On Monday, 22 April, Flourish House hosted an RE conference, welcoming 60 delegates from various schools in the diocese. The conference centered around the theme "Seeing your syllabus in a new way," emphasising the exploration of Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu worldviews in classrooms. It incorporated a recent Ofsted report titled 'Deep and meaningful?'.
Adam Robinson, a former teacher and diocesan adviser, served as the keynote speaker, offering practical insights, ideas for teachers, and innovative approaches to RE lessons. Attendees said they appreciated the opportunity to meet other educators, to share ideas, and experiences. “I enjoyed hearing about the up-to-date teaching of religious education. It was also interesting to hear from real people and their experiences.”
"As a new RE Lead, attending the RE conference was extremely helpful and supportive. It presented the concept of teaching RE in a new light, enabling teachers to consider how best to open their pupils eyes to different worldviews and discuss them with curiosity and respect. It also demonstrated the importance of making RE ‘real’ and using artefacts and present day sources to enrich class discussion.
The conference was also a fantastic networking opportunity, allowing valuable time to speak with teachers, subject leads and SLT from a wide variety of school. Thank you to Adam, Felicity and all the team at Flourish House for such a positive day and for inspiring me as I continue to develop as an RE Lead."
Feedback highlighted Adam's engaging presentation style, the usefulness of resource handouts, and the incorporation of hands-on activities like playdough. Many of those who attended said they found the day both enjoyable and informative, particularly valuing the insights on updating RE teaching and incorporating current references to 2024. "Adam was a fantastic, engaging speaker with some super ideas to take back to the classroom. Brilliant resource handout to annotate during the conference and slides emailed promptly afterwards. Loved the playdough element in the afternoon!"
