Author: Helen Gibson

Message to Headteachers from Bishop Ruth

This 2 min video from Bishop Ruth, who is the current Acting Bishop of Coventry, is a message in advance of the half term to thank Headteachers and their teams. Click here to watch.

Difference for Secondary Schools Launched

Last week on Thursday 1 February, the Archbishop of Canterbury launched Difference for Secondary Schools. The free six-session resource will equip students with the tools and skills to cross divides, navigate disagreement, and grow more welcoming school communities. Difference in Primary Schools, which will be launched in 2025.  Lou Peet, Chaplain of Blue Coat Church of England School and Music College, Coventry, and Ordinand in the Church of England shares why she’s inspired by young people and how the principles of peace and reconciliation can be transformative for them and their communities.

Do Support ‘The Big Help Out’ for Schools on Friday 7 June

The Big Help Out, the UK’s largest volunteering campaign, is back for a second year after part of His Royal Majesty’s Coronation celebrations in 2023. King Charles is supporting the campaign again this year and it was launched on BBC’s The One Show by Anneka Rice last week.  Teachers have the power to instil the values of compassion and community service in the next generation so there are lots of ways schools can get involved – see the dates below to help you plan.

• March 11 – 22 – Educate with FREE VotesforSchools assembly resources
• April – May – Plan for the day using the suggested Big Help Out activities with your students
• Friday June 7 – Get involved with your students on the day.

More information and everything you need to start getting involved with the Big Help Out can be found at: www.thebighelpout.org.uk/schools

Holy Saturday Animation

Holy Saturday marks the time when Jesus was buried in the tomb, between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. It is a time of preparation and reflection, as Christians contemplate the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross and anticipate the celebration of the resurrection on Easter Sunday.  You may wish to use this thought-provoking and moving (6 min) animation as part of your Holy Week activities https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzTBd9yr-9I

If you wish to view the full Headlines mailing for 9 February please email joanne.evans@coventrydbe.org

School News

Armistice Day in Bedworth

Children and Staff from The Canons CofE Primary School attended the Armistice Day Parade in Bedworth on Saturday 11 November. It is said that the annual parade in Bedworth is one of the biggest in the country outside London.  Local schools, including The Canons, contributed to design of the memorial peace podium and gates (pictured here) when they were installed in 2021.

Saluting the Fallen in Wolvey

Andrew Edwards, Executive Headteacher writes:  “As a school which is proud to serve our local military barracks,  Remembrance Day is a big event for pupils and staff at Wolvey CofE Primary School. This year, our service of remembrance was joined by three serving soldiers who reminded us of the significance of this day and then walked with the children to place our wreaths in the local church. With over one-third of our children living on camp and coming from serving families, our military club placed their own special wreath and saluted the fallen alongside the soldiers.”

Courageous Advocacy and Congratulations!

Congratulations to Barford St Peter’s CofE Primary who, as a result of children’s hard work, have been awarded a GOLD safety standard award by Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS). Barford St. Peter’s is very proud to be the first school in Warwickshire and the 2nd school in the country to achieve the award.  In June the children took part in water safety week organised by the RLSS and as part of their work towards the RLSS Water Safety Accreditation Award, children listened to an assembly about water safety, as well as taking part in a series of lessons. Each lesson addressed one of the four points of the national Water Safety Code. Year 6 also included a visit to the river Avon in Barford to discuss the potential dangers and as part of their courageous advocacy work they wrote to the PCC to suggest safety improvements around the river.  The picture shows Andy Lane who is the educational lead for the RLSS presenting pupils with the certificate this morning. The Royal Life Saving Society UK is a charity which works to reduce incidents of accidental drownings and near misses across the UK, through providing FREE water safety educational resources to schools. Find out more here.

News from the Church of England

Nigel Genders, Chief Executive of The National Society has announced that Jonathan Frost, Bishop of Portsmouth, has been appointed as the new Lead Bishop for Education and Chair of the National Society with effect from 1st January 2024.  The current Chair, Paul Butler, Bishop of Durham is due to retire.  Bishop Jonathan brings passion, commitment and enthusiasm to the church’s work in education and schools and is a massive advocate for Growing Faith and for the vital link between church and school in the mission and ministry with children and young people.

In case you missed it last week…

The Church of England Curriculum and Inclusion Team have produced a short document to help school leaders and teachers as they seek to support in the best way possible during a time of significant international conflict.  Called ‘Considerations for Schools in Supporting Pupils and Staff at times of International Conflict’  you can find it here.

The World is Waiting… Interactive Advent Calendars for Collective Worship

The Diocese of Guildford have kindly shared these interactive Advent calendars for primary and secondary schools. They do not contain pictures of elves and snowmen, but instead each day takes you to a picture of the nativity by an artist from a different country or culture. Also a story from the Bible about one of the people who was waiting for the birth of Jesus.  When you click on the door you will find:

• an image;
• some wondering questions;
• a video of the story or a song;
• the Bible reference for the story.

For the weekends, there is a picture and a video that families may enjoy watching together, and some questions to wonder about at home. The videos are a mixture of thought provoking and fun!  The calendar runs from 1st – 15th December, the last day of term. You can find overview documents and the links to the Advent Calendars (plus other great Advent resources) on the Diocese of Guildford website here.

NATRE Spirited Arts 2024 Competition

Join hundreds of schools from around the world taking part in this year’s NATRE Spirited Arts competition. The competition runs from the beginning of the school year to 31 July 2024.  It’s a fantastic way to engage teachers and students while boosting the profile of RE in your school. Some schools integrate the competition into RE lessons with a ‘Spirited Arts’ unit or a RE/arts week.  Find out more information about the competition here.

Want to Foster International Education Across Your School?

As ‘International Education Week’ draws to a close today, find out about the The British Council’s International School Award which is a free school development programme, supporting you to embed international learning across your school.

