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REC Newsletter April 2010
CELEBRATING RE
The REC has initiated planning for a celebration of RE
throughout England and Wales during the whole month of March 2011. The aims of Celebrating RE include providing
a showcase for enjoyable and relevant RE with pupils of all abilities and age
groups and raising public awareness of RE's distinctive and positive
contribution to society and social cohesion.
Further information will be available on the event website at www.celebratingre.org from late April.
NATIONAL FAMILY WEEK
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National
Family Week aims to highlight the important role families play in society and
encourage healthy active lifestyles and quality family time. Now in its second
year, National Family Week is the largest coalition on family issues and is
backed by all major political parties and a huge range of national charities,
community groups and sporting associations.
Over 5,000 events will take place during National Family Week 2010
(31st May - 6th June) plus record breaking excitement, giveaways,
competitions and activity ideas to encourage families to spend quality time
together.
For
further information on the plans for The Week, theme day toolkits and
promotional resources, visit the National Family Week website at www.nationalfamilyweek.co.uk and register for the Partner Zone.
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RESILIENCE UPDATE
An important stage in the development of the project has
been reached, as a pilot study is presently being carried out in a number of
English schools in preparation for the roll out in September 2010. Evaluation
of the pilot will help to identify strengths as well as areas which might need
to be refined or improved. All information about REsilience can now be found on
its website - www.RE-silience.org.uk The website will include a regular newsletter
which will replace the updates sent directly to the REC up to now.
HIGHER EDUCATION
FUNDING COUNCIL UPDATE ON ISLAMIC STUDIES MARCH 2010
HEFCE has worked to develop a programme to support Islamic Studies
as a designated strategically important subject since 2007. Details of the
programme can be found at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/aboutus/sis/islamic/.
HEFCE also recently published a data report produced by the
HE Academy showing the provision of teaching in Islamic Studies, in terms of
numbers of modules available. It
highlights the institutional and disciplinary diversity of Islamic Studies
teaching. The report is available to download at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/rdreports/2010/rd06_10/.
The Islamic Studies Network (www.heacademy.ac.uk/islamicstudies),
funded by HEFCE, HEFCW and SFC, works across the Higher Education Academy's
Subject Centres to bring together those working in Islamic Studies to enhance
teaching and learning in higher education.
Please visit the HEA website or contact
for more details:
RE AND ENVIRONMENT
PROJECT (REEP)
This year's Easter greeting tells how flowers and gardens
have traditionally formed part of the iconography and message of the Christian
Easter story, using interpretations from both art and
photography. After such a hard winter, REEP hopes that its Easter garden will
bring some brightness.
http://reep.org/resources/easter/2010/
ST GABRIELS' WEEKEND CONFERENCE FOR TEACHERS OF RE
The 10th St
Gabriel's Teachers conference will be held at Wokefield Park conference centre,
Reading on the weekend of 16th/17th October 2010. Hosting
200 primary and secondary Religious Education teachers from across the country,
the conference theme is "RE for the Twenty Tens - a new curriculum context". Maintaining
the very best in professional development for teachers, the St Gabriel's
conference will provide a valuable opportunity to RE teachers to learn more
about the core subject of the curriculum - Religious Education. Application forms for the conference are
available from 15th March from www.culham.ac.uk/sg/weekend .
BLOXHAM PROJECT
The
Bloxham Project is holding its conference this year at Trinity College, Oxford from 12th-14th April and the theme is: 'Educating
the Spirit: Christian Vision and Education' . Any
last-minute enquiries should be sent by e-mail to the Bloxham Office at
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FBFE
GUIDANCE ON SPIRITUAL, MORAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL EDUCATION
Guidance
on Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education ( smsc) for the FE sector
was launched on 15 March at the College of Haringey, Enfield and North-East
London. Iain Wright MP, Minister for
14-19 Reform and Apprenticeships, DCSF, attended the launch and expressed the
government's support for the guidance. The full guidance document will be
available on the LSIS and fbfe websites ( iwww.fbfe.org.uk) at the end of
March 2010
NEWS FROM HINDU COUNCIL UK
(work with inter faith & NHS)
Hindu Council UK continues to
present a broad vision of religion at Inter faith gatherings. Last month it
contributed at a session at the Steiner Centre in the Forest of Dean. The theme
promoted was Comprehensive Pluralism. This concept does not undermine any
faith but has the capacity of refreshing the message of all faiths and is even
open to the idea of spirituality invoked in a non-religious mode though other
fields of human endeavour like arts and sciences. Hindu Council UK also
conducted a training session on Indic religions for the NHS Care Trust
executives at a temple in Cricklewood.
