Diocese of Hereford Education Update E-Bulletin

We are determined and careful to always, always keep schools as safe places for everyone. We all try hard to ensure that political disagreements and religious disagreements are left at the school gate. A teacher cannot try to persuade their class that the government of the day is wonderful or terrible. They cannot proselytise. They cannot promote a particular view which causes others to feel excluded. This has to be right. Strong opinions can be polarising and even threatening for those less confident to even step onto the battlefield, let alone put up a fight. But schools are not bubbles of isolation. They are connected to the wider world and there are and always will be countless occasions where a child will hear something at home and repeat that view or opinion in school, and then the bubble bursts. We feel that connection with the wider world, sometimes in a way that threatens the sanctuary of normal school life for some children and young people.

I was caught completely off guard the other day when I was collecting my takeaway. There was a bit of a wait and the waiter and I talked about the return to work after the Christmas holiday. I mentioned that I worked in schools and the next minute I was asked about national curriculum requirements within Personal, Social, Health Education and UK equality legislation and Relationship and Sex Education and trans-gender policies in schools, and so it went on. It was in the context of his own children's education. This was certainly not the conversation I was expecting in a very off-duty moment and I fear I wasn’t very erudite or articulate. I fell back on the Valuing All God’s Children document to try and answer some of the questions. That didn’t exactly make the conversation easier, but we got somehow through it relatively unscathed. The small group of people who were also just out to fetch some delicious, low maintenance food, looked somewhat surprised by the serious conversation. I was very relieved to see the food arrive. I was at least able to offer some (hopefully useful) advice, which I’ve used hundreds of times, which was simply, ‘If you are worried, go and talk directly to the school and listen very carefully to what they have to say. Keep an open mind and an open heart.’

In that spirit, I thought it might be helpful this week as we try to make sense of the Church of England’s position, to simply print the statement that Bishop Richard published on Tuesday, and to listen carefully with and open mind and open heart…

Bishop Richard: statement on Living in Love and Faith.
I write to you as brothers and sisters in Christ, bound by our shared faith on the proposals and statements issued today following the Bishops’ discernment that followed the Living in Love and Faith consultation.

Over the last few years, I have listened with great care to understand better the personal experiences of individuals who identify as LGBTQI+. I feel great sorrow that their experiences have been all too often hurtful. I know I bear some responsibility in this, and I am sorry for the hurt this has caused. I want to make clear that everyone is welcome in our Church. We are all loved and cherished as followers of Christ - our names and stories are known to Him.
All the Bishops of the Church of England will be issuing an apology this week to LGBTQI+ people for the “rejection, exclusion and hostility” they have faced in churches and the impact this has had on their lives.
Today’s announcement regarding the proposals for same-sex prayers and blessings marks a turning point for the Church of England. The proposals which have been put forward are the result of a process of discernment, reflection and prayer. I recognise that for many, these proposals do not go nearly far enough in recommending the change to the Church of England’s doctrine on marriage, whilst, for others, they go too far. In journeying together through disagreement, we have learned that though we hold many views and different life experiences and express our faith in various ways, we are one family in Christ. We are bound together in faith by the same Holy Spirit.
I commend the proposals we have put forward today at the end of the Living in Love and Faith process. I believe this is not the end of the conversation but a milestone in our journey together. There is still much work to do on revised pastoral principles.
They will offer the fullest possible pastoral provision for same-sex couples through a range of draft prayers, known as Prayers of Love and Faith, which could be used voluntarily in churches for couples who have marked a significant stage of their relationships, such as a civil marriage or civil partnership.
Let us pray for one another in the next steps of our faith journey.
Yours in Christ,
+Richard

Collect (2nd Sunday of Epiphany)
Eternal Lord,
our beginning and our end:
bring us with the whole creation
to your glory, hidden through past ages
and made known
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

Don’t forget to book your conference places. The sooner the better, as places at The Left Bank will limit the total numbers we can accommodate.

Well done to Stewart Debenham and the team at Kingsland CE Primary who survived a two-day OfSTED inspection this week. Best wishes for a weekend of rest and recovery.

Thank you all for everything you are doing in support of schools across the diocese, at the start of this new spring term.

Blessings and best wishes,

Andrew
Canon Andrew Teale
Diocesan Director of Education

EDUCATION TEAM UPDATE
BULLETIN No. 356

This week's message from Andrew Teale, Diocesan Director of Education

For further information and updates from the wider Diocese please see the regular bulletins issued by the central communications team.

EDUCATION TEAM UPDATE BULLETIN No. 356

This week's message from Andrew Teale, Diocesan Director of Education

For further information and updates from the wider Diocese please see the regular bulletins issued by the central communications team.

EDUCATION TEAM UPDATE
BULLETIN No. 356