Additional Support for Talking to Children about Conflict and War

• From DECSY, a compilation of lesson plans and resources for “Processing the Violence in Israel and Gaza”.
• Philosophical conversations in a crisis – Director of P4C, Grace Lockrobin, talks about her approach to opening up conversations with students on difficult topics in the news.
• Advice from UNICEF on talking to children about conflict and war contains some useful principles, including that we should start with what children know and feel, that we should not minimize their concerns; that we can approach even the most vitriolic disagreements with compassion (caring); to remember “that it’s OK to not have the answer to every question”.
• Advice from NPR, in particular that you can be proactive (don’t assume, if the topic doesn’t arise, that children aren’t hearing things and thinking about it already); note that “kids can handle tough topics”, and that especially “Older children with access to the internet should be encouraged to be skeptical of videos shared on social media and offered help with evaluating news sources”, as well as “brushing up” on the facts yourself.

Israel/Gaza Conflict – What Information do Teachers Need?

ACT (The Association for Citizenship Teaching) and NATRE (National Association of Teachers of RE) have created a questionnaire to gather information on what would be most useful for teachers in terms of training and resources, in light of the current situation in Israel/Gaza. They would be grateful if you could complete and share with your colleagues who are teachers.

New Resources Focus on Disability and Girls’ Education

If you’re a child with a disability in a low-income country, what are your chances of being in school? The shocking answer, according to the UN, is only one in 10. Going to school every day is something we take for granted in the UK and many other countries. But for millions of young people around the world, just getting into a classroom can be a massive challenge.  Theirworld is a global children’s charity committed to ending the global education crisis and unleashing the potential of the next generation. They have produced new teaching resources for UK schools focussing on two groups who experience these issues disproportionately – girls and young people with disabilities.   The packs for both primary and secondary, help pupils understand and discuss the obstacles and solutions. Using engaging and thought-provoking activities, they build on our existing teacher resources for primary and secondary schools, which include support for refugees, health and wellbeing, climate action, and skills and employment.  Find them on the following links:

• Education Unlocks a More Inclusive World, focusing on disability and inclusion
• Education Unlocks Opportunities for Girls, focusing on girls’ education

Get involved in the Free National Education Nature Park Programme

The National Education Nature Park programme is a key element of DfE’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy.  The programme will provide young people with opportunities to increase their engagement with nature in their local environments through their education settings.  These free programmes will provide educators with the resources, support and guidance needed to put nature at the heart of education. Embedding nature across everyday teaching and learning will give every child and young person in England the opportunity to develop a meaningful connection to nature, contribute to nature recovery across the country and build resilience for a changing world. Find out more and register your school here.

YMD Boon Services – Health and Safety

The health and safety team at YMD Boon currently provide support to a number of Diocesan academy trusts. They offer a supportive and pragmatic approach to health and safety, training and management systems. If you would like to know more about their services see their website or see their information booklets on health and safety support and health and safety training.

Goodbye to Bishop Christopher

Several schools were at Coventry Cathedral on Saturday to take part in a special thanksgiving and farewell service for Bishop Christopher prior to his new appointment as Dean of Windsor. The children sang ‘World Changers’ which was particularly resonsant for him having seen the massive impact of this at the Alive event at Stoneleigh in the summer.

Jessica Newitt, Deputy Head Teacher of Alveston CofE Primary School said: “What a wonderfully humbling service. It was so emotional but a really lovely farewell. The children who were able to come were absolutely thrilled to be part of such an important event.”

Pupils also attended from St John’s CofE Academy Coventry, All Saints CofE Primary Coventry and Clifton upon Dunsmore CofE Primary.

You can read the full text of Bishop Christopher’s sermon from the service here.

Remembrance in Wellesbourne

More than 8,000 knitted poppies have been created by villagers in Wellesbourne ahead of this year’s Remembrance commemorations.  A cascade of poppies falls from the tower at St Peter’s Church with thousands more placed around the community, including 25 shop windows, the war memorial, a local Methodist church and Wellesbourne CofE Primary School pictured right.

New Advent and Christmas Resources Available

Prayer Spaces for Schools have lots of Christmas prayer activities.  PopUK have a new song in their free song library called ‘Love Makes Room’ which draws a parallel between Mary and Joseph’s story and that of the many displaced people and refugees across the world today.  In the lead up to Christmas, Premier Christian Radio will be featuring the Top 50 Christmas songs as voted for by the listeners. Schools, classes and inviduals are invited to take part and it’s a great way to get pupils to engage with the christmas message. The special Christmas Challenge will be on the station webpage https://www.premier.plus/ from Monday 13 November and there will be a dedicated voting link.  The Church of England’s Advent and Christmas campaign for 2023 is called ‘Follow the Star: Join the Song’. It highlights how singing can help draw us closer to God and each other through the journey from Advent to Epiphany.  Sign up for the free advent school resources here.

‘We Remember’ – Godly Play Script for Remembrance

Find it here along with the set of images that shows how the script unfolds.  There are also links to other great resources on the theme of Remembrance for school or church.

Conflict in Gaza and Israel – Resources and Wellbeing

How do teachers and parents talk about serious issues they themselves might be unsure of? This guide from Global Dimension gives some helpful links including discussion tips and a free ‘Teach Peace’ pack alonside peace building resouces including a Minecraft peace building game and associated lessons.  ‘Education Support’ and ‘Solutions Not Sides’ are partnering to provide a free webinar to support all teachers and education staff who are affected by the conflict in the Middle East. The webinar is at 16.30 on Wednesday 15 November and you can hear fellow educators and mental health professionals discuss how to stay well in this time of crisis. The intention is to leave feeling connected to others, and with practical guidance on how to cope. Book here.  The Church of England Curriculum and Inclusion Team have produced a short document to help school leaders and teachers as they seek to support in the best way possible. Called ‘Considerations for Schools in Supporting Pupils and Staff at times of International Conflict’ you can find it here.  See Global Citizenship resource Signposts for access to free teaching resources on the Palestine-Israel Conflict, curated in response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.  BBC Newsbeat have an up to date summary which explains the history and politics of the conflict here.

