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On Boxing Day, Desmond Tutu the Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, died aged 90. Known world-wide for his vision, humour and bravery, he was a champion for justice.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, described Archbishop Tutu as
“a great warrior for justice who never stopped fighting – whether it was for those in his own country, for inclusivity in the South African Constitution, or for those suffering injustice around the world.”
He said:
“The world is different because of this man. Archbishop Tutu was a prophet and priest, a man of words and action, one who embodied the hope and joy that were the foundations of his life.”
In your schools we know you are agents of hope and champions of justice. Together, you build opportunities for learning; break down barriers for children, young people and their families; include, inspire and invite the school community to look to making a better, more hope-filled and just future.
Thank you for all you are doing. You are making a difference. You are encouraged!
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Joy Tubbs, Salisbury Diocese Director of Education has been honoured with an MBE in the New Year Honours for services to education. On hearing the news Joy said, “It is really humbling to be awarded in this way; the greatest honour though is to serve the incredible school and academy trust leaders of our diocese who so selflessly support children and young people every single day.”
Bishop Karen, Acting Bishop of Salisbury wrote, ‘I am delighted that Joy’s contribution to education has been recognised in the New Year honours. Through Joy’s leadership our Education Department has gone from strength to strength contributing not only to the development of our own work with church schools, but far beyond into the region and nationally. Joy’s faith, dedication to young people and commitment is second to none and this honour is so well deserved. Congratulations Joy’. Read more here.
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The Very Reverend Stephen Lake, Dean of Gloucester, has been elected as new Bishop of Salisbury. He visited last week on 13th January and his day began at the DEC with a welcome by children and teachers as well as new colleagues including Bishop Karen and Bishop Andrew. He was warmly welcomed too by Joy Tubbs. He and his family will move to Salisbury to take up his post after Easter. How might your school pray for them? Or welcome them? Here is more information.
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Two new Community Hub Development Advisers have joined the team. We are delighted to inform you that Hannah Tarring and Lorna Johnson are joining the diocesan team. Hannah comes from being the Children’s and Families worker in Melksham. Bringing experience and skills of working with Children and their families, building community, meeting need and helping families explore faith. She has many connections across Wiltshire and in the Messy Church Network. Lorna takes up post in February moving from a post as a family worker with Dorset Youth Association and is a curate in the Bridport Team. She is experienced at working with young people, helping them find their voice, accessing services and building community.
We are grateful to the Allchurches Trust and the Community of St Denys Trust for their support which is funding this work.
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Rural teaching partnership moves into its second year.
Our diocese has ten trainees in primary schools where the ITE delivery partner is Teach First. Six of these are on The Rural Teaching Partnership Programme, which is now expanding to become a national programme, having started in just ten dioceses.
Are you looking for a teacher for September 2022? Or do you have a TA, colleague or someone in your community who you’d like to employ as a trainee?
If so or if you have any questions, please contact Nicola Coupe nicola.coupe@salisbury.anglican.org to explore whether the RTP and/or Teach First programme might be just what you are looking for!
"I am pleased the Chartered College of Teaching will be part of this exciting initiative. It will shine a light on the expertise of teaching communities in rural areas of England." - Dame Alison Peacock, CEO of the Chartered College of Teaching.
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CofE PQH and national PQs deadline for February 2022 cohort was this week but the next cohort after that will begin in September.
Here is the link to the webpage where you can see the structure of all the PQ courses delivered by CEFEL through their regional partners.
“Sending my deputy on the CofEPQH was the best CPD our school has had!”
Who in your team might benefit from this highly recommended CPD?
NPQ queries to: NPQ@churchofengland.org
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Rural Networks for Teachers, headteachers and senior Leaders – There are a variety of ways to connect, including WhatsApp, Facebook and virtual networks. There are 90 members nationally and a committee of 14 rural champions working in rural schools who are leading the work. Read more here to build connections, to inspire and be inspired as teachers & leaders, and support wellbeing and resilience in the rural teaching community. Or contact Chloe Cawthorne, the network facilitator on ccawthorne@teachfirst.org.uk
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What’s coming up this term at the Chartered College of Teaching? The CCT aim to provide relevant research, programmes, webinars and opportunities to benefit members with what matters most. Click here to see what’s coming up this term. Click here for membership information. (Cost = under £2 per month)
If there is anything else you wish to see more of from your professional body please contact hello@chartered.college
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CREative, Reinspiring RE Conference is on March 31st 2022.
We are delighted to announce our speakers and workshops on the booking page here. With a focus on diversity across Islam and non-religious worldviews you will come away from this day with confidence and ideas to put into practice in your school. It is free for PSA subscribed schools and only £50 per person otherwise. Share this link to friends near and far so they can be inspired too.
