23rd May 2025
Service of Welcome and Installation of Bishop Sophie Jelley
Just a reminder that Headteachers are invited to attend Bishop Sophie’s Service of Welcome and Installation which will take place at Coventry Cathedral on Saturday 7 June at 2pm.
Flourishing for All: Anti-Bullying Guidance – Update
The National Society’s Curriculum and Inclusion team have published Part C to add to the existing Anti-bullying Guidance for CofE schools document.
This addition has focused on how schools can be both proactive and reactive towards race-based bullying. The guidance provides a theological, legal and social basis for work towards building cultures that celebrate rather than erase difference.
A Richer Encounter with Parables of Jesus – RE Subject Knowledge CPD – Coming up after Half Term
Two sessions- Tues 10 June and Weds 25 June – 16.00-17.00
Live and Recorded. (Community Schools can attend at a cost of £30 and will also receive the recordings).
Session 1 – 10 June
In this CPD session Jen Jenkins will share some helpful teacher subject knowledge around the parables of Jesus that are included in the new Coventry and Warwickshire RE Agreed Syllabus. This will support teachers in understanding the historical-social context of the parables, as well as some important points regarding theology and hermeneutics for anybody teaching these as part of their RE lessons
Session 2 – 25 June
Too often when exploring the parables, primary pupils are directed to a single, incontestable ‘correct’ meaning. In this session Dr Ryan Parker will share principles and an exemplification of a richer, more scholarly approach to teaching the parables which helped students grapple with diverse interpretations of a parable and consider why different people, including themselves, interpret these texts in different ways. This session will give time to consider how we might use these principles to inform high-quality engagement with sacred texts in primary RE.
Ryan Parker is a Diocesan RE adviser, following a number of years in primary and middle school settings. He recently completed a PhD at the University of Birmingham, focussing on knowledge-rich textual enquiry in primary RE. He also hosts the ‘Flourishing Together’ podcast series which has a focus on high-quality RE.
Book here to attend live or just receive the recordings (or both).
For the full Headlines newsletter contact joanne.evans@coventrydbe.org