Book Choices for Spiritual Development

This is a fantastic list of theologically rich picture books that might help as part of ongoing spiritual development provision in your school.

Open Invitation to Headteachers – Coventry Soul Children Choir

Chip Kendall, who some of you will remember from Alive, is looking to form a ‘Soul Children’ choir in Coventry and hopefully involving a number of schools. To find out more about Soul Children click here.  The meeting to discuss the initial plans is as per the invitation below – 11.30 at the Cosy Club in Coventry on Monday 20 November. If you, or your staff, or your parish contacts would like to attend you would be welcome.  If you need further information contact revtomcook@stmaryscoventry.org

Rotary Young Environmentalist Competition

The Rotary Club have a number of competitions aimed at children and young people. This young enviromentalist competition has a theme of ‘Waste Minimisation’ and schools are invited to take part.  Entries can come from a team or as an individual and come up with a clever way to address the challenge of waste minimisation. Submissions are in project form and must show your ingenious way of tackling the issue.  Your reward? A mentoring experience to take your idea forward and a chance to save the planet.Your project work will go through a local stage first, followed by the district heats and then, if chosen, on to the national final.  The competition is open to environmentalists up to the age of 17 and the closing date is 31 January.  For more information click here.

The Dirt Is Good Project- Free Courageous Advocacy Resource

The Dirt Is Good Project an award-winning, free programme for schools that empowers students aged 7-14 to be ‘world changemakers’ by uniting in compassion and take collective action on the environmental and social causes they care about, whilst contributing to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development. There is an online library of free resources, including lesson plans, factsheets, worksheets, and assembly packs, to guide students through a student-led, collaborative process of designing and delivering a social action project in their community.  You can find out more about the project here: www.dirtisgoodproject.com/uk/home

Do You Have an Outdoor Prayer Space?

Prayer Spaces in Schools get lots of enquiries about how to set up outdoor area that is a permanent feature of the school grounds, as distinct from running a temporary prayer space outside. They would like to gather ideas and pictures to share with others so if you have one that you can tell them about, please get in touch with them at: info@prayerspacesinschools.com

Anti Bullying Week Resources – 13–17 November

This year’s theme is ‘Make A Noise About Bullying’ and will take place from Monday 13th to Friday 17th November. Find more details on the Anti-Bullying Alliance website

Responding to Stressful Situation Toolkit from Mentally Healthy Schools

Stress is a natural response to challenging situations and events. While everyone experiences stress to some extent, stress can be overwhelming when it is particularly intense or long-lasting, and negatively impacts our physical or mental wellbeing.  This toolkit contains resources to support both pupils and staff to identify and manage stress. It contains lesson plans, tips and advice and supporting activities for dealing with stress in relation to school life, as well as potentially distressing events in the wider world.  The resources are divided into materials for use with pupils and materials to support staff. Find them here.

UK Announces AI funding for Teachers

How this Technology Could Change the Profession

Read this news article from independent news source ‘The Conversation’ on the UK’s £2 million pound investment in Education AI and the impact this might have on teaching.  If you want to get a head start, this free e-book from the ‘ICT Evangelist’ gives ‘generative AI prompts’ full of ideas for nearly all corners of the curriculum.

Living Well Together

This short (4 min) inspirational film showcases the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra that brings Israeli, Palestinian and other Arab musicians together each year in the name of peace and understanding. Click here to watch.

School News

Pupils at St. Paul’s CofE Primary School in Nuneaton have been shining like stars in October, as they celebrated Black History Month.  Early Years enjoyed listening to Stevie Wonder and learning how courageous he has been throughout his life.  Key Stage 1 explored the work of El Anatsui, a Ghanaian artist and sculptor. They created their own sculptures in his style.  Pupils in Key Stage 2 learnt about Floella Benjamin’s life through her book ‘Coming to England’.  The children are excited to use their new knowledge of Floella to write letters from her perspective – thinking critically and carefully about how she was feeling during her move from Trinidad to England. They were also inspired by Kara Walker’s silhouette work and made their own designs.  In Upper Key Stage 2, the pupils focused on the Civil Rights movement. They studied inspirational figures and leaders such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. They also learned when the slave trade began, why it continued for hundreds of years and also how and when it came to an end in Britain. Pupils created Windrush paintings, inspired by Norman Lewis.  The month culminated in a special service at St. Paul’s Church, led by Rev Mate Massey and the Collective Worship Leaders. We remember that God loves us all equally and fairly.

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”      1 Samuel 16:7

2024 New RE Agreed Syllabus

Coventry and Warwickshire SACRE are looking for some schools to trial some units from the new syllabus. You would not need to do the entire unit, just some lessons and produce some pupil work, pupil voice on their learning and teacher feedback/evaluation. If you are interested, please email Jen Jenkins and say which phase of education you are happy to trial: EYFS, KS1, Lower KS2, Upper KS2, KS3.

Discovering Muslims in Britain – Free RE Resource

Move beyond stereotypes and explore diversity when teaching about Islam and Muslims. The ‘Discovering Muslims’ resource, created by a team at Cardiff University, is designed for Key stage 3 but Primary teachers and GCSE teachers will find a wealth of information and ideas, so don’t overlook this resource. Find out more on the RE Online website here.

Strictly RE Conference – Last Chance for the Early Bird Offer

Join over 400 like-minded RE professionals and experts at the UK’s biggest Religious Education online conference. Held on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 January 2024 there will be something for everyone, including inspirational Seminars led by RE experts, focusing on “Building a Subject for the Future”. With over 21 primary and secondary seminars to choose from, post-event recordings, downloadable resources, and fantastic exhibitors, plus so much more this is a must-attend event!  Save £15 if you book before 31^st October. For more information and to book go to the NATRE website here.

