A CHALLENGE TO THE BISHOP

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

A challenge to the Bishop

Of course there is more to life than science can measure – on that I agree with Bishop Tim (First Person, October 1).

However, one might reply that there is more to life than is allowed for in theology.

I would be interested to hear more about his views on life, particularly following his unfortunate remark last May that the atheist position is a tale told by an idiot.

A week ago I took part in a very useful discussion with Paul Butler, Bishop of Nottingham, organised by Nottingham Secular Society.

Leicester Secular Society has a long history of discussions with people of all views – we would be delighted to arrange a similar discussion with Bishop Tim.

There are, in fact, several occasions already set up when we would welcome his contribution.

At the risk of being accused of self-promotion, I mention my talk at 7.30pm next Thursday about Faith, Humanism and the Secular State; he might also consider the talk to be given at 2pm on Saturday, October 15, by the Rev David Paterson, an avowed atheist who is also a practising Anglican priest.

To come back to the topic: He would indeed be dull of soul who did not respond to the evidence of the human capacity for devotion and the demonstration of the need to come together shown in the Treasures of Heaven exhibition concerning religious relics at the British Museum which the bishop refers to.

I understand the comment of the non-believing curator, that the experience of being close to these objects and seeing their effects on visitors had raised many questions for her, and I am not at all surprised to hear that Muslims and Sikhs have visited the exhibition, though I must say that for me a small village church or even a small Neolithic circle of standing stones can convey more.

This may appear as a challenge to the bishop, to some even a presumptuous challenge, but we have to have a better understanding of one another. Otherwise differences can harden and get in the way of the due recognition and co-operation that we need to develop.

We should all be willing to engage in discussions, both believers and non-believers.

Science and religion are both parts of humanity's search for understanding and meaning, for what it is to be human and how we can live life more abundantly together.

An essential part of being human is to engage in this search with goodwill: I invite the bishop to join in this.

Allan Hayes, Leicester

FAITH TRAIL LINKS PLACES OF WORSHIP

From today's Leicester Mercury:

Faith Trail links places of worship

A walking route linking places of worship will be launched on Friday.

The Faith and Place Trail was compiled by archaeology students from the University of Leicester.

It is accompanied by a map that includes all places of worship in the city.

The trail was devised by second year students, with the help of the city's faith groups.

It takes in a selection of the places of faith which can be visited in the course of a few hours.

They include centres of worship for Bahá'í, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism and Sikhism, plus the Secular Hall and world arts gallery at New Walk Museum.

A university spokesman said: "The trail highlights how much there is to discover about Leicester."

University vice-chancellor, Professor Sir Robert Burgess, will be at the launch of the trail at New Walk Museum on Friday.

For details and the map, see: www.le.ac.uk/faithtrail

PHILOSOPHY IN PUBS

First Wednesday of the month means Philosophy in Pubs (PIPS), upstairs in the Crumblin' Cookie in Leicester's High Street. This is our first time meeting at this new venue, having decamped from our first home at the Swan & Rushes, Infirmary Square. Our enquiry this evening: "Is it really better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?"

Check out the Facebook page for Philosophy in Pubs Leicester.

CREATIVECOFFEE CLUB

At Phoenix Square Film and Digital Media Centre this morning for the fortnightly meeting of CreativeCoffee Club. Today, as a special feature (and tying in with the near approach of Leicester Speaks), Lawrence Ward (Ripple Effect Theatre) offers a masterclass in public speaking. This is an enjoyable and instructive interlude, which include some exercises which have us filling Phoenix Sqaure's cafe bar with the most extraordinary sounds! Lawrence is on the right of the photo above. Read his blog or follow him on Facebook.

DASHERA CELEBRATIONS MARK TRIUMPH OF GOOD OVER EVIL

From today's Leicester Mercury:

Dashera celebrations mark triumph of good over evil 

A giant effigy of a Hindu king is to be set alight as part of religious celebrations. 

The model of King Ravana will be burned as the highlight of Dashera celebrations taking place at Leicester's Cossington Street Recreation ground, in Belgrave, Leicester, on Thursday from 6pm to 8pm. 

The festival of Dashera celebrates the story of the battle between Lord Rama and King Ravana, and the victory of good over evil. The celebrations will also include children's funfair rides, a cultural programme on stage, and the giving out of sweets.

The event will end with a firework display.

