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We are devastated by the news that our wonderful friend and colleague Dawn Cox has died. Dawn was for many years a consultant with Culham St Gabriel’s, overseeing our social media as well as supporting other aspects of our work including RE:ONLINE. Dawn’s love of the classroom and ensuring research applied to her day to day work was inspiring. She was never afraid to ask the challenging questions, pushing our thinking on and encouraging careful reasoning and creativity as a result. We will miss her greatly.

Kathryn, Tracey, Fiona and the Culham St Gabriel’s Team

My Chair of Trustees and I welcome the interim report from the Curriculum and Assessment Review Panel.

In particular we welcome the following statement on p.29 of the report,

Despite the fact that RE is compulsory for all pupils up to the age of 18 (unless they are withdrawn), evidence suggests that a lack of national agreed content standards has led to national disparities in the quality of provision.

We agree that the current status of religious education as part of the basis curriculum has led to inequity of pupils’ experience. Therefore, we reiterate our position regarding the subject becoming part of a new national curriculum. We understand that necessary safeguards may need to be put in place to ensure that schools with a Trust Deed (for example, some schools with a religious designation) are able to remain true to their foundation. However, we believe that the religion and worldviews community must come together for the common good in this moment for the benefit of all pupils to ensure equity and justice in terms of provision, standards and content.

Our sense is that there is widespread agreement that the status quo in relation to RE is untenable. This has previously been highlighted by Ofsted (2024). Whilst we acknowledge the challenges of making necessary changes to the position and status of the subject, this review provides a once in a generation opportunity to do so.

We agree that much more attention needs to be given to how this would work out in practice, but believe the consensus around the National Content Standard for RE in England provides a starting point. We encourage the panel to engage with stakeholders in the religion and worldviews community to ensure all voices are heard and that an equitable way forward is found.

Kathryn Wright
CEO, Culham St Gabriel’s Trust

Linda Whitworth
Chair, Culham St Gabriel’s Trust

A summary of our submission to the Curriculum and Assessment Review is available here:

To augment The All Saints Education Trust’s (ASET) charitable and educational aims and grant giving, they are aiming to develop and grow their social media profile to attract high quality organisational applications for programmes that support teacher training, and raise awareness of the individual awards that they give to trainee and practising teachers (RE/HE).

ASET are looking for an experienced communications/social media consultant for approximately 6-8 days’ work in January and February 2025.

Closing date 12 noon Friday 17th January

Full details can be found in the consultant description

In December 2024 I visited Berlin. My walk through the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe will stay with me for a long time. The memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust (there are memorials to other victims in the vicinity) consists of a 4.7 acre site covered with 2711 concrete slabs in a grid on a sloping field. The architect, Peter Eisenman has said there is no symbolic significance to the number of slabs or design of the monument.

The grey slabs begin at knee height, but as you walk through, they become taller, and I had the sense of them towering over me. You move through the grid system not knowing where you are going, or if you will meet anyone. Although it was a sunny day, it felt dark and disquieting. For me, it reminded me of how prejudice can begin in small ways (e.g. othering, propaganda), but how quickly it deepens to discrimination and violation of human rights, and eventually genocide. For me the walk through the slabs as they became increasingly bigger, and more overpowering was disturbing. The ground is also undulating, making one feel somewhat unsteady and uncertain. As I stood in the middle of the memorial, I had this strong sense I needed to get out or would be ‘consumed’. Reading interpretations of the memorial afterwards it seems this sense of foreboding is common.

The memorial is a stark reminder as we approach Holocaust Memorial Day (27th January) of the importance of not only remembrance but that we must do all we can to promote and protect freedom of religion or belief. The theme for HMD 2025 is ‘For a better future’. I believe that education about freedom of religion or belief is a vital for building better futures, and as part of this it is important to call out Holocaust or genocide denial or trivialisation, and to use authoritative sources to learn more about the Holocaust and genocides.

As we all mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2025, may we come together to ensure better futures for all in our communities.

On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me a home education fund for West Midlands families.

On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me, two (thousand) e-learning enrolments and a home education fund for West Midlands families.

On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me, three team members (Julia, Fiona, Hannah), two (thousand) e-learning enrolments and a home education fund for West Midlands families.

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, four new trustees (Paul, James, Richard, Gwynn), three team members, two (thousand) e-learning enrolments and a home education fund for West Midlands families.

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, five policy briefings! Four new trustees, three team members, two (thousand) e-learning enrolments and a home education fund for West Midlands families.

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, six strategic partnerships (RE Council, NATRE, Brilliant Club, RE Policy Unit, Edgehill University and Theos Think Tank), five policy briefings! Four new trustees, three team members, two (thousand) e-learning enrolments and a home education fund for West Midlands families.

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me, seven (plus) hours of RExChange, six strategic partnerships, five policy briefings! Four new trustees, three team members, two (thousand) e-learning enrolments and a home education fund for West Midlands families.

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, eight new project grants, seven (plus) hours of RExChange, six strategic partnerships, five policy briefings! Four new trustees, three team members, two (thousand) e-learning enrolments and a home education fund for West Midlands families.

On the nineth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, nine Year 1 leadership scholars, eight new project grants, seven (plus) hours of RExChange, six strategic partnerships, five policy briefings! Four new trustees, three team members, two (thousand) e-learning enrolments and a home education fund for West Midlands families.

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, ten conference engagements, nine Year 1 leadership scholars, eight new project grants, seven (plus) hours of RExChange, six strategic partnerships, five policy briefings! Four new trustees, three team members, two (thousand) e-learning enrolments and a home education fund for West Midlands families.

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me, eleven new collaborations fostered (e.g. Good Faith Partnership, NGA, Cambridge Interfaith Programme, British Deaf Association, ISA) ten conference engagements, nine Year 1 leadership scholars, eight new project grants, seven (plus) hours of RExChange, six strategic partnerships, five policy briefings! Four new trustees, three team members, two (thousand) e-learning enrolments and a home education fund for West Midlands families.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, twelve new masters scholars, eleven new collaborations fostered, ten conference engagements, nine Year 1 leadership scholars, eight new project grants, seven (plus) hours of RExChange, six strategic partnerships, five policy briefings! Four new trustees, three team members, two (thousand) e-learning enrolments and a home education fund for West Midlands families.

The Curriculum and Assessment Review provides, I believe, a once in a lifetime opportunity to revisit the place of RE in the curriculum. Watch the video below to find out more.

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.