Are most pupils in our schools doomed to accept assertions such as “science has disproved religion”, “only old people believe in God”, or “all Christians are bigots”?
The answer is no. But, how can we help pupils make authentic choices about what to believe and what to value? On Monday, 26 August, Scotland-wide charity Christian Values in Education Scotland launched a free online resource based on the three key needs for schools its work has identified.
1. School chaplains and churches need support.
The fantastic ideas of some churches need to be shouted from the rooftops. And the brilliant resources they use need to be readily available to everyone. The new website is full of case studies and good ideas, and there’s a vast supply of free resources for religious observance/time for reflection assemblies as well.
2. Christian teachers and school staff need to feel that they’re not an endangered species.
When we first bring Christian teachers and school staff together, we frequently find them isolated, unsure if they can even talk about their faith in schools, and worried about attack from militant secularists. The website has solid, practical advice about how teachers and other members of staff can share their faith, where the boundaries are in the classroom, and how to respond to current ‘hot’ topics. There are also lots of ideas to help them take the initiative.
3. Children and young people urgently need classroom resources on what our faith is all about.
Find the right ‘ready-to-use’ materials and they’ll be taken up by thousands of teachers who are not necessarily Christians, to help pupils develop their own curiosity and understanding about Christianity. cve-scotland.org.uk is the go-to website for hundreds of these resources, linked to every part of the Scottish curriculum.
Megan Patterson, vice-chair of Christian Values in Education Scotland, said: “We already provide face-to-face training and networking, based on the three key needs, for hundreds of Christian chaplains, teachers and parents, from the Borders to Shetland to Glasgow to Stornoway. Now you can unlock all these approaches right in your classroom or in your study.”
Commenting on the new resource, Dr Fred Drummond, national director of the Evangelical Alliance Scotland, said: “CVE Scotland is playing a significant role in building confidence in our faith in the next generation.”
Andy Bathgate, CEO of Scripture Union, added: “Right now, we need a renewed confidence among teachers and others working in schools that the Christian faith has a valid place in education. That’s why SU Scotland is enthusiastically part of the Christian Values in Education Scotland project.”