The Schools and Academies Show – NEC – 22 November

The Schools and Academies Show is at the NEC in Birmingham on 22nd November and tickets are free. For more information about keynote speakers, topics, exhibitors and to register go to the website: https://www.schoolsandacademiesshow.co.uk/

Anti-Bullying Week Resources – 13 – 17 November

This year’s theme is ‘Make A Noise About Bullying’ and will take place from Monday 13th to Friday 17th November. The week will be kicked off with Odd Socks Day on Monday 13th November, where adults and children wear odd socks to celebrate what makes us all unique. Find more details on the Anti-Bullying Alliance website

More resources for primary and secondary can be found here:

• https://www.familylives.org.uk/advice/bullying/anti-bullying-week/anti-bullying-week-resources
• https://schoolofkindness.org/anti-bullying-week
• https://bulliesout.com/anti-bullying-week/resources-for-schools/
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/anti-bullying-week-primary-and-secondary-resources/zrq6rj6

World Kindness Day – 13 November – Free Resources

• Free resource pack, ideas and online assembly from 52 Lives – School of Kindness.
• Ten practical ideas for celebrating Kindness Day in school from Worth-It Education
• Ideas for schools from Kindness UK
• Kindness and wellbeing teaching resources from the British Red Cross
• General school resources from the Be Kind Movement
• Seven days of kindness calendar from Mentally Healthy Schools
• Lots of nice home and classroom resources (US based) from Random Acts of Kindness

We pray you have a restful and restorative half term break.  Next Headlines will be on 10 November

School News

Wolvey Primary CofE Primary held harvest festival at their local church where Year 5 led the worship. The children sang songs about harvest time and shared lots of fun facts.

Clifton on Dunsmore CofE Primary were amongst the schools at Coventry Cathedral this week learning about ‘God and the Big Bang’. They took year 6 who had an amazing time.

For more information about God and the Big Bang for primary and secondary schools go to their website: https://gatbb.co.uk/

New Collective Worship Available – Israel-Palestine

Jen Jenkins has produced a poignant collective worship for you to use with your pupils around the current situation in Israel-Palestine. You can find it on the DBE website.  In addition to this you can also find collective worship on Remembrance, the Coventry blitz and All Saints Day.

Diocesan Annual Governors’ Conference – ‘Standing in the Gap’

Encourage your governors to book: Saturday 25 November 2023. 09.30 – 12.30.  Brandon Hall Hotel, Coventry

A morning of thought-provoking content and networking for governors of Church of England schools in Coventry Diocese. To book places click here

Are your Primary Early Career Teachers Looking for Support with Teaching RE?

Culham St Gabriel’s has free online short courses on Primary ITE and RE.

Whether they are a year 1 or 2 ECT (or an interested teacher) these courses cover the key information needed to develop into an excellent teacher of Primary RE. Make connections with Teacher’s Standards and RE, explore approaches to teaching and learning in RE and start the journey to sourcing up to date subject knowledge.  The webinar will be presented by course creator and national RE adviser Dr Kate Christopher. Delegates will have the chance to find out about what these courses offer you and how they can support you in your context.

8th November 2023, 16:30 – 17:30 Online (Zoom).  All welcome, apply for a free place here. Joining details will be sent shortly before the event.

Anti-Racist Education Resources

The Fairtrade Schools Team are aware of a variety of anti-racist education resources, which may be of use to teachers, parents and children. Find them, and a ‘Decolonising the Curriculum: Classroom Checklist’ on the FairTrade Schools website here.

For Staff Leading Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice in Schools

This 5 minute read from Doline Ndorimana of Diverse Educators gives seven areas of guidance on her experience of navigating the journey of DEIJ in schools.  “I believe each child should feel a sense of belonging at school, that is why I champion the work of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ). However, it is not only for our students but also for our colleagues. If our colleagues don’t feel that they belong, they will not be able to serve our students well. This is what makes the job of a DEIJ leader in schools important and challenging at the same time. Experience over time has changed the way I see and do this work. Through frustrations, disappointments, failures, and good wins as well, I’ve grown to see DEIJ work as a complicated marriage worth fighting for.”

Free Christmas Sessions for Schools at CLM Church, Coventry

As part of their wider package of schools work, the CLM Schools Team are offering 45 minute sessions in December where they explore the Nativity in an interactive and exciting way, with plenty of cheer, fun, giveaways and storytelling. Your pupils will learn about what Christians believe and why this festival is special to them.  This is free of charge and available for all schools in and around Coventry from 4-15 December. This RE fulfilling and student enriching session will help further explore the Christmas Story and leave them feeling warm and festive.  Availability is limited and bookings will be taken on a first come first served basis. Contact schools@clmchurch.co.uk  For more information on their other school sessions on Christianity and Racial Justice see their website: https://www.clmchurch.co.uk/schoolswork

Christmas with iSingPOP

The Main Event Project – running from 20 November to 22 December

Bring your School, Church & Community together with iSingPOP’s Christmas Main Event!  This 4 day ‘transformational’ project includes:

• 3 days Rehearsing seven catchy, fun-filled Christmas songs and traditional carols, based on a key part of the Christmas Story!
• 1 day Performing a live concert involving every member of the school, to your local community in your church.  We supply professional live production including PA, visuals and all equipment necessary for your concert.They will leave the school and church with a set of teaching videos so you can keep on singing! Contact office@isingpop.com for more information

New for 2023 – Christmas Workshop

A great opportunity to sing, learn, and celebrate Christmas together!  Running from 1-22 December, this special workshop (cost £450) includes:

• 3x age-appropriate workshops for KS1, Lower KS2 and Upper KS2!
• Four catchy iSingPOP songs and dances to learn!
• A Bible animation
• A group prayer activity
• A celebration assembly
• Loads of fun!