CHRISTIANS AWARE COURSE ON THE PSALMS: 2

Barbara Butler & Rabbi Jonathan Magonet.

At Christchurch, Clarendon Park, this evening for the second session in the Christians Aware course on the Psalms (offered as part of their Faith Awareness programme).

Our speaker is Rabbi Jonathan Magonet, author of A Rabbi Reads the Psalms (among other books).

There are around 50 people here, the largest turnout I’ve seen for one of these Monday evening sessions. For the first time, we’re using the larger Vaughan Powell Room.

The Rabbi tells us that although the Psalms are more often thought of en bloc, they repay individual attention and close study, reflection and discussion as individual poems. Many of them are troubling, baffling, even violent in their language. Yet when considered in depth and detail, paradoxically, they can be seen to speak of great love and tenderness.

The speaker expresses disappointment and frustration at the translation into (differing forms of) English, at how they each fail (in different ways) to convey the essential truths in the original Hebrew. As a poet and a theologian, he doesn't consider that they do justice to the qualities of the Hebrew. Never mind our modern difficulties with the archaic style of the English itself, the real casualties are the complexity and subtlety of the Hebrew, which are lost in translation.

Psalm 90

1. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
2. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
3. Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.
4. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
5. Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
6. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
7. For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.
8. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
9. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
10. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
11. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.
12. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
13. Return, O Lord, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.
14. O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15. Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. 
16. Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.
17. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

The Rabbi leads us through the Psalm, verse by verse, discussing it as we go. I feel very much at home with this sort of approach to reading, discussing, appreciating and understanding the text. It has a lot in common with teaching an adult education class on poetry. I've picked out only a few things from the fascinating discussion led by the Rabbi.

Verses 1, 2: God as character in a story. When that character is called by different names, it is for a reason, it tells us something significant. “Lord" (Adonai) representing nearness and intimacy; "God" (El) representing majesty and grandeur.

Verse 3: Ambiguous – can be read to mean either "return to inorganic matter" (literally "crushed stone") or to return to God.

Verse 4: Two distinct ways of measuring time: human-centred perspective of generations (verse 1), and the divine perspective, longer than the life of the earth.

Verses 5, 6: Trying to see our lives from God's point of view.

Verse 7: Idea persists even into the modern day of the Old Testament God driven by anger - and it's not a view confined to any particular form of Judaism. This is the kind of idea of God that gives the Old Testament a bad name!

Verses 8, 9: Extending this theme.

Verse 12: Alternate translation: "Teach us how to measure our days, so that we may acquire a heart of wisdom"

Verse 13: Asking God to come back to us (focuses meaning of verse 3).

Verse 15: “Let us have a deal, measure for measure, of things positive for all the negative things already endured.”

Verse 16: Extending relationship with God into the future, measured in human terms.

Verse 17: “May the pleasantness of God be upon us”. This may sound banal, homely, quotidian - but after we've been considering such wrath ...

The second half of Psalm 90 is a protest at what's been stated in the first half. In the Psalms, God is taken to task, is challenged. The petitioner asks: where was God in times of need and distress; where is God now when aid is required; where will God be in the future?

If the Books of Moses may be said to be God's self-revelation to man, then the Psalms may be said to be man's self-revelation to God.

The questions you ask determine the answers you find. If you were a donkey reading the Hebrew Bible, then you'd probably be most interested in stories involving donkeys.

This enjoyable and intriguing session, by such a highly accomplished, distinguished, experienced and knowledgeable speaker sets a very high standard for next week ... *gulp*

WHAT MAKES A GOOD SACRE MEMBER?

Going through the papers for the last SACRE meeting (at Uplands Primary, Tuesday 27 September), I come upon this set of questions fort a workshop activity. I thought it would be interesting to post it on the blog in its own right, rather than risk it being buried in a report on the last SACRE meeting . Those attending that meeting were asked to rank our top five from the list. None of us got anywhere near that in the time allowed.

What makes a good SACRE member?

In your pairs or groups consider how you would rate each of these characteristics of a good SACRE member and agree on a ranking for them, the most important first and the least significant last, discarding any that you think are inappropriate.

Our group got no farther than attempting to take out those points that would work for being a good member of just about anything - and trying to find what would be distinctive to SACRE. I wonder how you'd fare if you did the same, faithful reader - or if you'd have your own effective approach to the task.

