Transformation Thurrock : Labyrinth training with SACRE

Labyrinth training with SACRE

Thurrock’s Churches are invited to prepare for the Celebrating RE Month in March with Labyrinth training event

In late October, Transformation Thurrock was approached by Deborah Weston, who supports Thurrock’s SACRE (Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education) as an associate adviser for RE.

SACRE logo

SACRE is responsible for the Religious Education in all schools in the authority, with the exception of schools with a religious character. SACREs are responsible in law for advising local education authorities on RE and collective worship. There are over a hundred SACREs in England and Wales. SACREs in England are composed of four representative groups: Christian and other religious denominations, the Church of England, teachers' associations and elected councillors. (For Thurrock’s SACRE, chaired by Jack Misra, please go to http://www.thurrock.gov.uk/education/sacre/.)

Deborah told TT, “I am pleased to tell you that Thurrock SACRE has won a bursary for a project provisionally called ‘Opening the Church Doors.’”

This is because In March 2011 is to be Celebrating RE Month which aims to raise the profile of Religious Education in the country and to celebrate some of the wonderful work which is done in our communities to help children learn about and from religion. You can read more about this on read more about this on www.celebratingre.org and http://www.religiouseducationcouncil.org/content/blogcategory/51/81/.

Deborah explained, “The plan is to invite four churches in Thurrock to host at least one week of primary school visits to their Church during the Celebrating RE Month in March 2011. The Churches will be resourced to set up a Labyrinth on the theme of Easter. Volunteers or church leaders will be offered training in labyrinths too. Most of the resources will be provided (although some items are found in most Churches anyway) and the Church team will be shown how to set up the materials and to instruct the children on arrival.”

Immediately, some of you will be thinking, “We’ve already been doing this stuff!” Well, in various forms, over the past decade, we have - and continue to do so. The borough is in a strong position, which is all the more reason for joining in with this initiative.

Deborah echoes this when she says, “I guess there is no real limit to how many churches open their doors during the RE National Celebration Week and many already host school visits already. The idea of this project is to get more people involved and to perhaps help those people who support church educational work become more familiar with school based Religious Education.”

One of the conditions of the bursary is that the four churches represent more than one denomination (or more, if Deborah can find additional sources of funding).

Celebrate RE logo

How to take advantage of the training

There is an open invitation to attend a training/sharing of good practice session for Religious Education. This session is called “Learning about and from Easter through labyrinths and reflection exercises at key stage 2”.

This will take place at St Peter & St Paul’s Church (Grays Parish Church), High Street, Grays RM17 6LL on Thursday 27 January 2011 from 1.30 to 3.30pm.

This has been made possible because Thurrock’s SACRE has been awarded a NATRE bursary to work with local churches of all denominations to strengthen links with schools. The plan is to invite church representatives, clergy and lay people to attend a session of training/sharing of good practice in this area. The focus will be the use of Labyrinth-style activities or reflective exercises in learning about and from the Christian Festival of Easter.

Also invited are primary school teachers of years 5 and 6 to attend and add their perspective so that they are able to work with their local churches and make the visits a really exciting learning experience for the children. All participating schools will also receive a scheme of work to support their teaching in preparation for their visits to Churches in March 2011.

Deborah will lead the session alongside a colleague called Fiona Moss who is a primary RE specialist. But anyone who has experience of using this strategy and would like to share with others is invited to get in touch with Deborah so that it can be ensured that different models are explored. (Prayer Spaces for Schools? 24-7 Prayer?)

Once this session has taken place, SACRE would like to encourage Churches to offer to set up a Labyrinth or other reflective exercise on the theme of Easter in their own Church and to invite local primary schools to visit the church with their year 5 and 6 classes during the Celebrating RE Month in March 2011. Information about how to do this and a list of the resources that are required will be provided.

Deborah says that once this is done, “We will then publicise the names and contact details for the Churches that have agreed to be involved together with information about the dates that they are able to offer for visits”.

Please make your booking using the form available from Tim Harrold at Transformation Thurrock on request (tim@transformationthurrock.com), and return it to the Culver Centre by email, post or by booking online. Course number SAC/106.

Address: Culver Centre, Daiglen Drive, South Ockendon, Essex RM15 5RR. Telephone: 01375 413677 Fax: 01708 851789 Email: culver.bookings@thurrock.gov.uk Web: www.culvercentre.org.uk

Please note, bookings cannot be taken by the Church.

The dream that you don't fight for for can haunt you for the rest of your life - Robots

Deborah Weston with Tim Harrold, 28/12/2010