University Associate Professor helps launch new religious education resources for UK pupils
The University of Chester has played a key role in helping to launch new religious education (RE) resources for secondary school children in the UK.
Teachers, policymakers, parliamentarians, academics and leaders of religious and belief organisations gathered in the House of Lords recently for the launch of the resources, which will help pupils learn about freedom of religion and belief in the UK.
Based on the research project Lived Experiences of Religious Freedom: Organisational Challenges in the UK, designed and led by Dr Matyas Bodi of Oxford’s Regents Park College, the RE resources were developed by teachers working with Associate Professor James Holt of the University of Chester.
James introduced the resources to the assembled guests, highlighting the importance of freedom of religion or belief in the classroom and in the curriculum. The lesson plans use case studies drawn from the research as stimulus to prompt discussion and learning about:
- Dialogue and listening
- Legislation
- Religion in the local area
- Practice, worship and expression
Teachers in a range of secondary schools helped develop and have started to use the resources, which are available online at https://freedomdeclaredfoundation.org/school-resources/.
Freedom Declared Foundation (FDF), where James is Chair of the Board of Trustees, is a UK-based charity championing the right of everyone to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief. It provides research, information, educational and training resources.
James said: “In the UK, we often think of freedom of religion and belief as a foreign policy issue, but this research shows that there are real-life examples of persecution and harassment here too. We must help children and young people to be aware of this and to develop the skills to understand the rights and freedoms which our legal frameworks uphold, although our social norms and behaviours do not always follow suit.
“It was a privilege to work with teachers to develop these resources for the secondary school classroom.”
For more information on FDF, visit: https://freedomdeclaredfoundation.org/.
Main image: Associate Professor James Holt.
Image 2: Teachers, policymakers, parliamentarians, academics and leaders of religious and belief organisations gathered in the House of Lords.
Image 3: The Freedom of Religion or Belief Secondary School Project Report.