Make an enquiry here

RISE Theatre – Now Booking ‘God’s Planet’ for Spring Term

RISE Theatre – a Christian theatre company will be taking their popular interactive primary school day  ‘God’s Planet’ on tour for the seventh time next spring – from January to March 2024.  They have a special offer until the 30 November for all school bookings and a further discounts for academy and group bookings. Contact them on schools@risetheatre.co.uk

Let’s Go Zero

Great Idea for Courageous Advocacy and Win up to £1000 for Your School

Let’s Go Zero, the zero carbon schools campaign, has teamed up with OVO Foundation for the second year running to launch a nationwide competition, inspiring pupils to create nature projects.  We are searching for the very best initiatives designed by students to bring their schools closer to nature. The winning ideas will be brought to life through funding of up to £1,000.  Applications are open now and close on 27 November 2023. For a chance of winning, schools just have to say how they would use the  £1,000 or £200 prize to bring their students closer to nature. The competition is supported by OVO Foundation and there are 25 chances to win: 10 prizes of £1,000 and 15 prizes of £200.  Projects might involve tree planting, vegetable growing or supporting wildlife on the school grounds, but schools are free to be as creative as they like. The judges will be looking for inventive and engaging ideas with the power to inspire young people and the wider school community, and are keen to reward projects that benefit less advantaged groups, such as those in underserved areas. They will be keen to here what inspired your pupils and how they got involved in planning.  See the competition and more information about pledging your school to ‘go zero’ on their webpage here: https://letsgozero.org/the-ovo-foundation-nature-prize/

Supporting Parental Engagement for EAL Students

From Diverse Educators, this 5 min read from Emma Sheppard gives some insight and top tips from what was helpful for her, in her experience as the “F(French)AL” parent at the school gate…

10 Ways to Support Pupils who Feel Stressed and Anxious

Supporting pupils who feel stressed or anxious in the classroom often lands on the shoulders of the teacher or TA. But what if they don’t know how best to deal with it? Stephanie Davies from Laughology gives ten simple strategies to help in this 4 minute read.  It also has a link to a free ‘Coping Skills’ theme lesson plans and resources.

School News

‘Hello Yellow’ Mental Health Day at Salford Priors

Paula Dhugga, Headteacher of Salford Priors CofE Academy writes:

“Our children, led by Pupil Voice, organised a fundraising event in aid of Young Minds ‘Hello Yellow’ for Mental Health Day, Tuesday 10th October. All the staff and children came to school wearing yellow clothing and/or accessories and donated money into a charity bucket (also yellow, of course). The school raised £96.68 in total which, for a small school, is absolutely fantastic! Special thanks to Mrs Kate Kendrick who loaned school the use of her beautiful, bright-yellow open-top Volkswagen, displayed in the middle of the playground for all the children to see on morning entry into school, putting a big smile on all our faces.”

Harvest Festival at St John’s

A brilliant Harvest Festival last week at St John’s CofE Academy, Coventry led by year 6 pupils which was a culmination of a partnership between St John’s CofE Academy, St Christopher’s Church and Global Care. Laura Stevenson Headteacher commented that the “The partnership has been excellent and the children have gained so much from all the work.”

SIAMS Termly Update – Change of Date

Now rearranged for 25 October 2023

16.30-17.30 – online via Zoom; or book to receive the recording.  Book a place here.

Led by Jen Jenkins, DBE RE and Spirituality Officer, these termly sessions are intended to support those schools who are due for inspection within the next two academic years. The session will guide delegates responsively depending on what schools need, and there will be an update on any local and national information on good practice.

Do Encourage your Governors to Book for….

Diocesan Annual Governors’ Conference – ‘Standing in the Gap’

Saturday 25 November 2023.  09.30 – 12.30  Brandon Hall Hotel, Coventry

A morning of thought-provoking content and networking for governors of Church of England schools in Coventry Diocese.  Our first speaker is Georgina Newton, an Associate Professor at the University of Warwick and co-founder of a not-for-profit organisation called Schoolgenie, that aims to help school leaders to build trusting staff cultures so that teachers can flourish and remain in the profession. She will be talking about how governors can help to embed wellbeing in the school culture and help staff to thrive.  We will also have input from Stephen Beamond, Programmes Lead for the Church of England’s Growing Faith Foundation who will be talking to governors about how they have a crucial role to play in this exciting initiative. There will also be input from April Gold the Diocesan Director of Education and members of the Governance Reference and Advisory Group (GRAG).

Agenda

• Arrival, Coffee and Networking
• Welcome and Reflection – April Gold
• DBE Update – April Gold
• Holding the Space – Georgina Newton
• Coffee Break and Networking
• Growing Faith – Stephen Beamond – Growing Faith Foundation
• Governor Reference and Advisory Group (GRAG) Update
• Final comments and closing prayer – April Gold
• Depart

To book places click here

More Resources to Celebrate Black History Month

 The Black Curriculum is a social enterprise that fights to bring about changes so the curriculum mirrors our racially, culturally and religiously diverse population here in Britain. They meet with parliament to discuss the national curriculum, run educational programmes for learners aged 3-25 and training and resources for educators. They also have a resource bank of lessons and resources. Find them here.

‘Kids of Colour’ based in Manchester have a bank of resources and reports to help schools, nationally, to become better at understanding and supporting Black students, and in becoming anti-racist institutions. On their resources page you will find a ‘home activity book’ which they created during lockdown so households could explore ‘race’, identity and culture together – maybe a good link to send on your parents newsletter?  Students who are refugees in your classes may not have celebrated Black History Month before and this may be a good time to check in with them to see if their needs are being met in your school and that they feel comfortable to speak with staff if they do encounter racism, xenophobia or anti-refugee bullying. See information on the related free CPD below.

