Welcome to the BCP SACRE newsletter.
We hope you all had a good summer and managed to enjoy a rest over the break. As the new school year starts, we want to wish you all the best for the new term hoping that this year will see less disruption.
SACRE wishes to send out a sincere thank you to all teachers and schools for the way in which you have continued to show dedication to children / young people and their education during many months of disruption due to the covid pandemic. We recognise the challenges you have faced and want you to know that we are here to support you. We are aware that a new school year can means a new RE co-ordinator / HOD is in place in your school setting. If your school has a new RE leader / HOD please send their name and email address to georgie.pinder@bcpcouncil.gov.uk (BCP Named Local Authority Officer).
We are keen to highlight / remind you that schools need to have RE curriculum maps on their websites. We recommend making this page easily accessible as it is likely to be scrutinised by Ofsted inspectors. If you require support with this BCP SACRE is happy to offer support and guidance. One of the ways SACREs can support schools is by producing newsletters, like this.
The aim of our newsletter is to inform RE teachers and leaders of:
- Local and national RE developments
- Free classroom resources
- Upcoming CPD opportunities
- News from faith communities (national and local)BCP SACRE also ran an RE teachers’ conference on 7th July which covered the recent Ofsted subject review as well as offering excellent workshops on Judaism, Islam and Humanism.
BCP SACRE will be looking to run another conference this year and will be tying this in with the review of the locally agreed syllabus – if any teachers would like to be involved please do contact us.
Agreed syllabus review During the summer term a questionnaire was sent out to RE teachers and leaders asking for opinions and suggestions for the new BCP agreed syllabus. We are keen to gather as much feedback as possible. This will support the development of the new BCP syllabus. If you have not completed this survey, please follow the following link. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Agreed Syllabus Survey (office.com)
Upcoming events:
Interfaith week
Interfaith week is celebrated each year in November. This year the week runs from 14-21 November 2021– information can be found here: https://www.interfaithweek.org/
The aims of interfaith week is to:
- Strengthen inter faith relations
- Increase awareness of the different and distinct faith communities in the UK, in particular celebrating and building on the contribution which their members make to their neighborhoods and to wider society
- Increase understanding between people of religious and non-religious beliefs
The website gives information, resources, and suggested activities. Local opportunities: Interfaith week The 'Many Faiths Together' team, representing Humanism, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Islam are keen to visit schools during the week of Monday 15 - Friday 19 November, to work with students in Year 8 and above. The group can offer:
- Many Faiths Together, Shared Values Question Time forum for whole year groups. These can take place in a school hall and will be an open forum to meet and talk with the 5 community leaders
OR
- Many Faiths Together, Shared Values class-based workshops. These workshops focus on faith, culture, and values in modern Britain. The sessions can be organised, so the community leaders visit different classes throughout the duration of the day .If you are interested in this opportunity, please make contact with Lynda Ford-Horne lyndafh3@hotmail.com
The team have been an awarded a small grant by the Dorset Race Equality Council. To cover additional expenses, planning and delivery time the cost to schools £200
Inter faith Network ‘The Inter Faith Network for the UK' works to promote understanding, cooperation and good relations between organisations and persons of different faiths in the UK. ’Information on how to get involved can be found at their website: https://www.interfaith.org.uk/
Holocaust Memorial Day 2022
Holocaust Memorial Day is commemorated on January 27 every year. It remembers the Holocaust during the second world war, as well as highlighting more recent genocides. The purpose being to educate, inform and encourage people to unite through acts of remembrance. Its work is dedicated to prevent further atrocities. Each year there is a theme. The theme for HMD 2022 is One Day, new resources were recently released and can be accessed for free from the following link: https://www.hmd.org.uk/resources/
The website has a range of assemblies, lesson plans and activities to help students learn about the Holocaust, Nazi Persecution and genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur, as well as contemporary issues. The resources aim to help students to: learn more, develop and feel empathy and be inspired to act.
CPD – advanced notice Strictly RE - save the date! 29 & 30 January 2022
After an extremely successful virtual conference last January ‘Strictly RE is back! NATRE will be hosting its national annual conference online for your convenience and peace of mind while still giving you everything you love about Strictly RE without having to leave your home.
More details will be released on the NATRE website later this term......
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