News from the World of RE

From RE Today (www.retoday.org.uk)

02/02/2012
Science & Religion - conference for teachers

Creativity, Creation, and a Big Bang is a one-day conference on science and religion in the school curriculum. The conference, held by The Faraday Institute, offers an intensive and exciting programme for those with an interest in the teaching and learning of science and religion.

The conference is being held on Saturday 19 May 2012 at St Edmunds College Cambridge and costs just 짙20 including lunch (짙15 trainees/HE students).

The keynote speaker is Professor John Hedley Brooke: ‘Newton, Science and Religion’. Research and Resource sessions are from the LASAR team (Learning about science and religion).

To register for the conference, visit the conference page of The Faraday Institute. See also the Conference flyer below. LASAR_Conference_2012_flier.pdf

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01/02/2012
Michael Gove and professional associations

Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education, has told the Education Select Committee that teachers will benefit from aligning themselves with professional associations: ‘They produce material on the curriculum and professional development, they have educational journals…they [all phases of educators] should be part of one fused profession’.

In advance of the session the Committee asked the public to suggest questions via twitter. More than 5000 tweets were received. All the questions were reviewed and a selection used to prepare for the session and decide the topics to be raised.

A video of the full Committee proceedings can be seen on this link. Responses to the Twitter questions being at 2.23mins. The question about professional associations begins at 2.o6 mins.

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29/01/2012
2012 Olympics - in Primary RE

If you are looking for ideas for how to include something on the 2012 Olympics in RE lessons (primary) then do check out Issue 5 of Primary Subjects, published by the CfSA. This issue includes a four-page curriculum leaflet specifically on RE that was written by NATRE. Issue 5 also contains equivalent leaflets for other subjects in the primary curriculum.

For more information about Primary Subjects see the CfSA website or email NATRE if you can’t find what you are looking for. NATRE is a member organisation of the CfSA.

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23/01/2012
Letter to Ofsted about RE

A letter has been sent to Sir Michael Wilshaw, newly appointed Chief Inspector (HMCI) at Ofsted, regarding the new Ofsted framework and theconcerns about RE. The letter has gone jointly from NATRE and the RE Council. HMCI_ofsted_letter_18_Jan_final.pdf

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21/01/2012
Farmington Fellowships 2012 - 2013

Details of Farmington Fellowships for 2012-2013 are now available. They are open to Secondary and Primary school teachers, teachers of RE to children with Special Educational Needs, and Headteachers.

The brochure below provides information about the nature and purpose of the Fellowships. Further details can be found on the Farmington Institures’s website.

Fellowship_Leaflet_2012-13.pdf

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19/01/2012
Conference: Growing Together in 2012

Kirklees Council is putting on a one-day conference to explore ways to develop special areas, Learning Outside the Classroom spaces, quiet corners, faith gardens and faith trails.

Date: 3 May 2012, 9.45am - 4.00pm Venue: Oakwell Hall, Batley, Yorkshire Keynote speaker: Lat Blaylock, Senior Adviser, RE Today Cost: 짙80 per person

This is a conference for teachers, governors, garden owners, gardeners, countryside rangers who want to develop their spaces for our present and future generations. You will be inspired to capture children's attention and imagination, enrich and enliven the curriculum, using your existing resources and environment.

For further details about the day and how to book please see the document below. Growing_together_in_2012_conference_3_May_2012.pdf

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18/01/2012
Vacancy: Face to Faith Support Co-ordinator

The Tony Blair Faith Foundation is looking to appoint a Support Co-ordinator for its Face to Faith Project. Details are given in the document below.

Face_to_Faith_Support_Coordinator_Jan_12.pdf

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16/01/2012
RE Conference 2012

The Schools Network Conference on Religious Education takes place on 24 January 2012 - ‘RE in the changing educational landscape.’ There is still time to book your place.

The conference is being held at Scarman House, University of Warwick, and is open to anyone who is passionate about improving education in RE and the wider curriculum e.g. teachers of RE, Heads of RE Department.

Full details of the event can be found here.

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12/01/2012
RE department at heart of curriculum!

An email sent to NATRE this week shows that in some schools, RE is thriving! Such good news is worth celebrating at a time when RE is not so fortunate in a good number of schools.

Here is what the Head of RE has to say: ‘I just wanted to tell you some good news about RE. Here at Royal Manor we deliver full course philosophy and applied ethics to every key stage four student. Our EBacc students get three hours a fortnight and our non EBacc students receive five hours a fortnight. Keystage four starts in year eight for us so that’s a sustained period of high quality, and objectively assessed, RE that all our students get. We are a 750-student secondary school with performing arts status and no religious affiliation. Our RE department is thriving and right at the centre of the curriculum.’

NATRE would be delighted to hear from any other RE teachers who want to share some good news about RE in their school.

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11/01/2012
Christians - a new publication for secondary RE

Questions: Christians, edited by Stephen Pett, explores some key questions for Christians, while addressing matters of relevance to students. It starts with John Hull's call for an active, living Christian faith (pp. 2 - 3). It asks why the Bible's teaching endures - for many because of the timeless wisdom it offers (pp. 5 - 11).

The balance of faith and works is illustrated through the exploration of the importance of Jesus (pp. 12 - 18) and the emphasis on loving God and loving your neighbour, whether in the local church (pp. 19 - 24) or on a gap year abroad (pp. 25 - 30).

Throughout, students are challenged to deepen their understanding of Christianity and to engage in thoughtful reflection on their own beliefs and actions, their own impact on the world.

ISBN: 978-1-905893-57-7 Price: 짙9.50 Available from: 0121 472 4242 and http://shop.retoday.org.uk

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