1. A good SACRE member is open to all views and ideas
2. A good SACRE member seeks to understand the views of other members, rather than simply promoting his / her own agenda
3. A good SACRE member is willing to contribute to discussions
4. A good SACRE member has a clear understanding of his or her SACRE role
5. A good SACRE member is committed to SCRE meetings
6. A good SACRE member is well informed
7. A good SACRE member can work harmoniously with other members
8. A good SACRE member has time to spend in school
9. A good SACRE member listens more than he or she speaks
10. A good SACRE member is keen and able to communicate with teachers and pupils
11. A good SACRE member takes an active participative approach, following lines of enquiry of personal interest
12. A good SACRE member supports and encourages local schools to aspire to high standards in RE and collective worship
13. A good SACRE member is someone who has faith in her or himself
14. A good SACRE member shows dedication to pupils’ learning
15. A good SACRE member is confident about everything to do with RE and Collective Worship in schools
16. A good SACRE member takes an active part in the meeting
17. A good SACRE member is able to offer relevant experiences
18. A good SACRE member understands the positive value of RE and Collective Worship in schools
19. A good SACRE member has a sound knowledge of the relevant law
20. A good SACRE member is aware of local faith communities
21. A good SACRE member has the ability and confidence to question perceived wisdom (I think that should be “received wisdom”)
22. A good SACRE member is aware of the key RE and Collective Worship issues facing schools
23. A good SACRE member is a bridge between SACRE and local school

EQUALITY ACT 2010: ITS IMPACT ON SCHOOLS

Going through the papers for the last meeting of SACRE, I come upon this handout on the Equality Act 2010 and its impact on schools. I thought it would be interesting to post it on the blog in its own right, rather than risk it being buried in a report on the last SACRE meeting.

I also thought that this would make a good primer for the Equality Act 201o, for any readers who haven’t got the drop on it for themselves yet. The Act is such an important recurring feature of this blog and having a refresher every so often can’t do any harm.

What is the Equality Act 2010?

The Equality Act 2010 is a new law which protects people from discrimination. It replaces all previous, separate equality laws including the Disability Discrimination Act, Race Relations Act and many others.

Why change?

Having one law on Equality helps people to better understand their and other people’s rights and how they should expect to be treated.

The Equality Act 2010

The main provisions of the Equality Act 2010 came into force in October 2010.

The Act details the general duties and sets out a public sector Single Equality Duty due to be implemented in April 2011. The Equality Act 2010 extends protection to all of the following equality areas, now known as “Protected Characteristics”:

• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage and civil partnership
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Race
• Religion or belief
• Sexual orientation
• Sex (previously referred to as Gender)

General duties of the Equality Act

Due regard must be given to the need to:

Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation;

Advance equality of opportunity between different groups; and

Foster good relations between different groups.

What will this mean for schools?

The main change for schools is the addition of Religion or Belief and Sexual Orientation and (to a lesser degree) pregnancy and maternity, gender identity and age. When the Specific duties (autumn 2011 for schools) schools will have to set equality objectives detailing what they will do to address the persistent causes of inequality. Schools will be required to demonstrate:

• Proactive approaches in identifying, addressing and eliminating discrimination;
• Promoting equality of opportunity and good relations between people from different equality groups are being sought.

Benefits

A single equality scheme produced with the involvement of the whole school community can support the school to identify and address barriers by equality characteristics giving the school the opportunity to:

• Demonstrate that the school has a good understanding of how discrimination can affect outcomes for different groups and that it has a proactive approach to addressing this;
• Engage meaningfully with the school community therein enabling a better understanding of the barriers that exist and how to address these;
• Enhance the everyday experience of the school community as parents, pupils and staff feel that they are able to contribute to and inform school policy and decision making and as a result feel more confident and foster a higher degree of trust with the leadership within the school
• Raise attainment and aspirations of pupils so that they feel more confident about their own identities and that of others, understanding and valuing difference and recognising  the benefits to society, safe in the knowledge that the school is dedicated to eradicating discrimination and has a clear plan for doing so;
• Be regarded by the wider community as a school which is clearly committed to embracing diversity and promoting equality.

Faiths

In Leicester there are approximately 240 faith groups across 14 different faiths. There are 123 places of Christian worship, 29 mosques, 23 Hindu temples, 10 Sikh Gurdwara, 2 Jewish synagogues and 1 Jain temple. Over recent years the Muslim population has significantly increased. It is estimated that about 80% to 90% of Muslim pupils attend madrassas after school.