NEWS FROM HINDU ACADEMY (activities
at schools and colleges)
The Hindu Academy continues to
provide a Hindu input to students at schools both in the public and private
sector. Last month sessions were conducted at Chloe Shalom Jewish School
in Shenley, St Christopher's School (founded on Theosophic ideals) in
Aylesbury; Divine Saviour RC Primary School in Abbots Langley, Coverdale School
in Shepherds Bush; Ravenor Primary School in Greenford; Forest School in
Waltham Forest. Hindu Academy conducted sessions on Science and Religion for
students at the London School of Economics, King's College & City
University. In March the same theme was explored at Manchester University and
at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, Manchester. Next month the same
theme is being explored in an Assembly at Eton College
BAPTIST UNION
The Baptist Union recently ran the first of a
series of training days around the country called Love Your Local
School. Designed to help every Baptist church engage with local
schools to a lesser or greater degree, either ecumenically or in partnership
with a Christian schools work agency, guidance is given so that the spiritual
experience of the students is enhanced through by the opportunity to learn from
the local Christian community.
INTER FAITH NETWORK FOR THE UK
Local
Inter Faith Organisations and Standing Advisory Councils on Religious
Education: Working together for understanding and
community cohesion Report on a seminar held by the Inter Faith
Network for the UK and the National Association of SACREs on 12 June 2009 at
the Elmbank Centre, Coventry. This
report is downloadable from http://www.interfaith.org.uk
JAINPEDIA
The Institute of Jainology is
launching its JAINpedia project in May with an exhibition at the Victoria and
Albert Museum. This will be accompanied by a website that has over 4,000 Jain
manuscripts digitised and contextualised with new material. JAINpedia will open to the public at the V&A
Nehru Gallery of Indian Art and will run from 14th May 2010 till 31st December 2012. There will also be a
series of related activities which can be found on the web link below and
clicking on to V&A activities 2010-11. See www.jainology.org for details or contact
SUBJECT CENTRE FOR PHILOSOPHICAL AND RELIGIOUS
STUDIES
The
Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies
is holding a two-day conference in the summer to explore issues around the
policy and practice of teaching Theology and Religious Studies in higher
education in a multi-faith and multi-cultural society. The conference will take
place on 8-9th July in Leeds. We are keen for secondary level R.E.
teachers to be represented at this event. More details, including the call for
papers, are available here: http://www.prs.heacademy.ac.uk/view.html/prsevents/460
AULRE ANNUAL CONFERENCE
The Annual Conference of the Association
of University Lecturers in Religion and Education (U.K.) will be held in
Norwich from Thursday 1st July and Friday 2nd July 2010. The topic will be
Religion, Education and Spiritual Development.
The conference is open to non-AULRE members. For further details please see http://www.aulre.org.uk/
NEW RESOURCES FOR TEACHING ABOUT BUDDHISM
Clear Vision announces its newest
materials for Buddhism at K3&4: Us and Them: Buddhism and community. A
trial section can be viewed at http://www.clear-vision.org/Schools/Teachers.aspx
This
new online interactive resource explores Buddhist teachings
on community-building and the self and consists of 10 videos with
notes, discussion topics and activities cover topics including identity
and belonging; volunteering and charities; speech and
communication; democracy; karma and the environment
INTER FAITH WEEK 2010
Inter
Faith Week 2010 will take place in England and Wales from Saturday 21 November
to Sunday 27 November. See www.interfaithweek.org.uk. Resources
for schools can be downloaded from the site.
VALUES, BELIEFS AND
FAITHS IN FURTHER EDUCATION. PUTTING
SMSC (spiritual, moral, social and cultural) DEVELOPMENT AT THE HEART OF
COLLEGE LIFE
This conference will take place from 6 - 8 July, 2010 at
York St John University. It is for
college chaplains, all staff with a brief for inclusion, citizenship,
equalities & diversity, tutorial programmes, enrichment, Governors, members
of faith communities interested in post-16 education and is organised by the
Churches' National Adviser in FE, based at the Education Division, Church House
(Church of England), London. It will cost £175, full board. For booking matters contact
; for
matters relating to the programme contact
.
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