A global citizen ITE module and science ite: supporting confidence and competence of beginning teachers

In the Science Religion Encounters (SRE) research project, focus groups with primary student teachers and the survey findings from primary ECTs revealed many aspired to teach science/religion encounters or other sensitive issues, but felt various barriers stood in the way of planning such lessons. Barriers included fears over negative responses from parents, or poor reactions from mentors/senior leaders and also a concern over how to respond to issues of diversity in religious beliefs. Student teachers can be prepared for such challenges, though, if they are given time to discuss them in university sessions, with roleplaying and rehearsing opportunities to practice appropriate responses to challenging situations and learning how to establish a classroom ethos of respect. Time is needed to understand why overcoming barriers is necessary. One university primary ITE team has chosen to tackle this issue through making Global Citizenship one of the core themes of their teacher education vision, threaded from a core module to influence the teaching in subject sessions

Science religion encounters toolkit 13: Research summaries from the project

An online survey was designed to explore beginning teachers’ confidence and competence in planning for and responding to science/religion encounters in the classroom. The online survey was designed in response to comments in focus groups with 75 student teachers. There were 949 responses to the online survey. 324 primary teachers and student teachers completed over 50% of the survey and it is responses from this group that are analysed below

Prioritising a sense of belonging within the rural nexus: An empirical study of five rural church primary schools

The rural church primary school exists in a nexus of connections between school, home, and the institutional Church (parochial, diocesan, and national). This article applies Walker’s model of belonging to God through church to the sense of belonging expressed by families whose children attend a rural Church of England primary school. The data drawn from the Faith in the Nexus project undertaken at Canterbury Christ Church University, consists of 24 semi-structured focus group interviews, and 8 individual interviews with school and church leaders from parents, school staff, clergy, and governors across five rural Church of England primary schools. The findings highlight how rural church school families develop and sustain a sense of belonging through events, people, place, and activities. The discussion considers the value of Walker’s model of belonging, the fragility of the rural nexus and a need to acknowledge the relational nature of belonginess expressed by parents and pupils

Faith in the nexus: Church schools and children’s exploration of faith in the home: A NICER research study of twenty church primary schools in England

A nexus is a focus for connection, where multiple lines from different places come into relationship around a point of focus. In this project, the Nexus refers to the connections between church school, the local church, and the home. The Faith in the Nexus project aimed to reveal the influence of these connections in children’s developing spiritual life, and, specifically, how what happens in school (collaboration with church and others) impacts on children’s faith and spiritual life at home

Faith in the Nexus: children's conversations about faith and spirituality (school and church)

Faith in the Nexus research findings on children's conversations about faith for use in school and church communitie

Let’s talk about death (Home)

Faith in the Nexus: exploring children talking about death (Home

Faith in the Nexus: children's encounters with the Bible

Faith in the Nexu research findings: Children's encounters with the Bibl