Community cohesion

Leicester has a reputation for welcoming and celebrating diversity

The residents of Leicester recognise that the city is both multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-faith

The major location of cross-cultural mixing in Leicester is local shops, followed by places of work

“Promoting Equality is the whole school’s responsibility”

• Governors
• Head teachers
• Teaching staff
• Non-teaching staff
• Parents
• Pupils
• Local community members 

Schools action

Schools will be asked how they capture the views and perceptions of the school community. They will be advised to list all school-related events and meetings (e.g. sports days, celebrations like Christmas or Diwali or Eid, governors’ meetings, parents’ evenings, after school activities). By supporting schools you will offer the opportunity to support schools in fulfilling their statutory duty regarding religion and belief.

COLLECTIVE WORSHIP IN LEICESTER SCHOOLS: STATEMENT FROM SACRE

The Leicester City SACRE and Leicester City RE Consultant recognise that part of their role is to provide guidance and support for schools of effective provision for Collective Worship and support for determinations following the requirements set out in 1944 (and amended in 1988). Daily collective worship is a duty on schools and our council’s view would always be to meet the legal requirements.

The requirements for collective worship as a school activity are both different and distinct from the requirements regarding RE in the curriculum.

The Leicester SACRE is aware that the requirements for collective worship are not now being followed in all our schools, especially secondary schools, for a variety of reasons, including lack of suitable spaces and/or leaders for collective worship. Many of our secondary schools hold weekly collective worship and on the other days have a “Thought for the Day” with an opportunity for short, quiet time of reflection. This has been reported regularly by Ofsted over the years. However, this does not mean that schools have not provided opportunities for the spiritual and moral development of young people, many good examples of which Ofsted have also reported in the past year:

“Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Pupils make excellent contributions to the school and wider community, for example taking responsibility for helping teachers to identify in assemblies those pupils who demonstrate good listening skills.” (Abbey Primary school)

At Sparkenhoe Junior school the effective development of spirituality was commended:

“There is a suitably strong emphasis on developing pupils’ personal, social, emotional and moral development which results in Year 6 pupils being thoughtful, mature and responsible young people whose spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is excellent.”

Judgemeadow Community College was praised to the excellent spiritual development which was integrated into every subject:

“Students; spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. There are very good opportunities for students to develop their creativity, celebrate their cultural heritage and broaden their cultural experience through contact with artists, musicians and writers.”

The SACRE has only one statutory duty with regard to collective worship. It is to grant a determination to a community school where it is felt collective worship of “a broadly Christian character” is not appropriate for all or some pupils. The application comes from the head teacher after proper consultation with staff, governors and parents. It must be accompanied by alternative plans for collective worship. Currently 21 primary schools and 4 secondary schools hold determinations in Leicester City.

Leicester City determinations: Primary schools

• Abbey Primary School
• Bridge Junior
• Charnwood Primary School
• Catherine Infant
• Coleman Primary School
• Evington Valley Primary School
• Green Lane Infants
• Herrick Primary School
• Highfields primary School
• King Richard III Infant School
• Linden Primary School
• Mayflower primary School
• Medway Primary School
• Rusheymead Primary School
• Sandfield Primary School
• Shenton Primary School
• Sparkenhoe Primary School
• Spinney Hill Primary School
• Uplands Infants
• Uplands Junior School
• Wyvern Primary School

Leicester City determinations: Secondary schools

• Crown Hills Community College
• Judgemeadow community College
• Rusheymead School
• Moat Community College

HIGH SHERIFF'S CHARITY EVENT

I have the honour of being invited by the High Sheriff of Leicestershire, Resham Singh Sandhu MBE DL, to join him and his guests - chief among them being Lady Gretton, Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire - at a fund-raising event this evening in aid of Crimebeat Warning Zone, the High Sheriff's chosen charity.

There's a convivial atmosphere on what is an unseasonably warm evening (warm enough to melt the chocolates on offer). The proceedings are lent a slightly surreal air by many of the guests perching on the edges of (high quality) baths, shower stalls etc in the display areas of Plug Interiors, which is the venue for the evening.

A decent amount of money and considerable good will is raised for a good cause this evening. It's a privilege for me to play a part in that, however small.