Supporting Refugee and Asylum-Seeking Pupils

Free ‘Healing Classrooms’ CPD Course

The IRC’s programmes seek to support schools to become culturally competent and to adapt teaching styles, topics and approaches to fit the needs of learners in diverse classrooms. Created to support refugee and asylum-seeking students, the majority of whom are from racialised communities, the Healing Classrooms Approach is the International Rescue Committee’s trauma-informed teacher training programme to make schools safe and healing spaces for children and youth dealing with trauma and displacement. Registrations are now open for the following:

• Healing Classrooms Basics Course (3x online sessions lasting 1.5 hours)
• Five Module Healing Classrooms CPD Course (5x sessions lasting 1.5 hours, weekly or half-termly)

Free Seminar – How education staff can support students seeking refuge and asylum from the Anna Freud Centre

This free seminar will look at helping education staff respond to trauma in children and young people who are seeking refuge and asylum.  The seminar will be run with experts from the UK Trauma Council, which has recently developed a toolkit to support educational communities to recognise and respond to trauma. This seminar will feature some of the council’s key learnings from their work with experts in this field, including those with lived experience of arriving in the UK to seek asylum. 14 November 2023 16:30 – 18:00 More information and register here.

Harvest Collective Worship

Written by Helen Bryant, Chaplain to Harris CofE Academy she is sharing two collective worship sessions for schools on ‘Life in all its fullness’ and ‘Blessing of the animals’. You can find them on the DBE website and use the new password that is being sent to DSA subscribers in a separate email.  And a song for Harvest….  free on the PopUK song bank

Dealing with Diversity in RE

One of the key features of the worldviews approach in RE is the teaching of diversity with the religious and non-religious worldviews. This article from RE Today gives some practical tips on how to deal with this in both primary and secondary teaching.  Read it here.

What Children and Young People Say They Want and Need from Schools

Ten Top Tips

For Children’s Mental Health Week in February 2024 the theme is “My Voice Matters”. Children and young people’s mental health charity Place2be visited primary and secondary schools and asked children and young people what they want – and need – from their schools. Read their top tips here.

Free Health Living Pack from Earth Cubs

Learn about keeping healthy and complete some fun activities! Created in partnership with Eco-Schools for children age 3-7. Download it here.  All of the Earth Cubs resources and lesson plans are free to dowload and are suitable for children of all ages. They are linked to the UN global goals including the environment, biodiversity, equality, wellbeing and global citizenship. Check out the website: https://earthcubs.com/

Learning How to Handle Controversial Issues in Schools

Controversy and controversial issues are at the centre and at all levels of our democratic societies. This means that learning how to deal with such issues must always be at the heart of an effective education for democratic citizenship and human rights education.  The Council of Europe has helped to facilitate the creation of this good practice guide which is available to download free here.  It complements the manuals Teaching Controversial Issues and Managing Controversy.

Talking to Staff Experiencing Peri-Menopause and Menopause

Did you know that around 1 in 6 of the teaching workforce is likely to be experiencing peri-menopause or menopause right now.  For World Menopause Day next week, Education Support have developed this (6 min read) article to help you support your staff and build stigma-free cultures in schools.

School News

St Gabriel’s 5th Birthday

We were pleased to celebrate the 5th ‘birthday’ of St Gabriel’s CofE Academy, Houlton on 26th September. Bishop Christopher, the governors, local clergy and the developers of Houlton joined together in a special collective worship and enjoyed Birthday cake! This video helps you share the celebration.

The Beacon Evaluation Event

The DBE hosted an end of the 2 year pilot event at the Charter House in Coventry last Wednesday. We heard the findings of Sussex University’s academic review of the pilot and from the Headteachers, project leads and Family Link Workers about how the project had impacted their practice and the children in their schools. We will be sharing a full full report with you all next half term and give you details of how you can share in the learning from the project.

SIAMS Termly Update

11 October 2023 – 16.30-17.30 – online via Zoom; or book to receive the recording.  Book a place here.

Led by Jen Jenkins, DBE RE and Spirituality Officer, these termly sessions are intended to support those schools who are due for inspection within the next two academic years. The session will guide delegates responsively depending on what schools need, and there will be an update on any local and national information on good practice.

Picture News – Free Resource Pack for Black History Month

Picture News have produced a free resource to help teachers explore Black History Month this year, it can be used for a whole school assembly, class discussion and to support a display. Get the resource here.

National Content Standard for Religious Education

The Religious Education Council Of England And Wales have just published a National Content Standard which provides clarification and a benchmark for excellence in religion and worldviews/religious education (RE) in England. The vision of the RE Council of England and Wales is for every young person to experience an academically rigorous and personally inspiring education in religion and worldviews and this document is a contribution toward this vision.  The RE Council’s National Content Standard provides a non-statutory benchmark for syllabus providers and other bodies to evaluate their work.  It is specifically for use in England.  It is not a curriculum, and it does not determine precisely what content schools should teach.  Rather it is a standard by which different RE curricula, content, pedagogy, and provision can be benchmarked.  The New Local Agreed Syllabus due to be implemented from September 2024 has been written around these standards. You can find out more and download the full document on the REC website here.  There is a also free webinar about this for Senior Leaders and MAT leaders on Tue 5 Dec 2023 at 14:00. The webinar will detail how this will work in your school and trust setting, and the importance of the National Content Standard for student outcomes in RE. For more information and to book click here.

SACRE Autumn Term RE Bulletin Now Available

You can find it on the Warwickshire SACRE website here.

Church School Governance Online Training Programme

Encourage your governors to book.  Delivered through Hope University, the Church School Governance Online Training Programme (CSGTP) is aimed at Governors and Trustees (Directors) in both church schools and schools with a distinctively Christian ethos, providing support for Governors and Trustees (Directors) committed to improving provision and outcomes for children and young people. The programme has been developed by experts and professionals with a background in church school leadership, governance and inspection.

Course Aims

• Raise your awareness of the changing expectations of Governing Boards and meeting today’s challenges in the education sector, whilst holding on to the mission and vision of a church school.
• Engage professionally with others in a collaborative and interactive module.
• Study online in your own time, whilst benefitting from access to personal tutors and group reflections.
• Key themes include the changing context, mission, vision and values, collaborative learning, decision making and accountability.
• Access support with using the online Virtual Learning Environment and Zoom, developing skills which extend to everyday life.

