over the past decade:

“You are in the diary as Gin Fest Gill!”
“It flagged up to me that teachers need to be more involved in the curriculum than non-teachers!”
“So, will attend Kathryn’s meeting & be there until tea the following day. We can eat and drink together!”
“Any thoughts about eating & drinking before and/or after?”

This is how I will remember my friend Jane: passionately committed to teachers, passionately committed to pupils, passionately committed to RE. And always up for a meal with friends.

Thankyou Jane, for your inspiration, wisdom, care and love for us all.

Kathryn, Fiona, Olivia and Gillian

October 2024

Some articles on RE:ONLINE written with or referencing Jane’s work and support for colleagues:

Revision: Rethinking RE – a conversation about religious and theological literacy

My Writing Journey

How I… began writing for publication

Sometimes unexpected encounters are the most powerful and transformative.

We have produced a new leaflet designed to support secondary teachers returning to Religious Education (RE) after maternity or paternity leave. The leaflet offers tailored support to help teachers re-enter the classroom with confidence, whether you’re looking for CPD opportunities, useful research articles or key religion and worldviews updates, this resource is here to assist you in your transition.

Download the leaflet below and discover how we can support your return to RE teaching!

The RE Policy Unit will be attending the Labour Party Conference between Sunday, 22^nd and Wednesday, 25^{th, and w}e want to talk to people about the importance of high quality RE for all pupils, recruitment and retention of RE teachers and much more.

Our best chance of encouraging MPs to visit our stand is if a constituent asks them to do so. If you have a labour MP -please contact them, either by email (find the address here) or via social media using the assets linked below. Simply tell them that RE is important to you and you want them to visit the Religious education stand (F12) at the Party Conference.

In my research of the month, I talk about a hospitable approach to religion and worldviews, and a pedagogy of embrace. Someone pointed out to me this week that in many ways this was ‘lived out’ recently when photos emerged of Muslims embracing protesters outside UK’s oldest mosque in Liverpool.

Creating space, encountering others and listening for wisdom lie at the heart of what I propose as a hospitable approach to religion and worldviews education. I use the analogy of an embrace to capture the heart of what this means not only in terms of pedagogy, but in terms of what it means ontologically for those enacting the embrace. It seems to me this approach is needed more than ever before.

I was on holiday in Portugal when the horrifying scenes in many cities across the UK emerged on my social media feed. On Culham St Gabriel’s social media feed, we got behind the Faith and Belief Policy Collective Statement which so clearly articulated how many of us feel in the charity sector and faith and belief space. We held on to and continue to hold onto hope and love amidst the displays of hate.

At Culham St Gabriel’s our vision is for a well-informed, respectful and open society.

In a recent board meeting, prior to the recent riots, trustees agreed to make the following a key focus area for future grant making in 2024-25.

• interfaith/belief dialogue and promoting warmer community relations in schools and communities, including consideration of ‘the common good’

Do you or your organisation have a project which you need funding for to bring communities together? Do you have a grassroots project that needs some funding to get off the ground?

We are currently supporting several projects which aim to foster warmer community relations, religion and belief literacy, as well as researching where religion and worldviews education takes place beyond schools. These include work led by Theos Think Tank, Queen’s University Belfast, Faith and Belief Forum, The Religion and Belief Literacy partnership and the Open University. These varying projects are engaging with children and young people, faith and belief community groups, parents, the civil service and public sector employees. We will continue to support initiatives which aim to provide a positive narrative in terms of dialogue and interfaith and belief engagement.

Next weekend we are hosting a stand at the Greenbelt Festival. The festival organisers say:

Our history is firmly rooted within a Christian tradition which is world-affirming, politically and culturally engaged. Ours is a belief that embraces instead of excludes. And, as such, the festival is an inter-generational celebration, inclusive and accepting of all, regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexuality, background or belief.

This vision seems more appropriate than ever before. Our team will be there welcoming and accepting all.

Kathryn Wright

CEO, Culham St Gabriel’s

 

Further reading

Kathryn’s research of there month: https://www.reonline.org.uk/research/research-of-the-month/

BBC News article: Mosque leaders find moments of hope after violent disorder: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c84jjv7kp1wo

Faith and Belief Policy Collective Statement: https://faithbeliefforum.org/working-to-quench-the-flames-of-hatred/)

Greenbelt website: https://www.greenbelt.org.uk/

We’re delighted to be hosting a special showcase of some of Culham St Gabriel’s grant funded projects across our social media platforms this week (Monday 24^th to Friday 28^th June).

Join us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn  and Instagram to learn about the difference these initiatives are making across the education sector.

We’ll be featuring two projects each day for the rest of the week, sharing activities that span everything from building a new network for teachers of RME in Scotland, to running a Race and Education film & discussion club, to using lego to explore young people’s conception of citizenship and worldview.

Please show your support by commenting on, sharing, and following these amazing groups and their work.

We’d like to extend a big thank you to everyone that has taken part in the showcase this year by sharing stories and content. Here is a full list of Culham St Gabriel’s grant funded projects.

If you’re inspired by what you see and interested in finding out more about our project grants programme and how to apply, please visit the funding page or get in touch with me at Julia@cstg.org.uk.

