23rd October 2023
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!
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.