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Local RE Network Hubs are taking place across the diocese in March. For details and booking click here
Some HLPs are looking for a local school venue in their area – if your course venue still says TBC, why not offer your school as a venue? Get in touch with your HLP! Details are here.
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World Religions Day 16th January – Do share with your local HLP what you did. If you want to explore resources to use in a future year, here are some: Resources here from BBC Teach, here from TES and here from National Today who say: World Religion Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in January every year, and is a reminder of the need for harmony and understanding between religions and faith systems. On this day, communities of different faiths have the opportunity to get together and listen to each other, as well as celebrate the differences and commonalities that the delicate intermingling of culture and religion brings. There are approximately 4,200 religions around the world. While many people live their lives without religion, faith in a higher being or power works for the majority of people.
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Religion Media Centre factsheets are written by academics and journalists to explain the context of current religion and belief stories in the media. They include information on festivals. Browse here.
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DEED is a global education and learning centre supporting Dorset and Hampshire. It supports education and innovation by encouraging and inspiring teachers, pupils and community members to develop their understanding of global issues and cultural diversity. Click here to see some of the projects they have been engaged in and to see resources and local stories you might use. These include resources for Black History and Gypsy, Roma Travellers.
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Holocaust Memorial day 27th January The 2022 theme is One Day. Click here for HMD educational materials and here for a short blog on how a Durham CofE School engages with HMD. Devon Faith and Belief Forum have some video resources here. Click here for BBC Teach Resources for primary and secondary. Or here for National Literacy Trust 2021 resources. Preparing to cover this next year? You could seek some training and support from Holocaust Education Trust.
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New RE:Online resources include A Post 16/A level digest of useful books; a planned series of lessons for UKS2 or KS3 on ethics ‘Is the struggle for equality a spiritual or practical matter?’; and a forthcoming series focused on ‘Ways of Knowing’ that explores further this Ofsted RE pillar of a school’s RE provision. See Resource for the Month.
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Cambridge project that explores the world of art, history, science and literature through religion.
It aims to bring insight to some of the many religious treasures that can be found in Cambridge. By introducing the artefacts, they hope to show that religion isn’t just a single subject based on faith, but an opportunity to discover the many reaches, from art and history to music and science.
This website enables you to click on artefacts and read a short explanation on how they are related to religions of the world.
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Birmingham Virtual Visits to places of worship and Arts Society resources.
The Arts Society Birmingham has collaborated with six different places of worship, Birmingham Faith Leaders and other organisations that can support a virtual visit, to a place of worship for children 8 to 13 years. Videos feature young people talking about their faith.
Watch an introductory video to the project and then click on individual tabs for each religion here.
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Did you miss the RE Special mailing from the SDBE in November? Catch up here.
Items include: New Free RE Secondary and Middle School Forum; Belonging and Believing EYFS/KS1 books launched by Gill Vaisey; Wiltshire Locally Agreed Syllabus updates and dates for information sessions.
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Free Secondary Collective Worship Forum
You are invited to join this new collective worship forum for secondary and middle schools. It is open to all schools. There will be three sessions over the year, and all will be virtual from 3.45-4.45pm on Wed 16th February, Thurs 28th April and Thurs 7th July. Together you will create a rich resource bank on TEAMS to which all will have full access. The sessions will give you space to think, plan, and create inclusive, invitational and inspiring transformational collective worship in your school. You will be part of a network between secondary school communities from across Wiltshire, Dorset, Bristol, Swindon and BCP. With support from diocesan advisers from Bristol and Salisbury.
Attendance is open to all of the stakeholders in your collective worship/assembly programme.
The lead for this forum is Adam Watkin at St Laurence School, Bradford-on-Avon. Please email him on adawat@st-laurence.com with your contact details as soon as possible and he will arrange for you to access the TEAMS channel of resources and to give you the virtual link to the February session.
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Faith at Home Season Three resources focus on Justice and include Lent and Easter. If you missed them in 2021 there is a pdf with theologically underpinned resources to support your planning that could cover a number of weeks and indeed could give you a ‘cycle’ of approaches to Lent for example over a few years. Download them here.
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Pop Uk is launching a FREE song bank for primary schools. It is a Christian charity that aims to serve schools by providing songs and lesson resources that strengthen children’s understanding of the Christian faith. Their song ‘A better day will come’ is based on Luke 12 v 22-26 where Jesus instructs his disciples not to worry. You can explore all the content on the song bank by becoming a member using this link and looking at the website www.PopUK.org
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Cathedral workshop for pupil ambassadors for collective worship During 2021 the cathedral education team have continued to be busy developing workshops. They have developed a visit that could be used for your pupil collective worship leaders. A typical day might include the cathedral as a place of worship/symbolism tour, a craft workshop making altar frontals from card/paper and then a session to talk about clergy robes symbolism in the Cathedral.