The course is delivered via 6 online topics, each taken over a 3 week period and allows for school holidays. Each topic contains reading materials, videos, workbooks and interactive discussion forums as well as opportunities for a session on Zoom for the whole cohort during for each topic. A Tutor provides personal support throughout the course. There is plenty of help available for accessing and navigating the online Virtual Learning Environment and Zoom meetings. A networking event is also arranged for past and present students.

The course starts in January 2024 and takes 6 months to complete.  Fee: £300 if you book before 1st November (otherwise £350)

To apply or for more information please contact: Tel: 0151 291 3834/3061  Website: www.hope.ac.uk/pld/educationpld or Email: pld@hope.ac.uk

‘God and the Big Bang’ 

Subsidised Spaces Available for this Event at Coventry Cathedral

17 October 10.00am to 2.30pm.  Tickets are £10 per student.  

Discover and debate the compatibility of science and faith.  This will be a day of interactive workshops for Year 6 to explore topics including, creation, climate change and innovation with scientists of faith.  Find out more here and to book a place email sarah.moring@durham@durham.ac.uk

Prayer Spaces – New Resources for October

October is Black History Month and also includes World Food Day and Halloween. Partnering with World Vision, Prayer Spaces have written some new prayer activities focusing on two case studies to link with World Food Day on 16th October. Last year they were asked for prayer activities around Halloween and fear or not worrying so these have been added too. You can find these and others in their resource library or quick links are:

• Black History Month
• World Food Day
• Halloween

Primary and Secondary Remembrance Resources from the Royal British Legion

Lesson and assembly resources can be found on the Royal British Legion website here: https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/remembrance/teaching-remembrance

Anti-Bullying Week Resources – 13 – 17 November

This year’s theme is ‘Make A Noise About Bullying’ and will take place from Monday 13th to Friday 17th November. The week will be kicked off with Odd Socks Day on Monday 13th November, where adults and children wear odd socks to celebrate what makes us all unique. Find more details on the Anti-Bullying Alliance website

More resources for primary and secondary can be found here:

• https://www.familylives.org.uk/advice/bullying/anti-bullying-week/anti-bullying-week-resources
• https://schoolofkindness.org/anti-bullying-week
• https://bulliesout.com/anti-bullying-week/resources-for-schools/
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/anti-bullying-week-primary-and-secondary-resources/zrq6rj6

World Kindness Day – 13 November – Free Resources

Free resource pack, ideas and online assembly from 52 Lives – School of Kindness.

• Ten practical ideas for celebrating Kindness Day in school from Worth-It Education
• Ideas for schools from Kindness UK
• Kindness and wellbeing teaching resources from the British Red Cross
• General school resources from the Be Kind Movement
• Seven days of kindness calendar from Mentally Healthy Schools
• Lots of nice home and classroom resources (US based) from Random Acts of Kindness

Free Trees for Schools and Communities

The Woodland Trust want to make sure everybody in the UK has the chance to plant a tree. So they’re giving away hundreds of thousands of trees to schools and communities. The UK needs millions more trees to reach its 2050 carbon net-zero target. By digging in with the Woodland Trust, you’ll help to bring us nearer this important goal.  For more information and to apply go to their website: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/schools-and-communities/

Black History Month – Saluting Our Sisters

We would love to hear what you are doing in your schools to celebrate Black History Month in October. Please send us your news and photos!

• Here are 6 activities to celebrate Black History Month UK at school.
• Black History Month Poetry Competition for all pupils and students.
• Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership resources.

More links to resources on last week’s Headlines on the DBE website.

Would Your Pupils Like to Sing ‘World Changers’ at Bishop Christopher’s Leaving Service?

As you will be aware, Bishop Christopher is leaving Coventry Diocese and there will be a farewell service at Coventry Cathedral on Saturday 4th November at 2.00pm.  We are looking for schools who would be willing to bring pupils to sing ‘World Changers’ together. The DBE will fund transport.  We recognise that this is a Saturday event but it would be wonderful to have schools present and taking part to say farewell to Bishop Christopher. If you are interesting in being involved please do let us know.

‘Leaders Like Us’ Programme from the Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership

Leaders Like Us is a multi-faceted programme for aspiring senior leaders from UKME/ GMH backgrounds, throughout the country, with the aim of enabling them to progress to headship.  It is open to teachers and leaders in all schools in England, not just Church of England schools. You can find out more via the CEFEL website here: https://www.cefel.org.uk/leaderslikeus/  Please do pass this link on to colleagues who may be interested in your own networks.

The Big Ambition – Children’s Survey

The Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, has launched The Big Ambition, a national survey of children and young people across England.  The Big Ambition aims to hear from children across England on what they think is important! In the lead up to the next General Election, the Children’s Commissioner wants to take children’s thoughts, opinions and ideas to decision-makers, to make sure that the Government hears young people’s voices on what they think needs to be done to make children’s lives better in England.  The Big Ambition is open to children and young people in England aged 0-18 years old and will be open until Friday 15th December.  The survey has gone to schools across England so they can hear from children and young people aged from 6 to 18. Parents are also being encouraged to complete the survey for those who may need additional support or on behalf of younger children (under 6) to make sure the needs of early years children are represented too.  Here is a 2 min video you can show to children or put the link on your parents newsletter.

For Own Admission Authorities – Action This Term

Just another reminder that own admission authority MATs and VA schools should be in the process of reviewing and determining their admission policies for 2025/26 this term.  If you are making any changes to this policy you need to publicly consult on this. The consultation window is 6 weeks between 1 October and 31 January.  If you require any further support in this process or just a chat about the options do contact Joanne Evans.  It is a statutory requirement to send your policy to the DBE so please do email it to us once governors have formally agreed it.

