Schools Bulletin - The Church of England Education Office

The Church of England Education Office

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Dear Colleagues,

It has become something of an annual event as we wait with eager expectation to discover what the theme will be and how the message will be delivered. Will we be left crying or confused? But the wait is over, the John Lewis Christmas advert is finally here and with the lights adorning our streets already, we know that even though it is only the middle of November, we are already in the run up to the busyness of our Christmas activities.

We launched our new national secondary school leadership network the same day as the launch of their advert; the same day as political uncertainty raged around us, with ministers resigning and no one quite certain where the day would end politically. But as we did we were reminded of the essential role education plays in society as we seek the flourishing of every child and help them to find dignity and love as they grow to know who they are and how they should live in today’s world.

Like Elton John’s piano, some gifts are more than just a gift. Our networks which form part of our movement for education remind us that the gift of education is one that offers the fullness of life that Jesus invites us to share in. As we encourage our school communities, our children and young people in the build up to Christmas, let’s keep reminding ourselves that fulfilment is not found in the things we might buy or receive from a shop, however great their adverts are, but in knowing who we are, why we are here and how then we should live.

The Church of England’s highly successful Christmas campaigns have also won awards! This year the theme is #FollowTheStar. You can sign up for daily reflections and find resources here.

With thanks for all that you do to bring the great gift of education to those in your care.

Rev’d Nigel Genders
Chief Education Officer
Church of England Education Office

Prayer for the day

Faithful Creator,
whose mercy never fails:
deepen our faithfulness to you
and to your living Word,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

National Conference 7 February 2019

Our third National Conference will be taking place at Central Hall, Westminster and will feature a fantastic range of keynote speakers, practical workshops, networking and collaboration across the following four streams:

School Leaders
MAT leaders and Governors
Diocese Teams and Church Leaders
School Sixth Form Younger Leaders

We are thrilled to welcome The Secretary of State for Education, the Bishop of London, the Chaplain to the Speaker, Dame Alison Peacock, Bill Lucas, Mary Myatt and many others to share on this crucial leadership area. Tickets will be priced at £125+VAT.

Now open for bookings: www.cefel.org.uk/nc19/

The Church of England’s response to the Government consultation on Relationships and Sex Education

The Church of England has published its response to the Government’s consultation on draft guidance for Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education.

Our priority remains supporting children and young people in developing positive relationships, helping them gain the resilience needed to avoid harmful relationships and equipping them to deal with the things that undermine their self-esteem and identity.

We have welcomed much of what has been proposed, such as the inclusion of health education and the need to show respect for LGBTI+ people and to teach about sexual orientation in the secondary phase. However, we are disappointed that the opportunity has not been taken to improve the status of Personal Social & Health Education (PSHE) and particularly financial education.

We are concerned that, although the draft guidance makes it clear that schools of a faith character may teach faith perspectives within RSE, it seems to indicate that other schools would only cover this within the subject area of RE. We believe there is a risk of ghettoising faith perspectives on relationships, wrongly suggesting that they are only relevant to pupils attending schools of a religious character.

This, we believe, serves to problematise religion, rather than giving children and young people the skills and knowledge they need for life in pluralistic communities with diverse belief, faith, religion and culture. Children and young people up and down the country deserve a broad understanding of the positive way faith impacts on people’s identity, self-esteem, daily life and choices.

Time to Change

The way young people think and act about mental health is a national priority, though we recognise a lack of time and confidence can make supporting young people challenging.

That's why Time to Change is once again giving away a simple, effective and inspiring set of resources and advice to support work with young people. In return, they ask is for a commitment to deliver four very short sessions about mental health during the month of November.

This year's campaign is called In Your Corner, and will feature new session plans and films.

You can register for the free materials by signing up now.

This Advent the Youth Trust is challenging Young Leaders to reflect on four gifts of the Christmas Story and share these gifts with others in practical ways. The challenge is open to all, including pupils not currently taking part in the Young Leaders Award.

There is so much packing, wrapping and decorating at Christmas that the real story can get lost. The ‘Advent Unwrapped’ resource explores the gifts of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love

Each week the resource includes:

An introduction to the theme
A Bible link
Practical challenges
Reflective challenges
A prayer

These resources can be used in the classroom or in collective worship. Challenges can be done individually or as a group or class.

Share your stories: Stories of pupils sharing the gifts of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love with others during Advent can be shared with the Youth Trust on social media @ABYyouthtrust

How to take part: Follow the link to sign up and take part. Once signed up, you can download the resources.

The Flying Angel Education Resource

International maritime welfare charity, The Mission to Seafarers (MtS), has produced a cross-curricular primary education resource that is free to download from their website. It links to the key areas of the national curriculum and is arranged in a user-friendly way. Using worksheets, PowerPoint presentations and games, children learn about seafarers and how much we depend on them. Over 90% of everything we use is carried via the sea and seafarers often spend up to a year far from home and family. The Flying Angel Education Resource explores the lives of seafarers, what they do and how they impact our way of life.

“The Flying Angel Education Resource is excellent, and I would highly recommend it
as a valuable resource for primary school teachers. The beauty of this education pack,
is that it sets out lessons step by step relevant to the key stage and age group appropriate.
With clear areas for achievable differentiation, and with the scope for advanced research
for more able children, it truly is cross-curricular.”

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