The cathedral team may be able to adapt the day for specific school requirements. For example including time to make links to the school’s own collective worship and to think about planning for the term ahead. A charge is made of £5.50 per pupil for a day which runs from 10am - 2pm. If you are interested in building a day or half day visit, please contact Katherine Dolphin in the Cathedral Education Department T. 01722 555 180 k.dolphin@salcath.co.uk (Please note that currently all bookings are provisional due to the pandemic and the school will be invoiced afterwards.)
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Church of England’s Theme for #LiveLent 2022 is ‘Embracing Justice’
How might your school and church community work together over Lent (2nd March to 17th April) this year? It invites us to examine our own lives truthfully, to see the world more deeply and to pray – for the church and the world far and near – that ‘justice may roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream’ (Amos 5.24). Pupil booklets will be available. However you are marking Lent this year, we are keen to have your stories.
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The Children’s Society
“We fight for hope by deeply understanding the needs of young people. This means researching the challenges they face and championing changes in policy and practice to improve the lives of those who need hope most.”
Jess Meale is the new community relationships manager for the Southwest. She produces a regular newsletter and will be working with Salisbury diocesan comms team - Amber Jackson and Grace McSharry to recruit a Diocesan Ambassador for Children's Society this year - an individual who can work collaboratively with senior diocesan staff, clergy, and volunteers and staff of The Children’s Society.
If you know someone who would like to help the most vulnerable children in the UK please get in touch with Jess on 07715 510464 or by email Jess.Meale@childrenssociety.org.uk
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True Tube and BBC Teach - Black British Stories Short video resources to explore some of the history of the UK as told by Black people. Including this one of a 10-year-old boy talking to his grandmother, the writer Christina Shingler here.
See Children’s Society blog ‘Making Books more Inclusive’ here.
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Archbishop of York Youth Trust are running free webinars for schools looking for a programme that supports pupils to develop leadership and character through social action and the Young Leaders Award Programme for both Primary and Secondary schools. Find out more and sign up at www.abyyt.com/events.
Key Stage 1 Young Leaders Award ABYYT believe that giving younger pupils meaningful opportunities to explore leadership skills and character virtues and to get involved in social action early in life is key to developing young people who show confidence, resilience and care for others. This award helps explore the idea that small steps can lead to big changes. Pupils are introduced to the story of Gracie and her friends and are provided with opportunities to learn about, and put into practice, key leadership characteristics such as kindness, perseverance, teamwork and action.
The ABYYT are offering schools who are new to the KS1 Young Leaders Award, and who sign up 10 pupils or more, a 10% discount, available until 18th February with the code NEW-KS1-10.
If you’d like more information about the KS1 Young Leaders Award, please contact primaryyla@abyyt.com or visit www.abyyt.com/keystage1.
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Wellbeing and Mental Health
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Wiltshire Schools - Training and Resources to support pupils with Transition to Secondary School and Change in their lives. There is training available to Wiltshire school staff to deliver the Kidscape Rise Programme to help pupils adjust to the social changes required in transition and have confidence and techniques to manage the change.
Training dates for online webinars available this term can be seen here on the Wiltshire Healthy Schools webpage.
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At the end of last term and in response to some enquiries, Dr Margaret James (National Director of SIAMS) drafted a letter that you may wish to utilise when communicating news of your SIAMS inspection with parents. If you feel this would be helpful, please make use of this document. It is editable to enable schools to personalise it, but Dr Margaret James has emphasised that the body of the letter must remain unchanged, as it is going out in her name. The letter can be found here.
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We expect the SIAMS pause to be lifted at the end of this month with inspections restarting in February. We will pass on confirmation as we receive this from the National Team.
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As you will know, when a SIAMS inspection is initiated, a 2-Page summary of the SIAMS SEF is requested by the SIAMS inspector. As per the national guidance we have not developed a recommended template for a 2-Page summary of your SIAMS SEF. Where schools have asked, we have shared a starting point document from which you can build and develop a format that meets your needs. We would like to illustrate how these can be uniquely developed to celebrate how the school vision generates holistic flourishing. If you are preparing for SIAMS and are willing to share your 2-Page summary with other schools, anonymised, redacted or ‘as is’ please get in touch with Steve Cowdery on steve.cowdery@salisbury.anglican.org
Please remember that we continue to encourage schools to maintain a longer ‘live’ SEF document; a working document to support your ongoing self-evaluation and future planning. Such a document will enable school leaders and governors to determine how the school’s distinctive Christian vision enables pupils and adults to flourish.
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The SDBE would like to thank you for your dedication to your children, staff and communities in which you serve we know that this term will bring challenge, but we hope that there will be moments of joy among those you serve. Thankyou for all you are doing, you are making a difference, you are encouraged!
With our Very Best Wishes
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