I am delighted to announce that Fiona Moss, currently National Adviser at RE Today Services and Chief Executive of the National Association of Teachers of RE is to become our new Education and Programmes Manager. Fiona has worked with local authorities, dioceses and multi- academy trusts. She brings a wealth of skills, experience and expertise to this role and will begin working with us on 1st September 2024. I have had the pleasure of working with Fiona over several years and am thrilled to welcome her to our staff team.

Fiona says,

I’m really excited to be joining Culham St Gabriel’s. All through my career I have been passionate about RE/religion and worldviews and developing others in their career. Culham St Gabriel’s is an organisation that builds partnerships, builds people and informs and influences educationalists and stakeholders. I’m over the moon to be able to be part of the team. Whilst it is sad to leave all the people I have worked with at RE Today and NATRE for the last 15 years I know that this job will mean I can build on those relationships to make a difference in the field of religion and worldviews.

 

Five years ago, today I started as Chief Executive of Culham St Gabriel’s Trust. I think because much of that time was impacted by Covid-19 it seems to have gone extremely quickly!!! As I think back over the last few years, I am particularly struck by the amazing people I work with on a day-to-day basis within our Culham St Gabriel’s team, but also more widely with an increasing number of stakeholders and partner organisations. Someone asked me the other day what I like most about my job. I truly said, ‘all of it’! However, the opportunity to bring about change and make a positive difference is what energises me each morning.

In the last few years Culham St Gabriel’s has refined its vision, but also broadened its reach. Many of you will know the Trust through our RE:ONLINE website, and five years ago this was probably the most important programme we ran. I still believe it is vital, but we have also developed new activities and reshaped existing programmes such as our four scholarships (Masters, Doctoral, CTeach, Leadership), RExChange and our e-learning platform. We have created a ‘family’ of grant-funded projects. We have launched campaigns relating to teacher recruitment, public perception and freedom of religion or belief. We are increasingly engaged in policy and advocacy work and are using our influence within the wider educational sector.

In light of this, we have decided to bring a little more coherency to our brand over the coming months. This means we can engage with a range of audiences more easily.

Firstly, we are going to use one logo for all our work, and programmes like RE:ONLINE and RExChange will use this logo too. We also have a new strapline ‘Championing religion and worldviews education’. This says very clearly what we are about!

You will notice that the @reonline_tweets handle is changing to @culhamstgabriel and that our Facebook page has also changed from RE:ONLINE to Culham St Gabriel’s. This aligns them with our Instagram and LinkedIn handles. Our newsletter will also soon be branded as Culham St Gabriel’s, rather than RE:ONLINE.

The RE:ONLINE website is getting a bit of a refresh so it looks and feels more like the Culham St Gabriel’s website. This will take place over the coming few months.

This week for me is a great example of how Culham St Gabriel’s is reaching into diverse spaces and where coherency of our brand vital. We met with school improvement leads at a Confederation of School Trusts conference, are attending a conference on The Bloom review One Year On, and then supporting the RE Council of England and Wales with the launch of the religion and worldviews approach handbook.

I hope over the next five years we can champion religion and worldviews education together.

Ofsted’s recently published Deep and Meaningful? The religious education subject report (2024) is a sobering read. However, there is hope.

Others have provided some helpful summaries[1] outlining Ofsted’s call for updated guidance from the DfE, the lack of depth and substance to the curriculum, over emphasis on teaching to an exam, long gaps between lessons and the need for subject specific professional development. The report foregrounds issues which those of us working directly in this field have raised for some time and have lobbied government about alongside our partners such as NATRE and the RE Council of England and Wales.

However, there is also hope. There are examples of effective practice where teachers are exemplifying scholarly and ambitious approaches to the subject. There are signs that some senior leaders are taking the subject very seriously despite the pressures on curriculum time, valuing its importance for young people in an increasingly complex world. In many ways this report is a call to action within educational establishments and a call for action by the current and future governments.

The recommendation that government should urgently update guidance reinforces the significance of the recently published National Content Standard for RE in England (RE Council 2023). As a charity which champions religion and worldviews education we have actively supported this publication and continue to lobby for its wider endorsement. In addition, we look forward to the publication by the RE Council in early May of a curriculum toolkit to support a religion and worldviews approach based on research and good practice.

Two of the factors which Ofsted highlight as contributing towards better quality RE are strong teacher subject knowledge and access to professional development. Culham St Gabriel’s provides freely accessible subject knowledge support through RE:ONLINE and our e-learning platform. Our varying scholarships, particularly our leadership programme exemplify the areas of professional development which Ofsted highlights- namely policy, curriculum subject knowledge, pedagogy and research. Some of our grant funded projects are also contributing to an understanding of assessment and curriculum breadth and depth.

At Cullham St Gabriel’s we will continue to do all we can to secure a religion and worldviews education which is deep and meaningful for all children and young people.

To find out more about our support for teachers:
Sign up to our newsletter
Check out our free e-learning courses
Find out more about our advocacy work

[1] see for example:

NATRE – OFSTED ‘Deep and Meaningful The Religious Education Subject Report April 2024’

RE Counci of England and Wales – Comment on Ofsted’s report on RE “Deep and meaningful? The religious education subject report” from RE Policy Unit.

Schools Week – Ofsted criticises ‘limited and poor quality’ RE lessons