17 March 2025 - 'Does God have a place in school?'

In the winter school term I joined up with Tobi Omoloso from The Growing Faith Foundation and we worked together on their first ‘Question of the half-term’: Does God have a place in school? This question has sparked a fascinating array of responses from students across primary and secondary schools in our diocese and in today’s evolving educational landscape, the question is both timely and significant.

We sent out a simple yes/no survey with an option to elaborate, and the data we received was definitely food for thought. Tobi produced a great report that you can read here. Below are my reflections. Take a look at the results:

To some the high number of those responding ‘yes’ to this question may seem pleasantly surprising, but it is in line with current research that shows the younger generations are much more likely to identify as ‘spiritual’. If such a good number out of the 44 responses to the questionnaire think that God has a place in school, it begs the question, how are we fostering and growing that space?

Those who ‘wanted to say more’ shared some insightful thoughts.

Ages 6-11

For the younger children, the presence of God in school is almost a given. Some saying that God lives in everyone's hearts and is always there. One child said, "God lives in everyone's hearts," while another added, "God can be anywhere as He is as big as the world. He created the world so is in our hearts." These highlight a simple yet profound belief in God's omnipresence.

Some children see God's influence in their daily school activities, especially during assemblies and collective worship. "I think God is with us in singing assembly," one child shared. However, not all responses were agreed. A few children felt that God doesn't have a specific place in school, with one stating, "He can't visit all schools - no one school is special” and another saying “God has a place in our collective worship but not our lessons.”

Interestingly, some children expressed a desire for a special place in school to reflect on God. "It might be good to have a special place to go and talk to God," one suggested, another child supporting this with “Sometimes it gets really noisy and it’s hard for us to hear him. Can he still hear us?”

Ages 12-16

The views of the slightly older students on God's place in school become more nuanced. Some believe that God provides comfort during challenging times, such as exams. "If you are having a bad day in school or if you have a test or exam, you can ask God to help you," one student mentioned.

However, it’s clear that there is a complexity to integrating faith into a diverse school environment. One student noted, "Modern day schools do not like to perform advocacy of religion. To prevent tension between religions, as in the UK there are a variety.” One of the students who said that God doesn’t have a place in school said “We don’t do religion massively in my philosophy lessons, and when we do, it is more about the people in that religion than the religious beliefs itself.”

Ages 17-18

For the oldest students, the presence of God in school is seen as part of a broader recognition of faith in all aspects of life. "I believe God has a place in all aspects of life. School makes up such a huge part of young people's lives that it is especially important to recognize God's place in it," one student reflected. Whilst this perspective underscores the significance of acknowledging faith in the educational journey, it is worth noting that the oldest age group makes up the smallest number of responses and so deserves to be explored further.

To delve deeper into this question, I spent a lunchtime at the sixth form centre of a Church of England secondary school in our diocese. The discussions were rich and varied, reflecting the diverse perspectives of the students. One student shared, "Yes, God does have a place in school, but it’s difficult because there’s so many different people in school. So, for me, He has a place because I have a faith, but in this area, there’s a lot of people who aren’t religious point blank, lots here just don’t believe."

Another student highlighted the importance of values: "I think the values of different faiths like Christianity and Islam can teach good values and people appreciate that even if they don’t believe. And schools that don’t have a place for God can still teach good values, but for someone who is religious, it is important."

However, the conversation also revealed challenges. One student mentioned that they don’t talk about faith at school “because when I bring it up it just gets ‘clowned’, so there’s not really times I talk about faith here." This sentiment was echoed in their thoughts when they were asked about how well Christian input in school comes across answering, "Not very well really, unless it’s ‘fun’ things, for example singing bangers like Shine Jesus Shine."

Some other points that came out of the conversations were:

Educating is fine but not enforcing
It’s good to make people aware of all faiths
Religion as a subject in school is fun and interesting
A lot of people resonate with the values of different faiths even if they don’t believe
Having more space for conversations could help how Christian content is received
Seeing teachers confidently share about faith would help

It's clear that the question of God's place in school is multifaceted. Whether through values, comfort, or a desire for dedicated spaces for reflection, the presence of God in school is significant. By considering the voices of the students themselves, we can gain valuable insights into how they perceive the presence of God in their educational experience and what it means for their personal and academic growth. If you have links with a school, or work with children and young people, I would encourage you to ask them this question, see where it takes you and how you might support them in this area.