Religious education newsletter - January 2025

In the November newsletter I wrote about the idea that ‘all things are in a state of flux’. The world is constantly changing, nothing stays the same. For this reason, it is often helpful to seek opportunities for stillness. The world’s religious traditions each, in their own way, create pathways for people to draw aside from their busy lives to seek silence, giving opportunities for spiritual reflection.

Try setting up reflective sessions where pupils can experience stillness, whether in the classroom or in a forest school context. Here are some suggested sites to explore. I continue to recommend New Methods in Religious Education Teaching: An Experimental Approach by Hammond and Hay, but more recent books are also available. Mary Stone’s Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There is full of practical wisdom.

Here are some sites that might be helpful:

• Quiet Garden stilling exercise

• Stillness in schools

• Ignatian Christian stilling exercise

• Buddhist stilling exercise

• Contemplative toolkit videos

The new syllabus (pdf) can be downloaded here.

Password: DevonREsyllabus2024 or PlymouthREsyllabus2024.

Visit the new RE hubs website for all your RE needs: accredited School Speakers, Places of Worship, Advertise RE Jobs, Resources, Calendar of CPD Events, Local Groups.

Access local Religion and Worldviews visitors for RE

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MAT RE leaders’ network meeting

Do you lead RE across a MAT? 4.00-5.30pm 1 April 2025

Local network leaders’ meeting

Do you lead a local RE hub group? 4.00-5.30pm 15 May 2025

Learn Teach Lead RE (LTLRE, Area 1)

LTLRE hub (twilight) meetings are free and open to all teachers of RE, primary and secondary. See LTLRE website for full details.

South Devon and Torbay hub: 23 January 2025

North Devon hub: 23 January 2025

RE calendar dates

The RE calendar on the REonline site has a useful RE Calendar for festivals and religious observances.

Awareness Days is a useful site for cultural events.

World Religion Day is on 19 January. Links

Martin Luther King Day is on 20 January. Resources

St Brigid’s Day is on 1 February. Celebrating the creativity of women. Info

World Hijab Day is on 1 February. Resources

Darwin Day is on 12 February. Resources

Ramadan will be taking place from Friday 28 February to Sunday 30 March 2025. BBC resources

Primary RE: support resources

RE Today offers a set of all-inclusive primary resources, crafted by expert teachers, to provide complete support to teach the new syllabus.

Holocaust Memorial Day 2025

The theme for HMD 2025 is: For a Better Future.

Book now for Exeter events, taking place on Monday 27 January 2025.

Evening meeting 7pm Tuesday 18 February. Adam Jones - Evoking Genocide in Photography. The Mint, Exeter.

Spirited Arts 2025

Join hundreds of schools worldwide participating in this year’s NATRE Spirited Arts competition. Entries are welcome in almost any art form. This year’s themes are:

1. Living in a diverse world

2. Stories that change lives

3. Thinking about God?

4. Sacred Places

5. All God's Creatures?

6. Making sense of life

TrueTube videos

There are some great new videos on TrueTube. Here’s a link for visits to Places of Worship on Holy Cribs. This short film explains Christian denominations. This one explores the way different denominations celebrate Holy Communion. There are some useful clips on Pilgrimage. Other useful film links are here.

Farmington scholarships open

Farmington scholarships are now open. This gives primary and secondary teachers funding to spend up to 30 days out of school, researching a fascinating RE topic, with someone else paid to take your classes! Closing date: 26 January 2025.

US teenager becomes Buddhist teacher

Read about how an American teenager has left his life of sport and love of rap music to embrace his identity as a reincarnated Buddhist lama. His goal is “to become a leader of peace,” following the example of the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Gandhi.

The Kumbh Mela

The World’s largest spiritual gathering! The Kumbh Mela 2025 is scheduled to take place from 13 January to 26 Febuary 2025 at Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. This 'grand' iteration of the Kumbh Mela is a once-in-144-years event scheduled to last 44 days. It is estimated that it will draw about 400 million visitors in total.

The Ramayana retold: re-evaluating Sita

In her latest blog, Nikki McGee explores how, rather than being seen as a dutiful, unquestioning wife, Sita can be understood through a feminist and Dalit lens. The Ramayana is not just a tale of gods and demons - it can be read as a story that continues to challenge and transform society today.

GCSE RS group

Join the NATRE RS GCSE virtual network meeting at 4.00pm on 5 February for sharing tips and revision strategies. To take part, message Matt Pitcher on X (formerly Twitter) at @re_runner

A level RS group

Join a meeting for A Level RS teachers at 6.00pm on 26 January. Contact k.steele@worc.ac.uk

Primary RE subject leaders

The NATRE Primary Subject Leader toolkit, is a FREE resource for primary school RE subject leaders. Access a whole number of resources and links to support your role.

Develop your Subject Knowledge

The Govt has withdrawn funding for subject knowledge enhancement courses (SKEs) for those applying to RE PGCE courses. In their absence here is a list of largely free online courses, podcasts, webinars and websites which might be useful to anyone who wants to develop subject knowledge prior to enrolment onto teacher education courses. Or for anyone who wants to improve their knowledge of the subject.