28th November 2024
Advent Message from Revd April Gold
We are about to enter the period of Advent. I don’t know how it has come around so quickly! I know you will already be deep into planning for Christmas performances and activities and school will be busy and full of excitable children for the next few weeks. Amongst the joy, there will be stress and tiredness from staff, illness to contend with and your own family plans. Be assured of our prayers for you and make sure you pace yourself and take time to breathe and be present with those you love and care about.
Last Sunday marked the Festival of Christ the King the end of the Church year, with the first Sunday of Advent this week beginning the new year! Last Sunday was also traditionally stir-up Sunday, the day when families made their Christmas puddings to give them ample time to ‘ferment’ before the feast of Christmas. The term stir-up Sunday comes from the special prayer for last Sunday:
“Stir up, O Lord,
the wills of your faithful people;
that they, plenteously bring forth the fruit of good works,
may you be plenteously rewarded;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Traditionally, families gathered in the kitchen of their homes with parents teaching their children how to mix and steam ingredients for the pudding. Everyone took a turn to stir the pudding mix, as they made a special wish for the year ahead. Practically, stirring the mixture is hard work, hence the need for everyone to take part! By tradition the pudding mixture is stirred from East to West in honour of the three wise men who visited the baby Jesus.
I like the idea of asking God to stir up our wills! As the nights continue to darken, the weather turns cold and we are forced to hunker down, it is good to look forwards to what a new year might bring. This year we also have an educational landscape which is being “stirred up” as the new government begins to make changes. That is why you need to take time to rest and encourage everyone in your teams to do the same. We need to be restored and refreshed to step into the opportunities ahead. It is a time of waiting for policies to be developed and implemented. I know that you are faithful, compassionate, imaginative educators determined to create schools where children belong, thrive and are prepared to live life to the full. That makes me hopeful for what the year ahead will bring!
MAT Choir Concert at Coventry Cathedral
Fourteen schools from the Diocese of Coventry MAT gathered for a concert at Coventry Cathedral on Monday. The concert was opened by Bishop Ruth and Revd April Gold was in attendance along with parents of the children. It was a very powerful and joyful occasion in recognition of Advent and the coming Christmas season.
‘Light Has Come’ – Collective Worship for Advent
This new collective worship resource, written by Jen Jenkins, is now available on the DBE website with the usual passcode under collective worship resources.
Thrive Licensed Childhood Practitioner Course
Stour Federation MAT are offering this course in the spring term. The Thrive Childhood Practitioner Course will revolutionise how you view behaviour. Equipped with Thrive-Online, you will learn how to identify pupils’ social and emotional needs and create targeted action plans to remove barriers to learning. See further details and how to book here.
Church of England National Society for Education National Conference – 22 January 2025
The conference is titled ‘Flourishing Leaders, Flourishing Schools’ and the there will a number of excellent keynote speakers and workshop leaders, alongside colleagues from the National Society for Education team, including:
- Sir Hamid Patel
- Leora Cruddas
- Sufian Sadiq
- Sonia Thompson
- Ed Vainker
- Amjad Ali
- Haili Hughes
- Kathryn Morgan
- Jonny Uttley
At the conference, they will also be launching new leadership development programmes and sharing their vision for the Flourishing Leadership Framework, which will be available to pilot from Autumn 2025.
The deadline for registrations is Friday 20 December 2024, so if you haven’t yet registered for this event, there’s still time. Find out more and get tickets here.
For the full Headlines newsletter – contact joanne.evans@coventrydbe.org