Church of England National Younger Leadership Groups – Invitation for Primary Schools

The Church of England are running National Leadership Groups again this year, exploring with young people how to use their voice to enable flourishing. A number of schools are rejoining, but they are looking for more schools to get involved.  The sessions will be facilitated by the AYLA team online offering pupils the opportunity to:

• Be leaders who use their voice and engage with key issues that matter to them.
• Connect with other schools nationally to discuss and share ideas.
• Help shape the work of the CofE Education office and the wider Church.

This year we are initially focusing on primary schools and are the DBE have been asked to invite three primary schools that haven’t been part of NYLG before to join in and register. They are looking to take 4 pupils from each school take part, with an appropriate balance of gender and ethnicity. It is a 1-year commitment involving 5 online sessions, plus some leadership development activities to do in-between sessions.  They are encouraging schools to invite a parish partner (clergy, lay person, youth worker etc.) to be part of these sessions with pupils, because research shows that when church and school are connected, faith flourishes. They see it as a great opportunity for the parish to engage with pupils and also to be resourced in how they could replicate a similar model of pupil voice in their wider work with the school and their own settings.  To find out more and to put your pupils forward contact Joanne Evans. Places will be on a first-come first-served basis.

Primary and Secondary Resources to Celebrate World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health Day is coming up on Tuesday 10 October.  The aim of the day is to raise awareness of mental health and to drive positive change for everyone’s wellbeing. The theme for this year’s day is ‘mental health is a universal human right’.  These resource toolkits from Mentally Healthy Schools consist of several resources to help you improve your pupils’ understanding of mental health and wellbeing, and to get them talking about it on World Mental Health Day.  The resources are divided into materials for use with whole classes, and activities to do with smaller groups or individuals. Find them here: https://mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/resources/world-mental-health-day-2023-toolkit/

Oracy October – Free Resources for Oracy Education from Voice 21

Oracy October is Voice 21’s month-long celebration of the importance of oracy education.  This year’s theme is ‘When talk gets challenging’ and explores how we can empower young people to talk effectively in challenging contexts, both in the classroom and beyond. This includes discussing a difficult or sensitive topic in class, sharing your feelings or speaking in front of an audience. By equipping students with the oracy skills they need to navigate challenging contexts for talk we can build their confidence and prepare them for success in school and in life.  Throughout October, they will be releasing a brand-new, free resource for teachers featuring ideas and activities for students of all ages. It will include 5 challenges for students to complete throughout October, giving them the opportunity to develop and display the skills needed to navigate a range of challenging contexts for talk. This will help teachers use the month to encourage students to become confident, flexible and resilient communicators in a range of situations.  They willl also be hosting 7 free webinars over the course of October, highlighting the transformative impact oracy has made to student outcomes in our national network of Voice 21 Oracy Schools. Featuring webinars for those newer to oracy, including how to get started with oracy in each key stage, as well as discussions about oracy’s role in education policy, assessment and school leadership, the month will be packed full of insightful, stimulating and inspiring learning experiences.  Find out more on the Voice 21 website here:  https://voice21.org/oracy-october-2023/

Free Resources for Schools to Celebrate Empathy Week – 26 Feb – 1 March 2024

Empathy is the most essential skill to teach right now. It allows us to make sense of ourselves as well as those around us – whether we agree with them or not. Empathy is ultimately vital for success as it underpins the skills of great leadership, creativity and  communication. The theme for 2024 is ‘Home’ and Empathy Studios are providing a free schoo’s pack with  webinars, films, resources and events that explore the theme of ‘Home’ and develop the skill of empathy in students aged 5-18 years old.

Themes included and covered:

• Connecting across cultures
• Our planet and climate
• Homelessness
• The refugee crisis
• War & peace
• Chasing your dreams
• Empathy & Wellbeing
• and more…

Register and see the pack here: https://www.empathy-week.com/

Free Primary School Resources from the Just Finance Foundation

The Just Finance Foudnation have already got lots of engaging things planned to help primary schools celebrate talking about money in the classroom and other free resources available including harvest assemblies and new physical sample packs for UK primary schools. See the website here for more information and to get resources: https://www.justfinancefoundation.org.uk/resource-hub

Pop UK – Current One Day Workshops

‘Will you like me‘ – Exploring internet safety, social media, the online world and wellbeing.

‘Lift up your voice’ – A wellbeing workshop reflecting on managing feelings and supporting ourselves and others.

‘Wonderful world’ NEW for 2023! – Exploring our wonderful world and ways in which we can look after it, the environment and each other.

‘Christmas in a day’ – A day using 3 songs to reinforce the Christian Christmas story in a fun way.

Our one day workshops all include

• learning 3 specially written songs in a fun teaching session
• recording the songs with free mp3s for every child involved
• parent assembly

And in partnership with the charity ‘God and the Big Bang!’

‘Creation Sings’ –  a 1 day workshop with science/faith workshops in the morning, exploring how science and faith can work together to help us think about big life questions/how faith fits in with the big bang and evolution.  The afternoon involves learning 3 specially written PopUK songs, then a parent assembly at the end of the day, either in school or involving your link church.

Pop UK 3-5 day whole school projects –  an exciting whole school project celebrating and reinforcing your school values – Learning 7 songs, making a school recording and then full pop concert for parents/carers. This includes Christmas and Easter projects.

1 day workshops start from £475, 3-5 day projects start from £975 (travel expenses are additional).

To book or to get their FREE song bank – get in contact with Rachel or Andy at: admin@popuk.org

Getting Started with ChatGPT in Ten Steps

This 10 minute read from ‘Independent Thinking’ will help you to get start with introducing AI technologies such as ChatGPT into your classroom and how it may save your staff valuable planning time.

A Happy Classroom is for the Whole Year – Not Just September

Three weeks in, are your staff still jumping out of bed each morning with a smile on their face and a spring in their step? If not, don’t worry. In this 5 minute read from Laughology’s Sarah Creegan, she gives class teachers suggestions to help keep the good times rolling for the whole year, not just September.