Mere Court Hotel | Knutsford
It’s with pleasure to announce our annual conference for primary RE leads on Thursday, 22 May, 205 at the beautiful country setting of Mere Court Hotel, near Knutsford.
This year’s theme is Exploring a Worldviews Approach aiming to give time and space to consider a number of scientific based worldviews; both developing our own subject knowledge and having time to consider their relevance and importance to teaching RE at school.
Nobody stands nowhere, inspired by the Theos Think Tank research piece, is a now familiar short video created by Emily Downe, that encourages the viewer to consider their own view of the world and how that has been shaped and developed. The changes to religious education over recent years has embraced this worldviews approach. Moving the focus from solely the content to be taught, towards focusing on the framing of this information on the lived experience of adherents, both for institutionally organised, secular and personal worldviews. Engaging pupils to not only acquire information but to be interpreters of this information.
Through a mix of keynote talks and interactive sessions, we will hear from the lived experience of those who hold humanist and sentientist worldviews, and the compatibility of those who embrace both science and Christianity.
Joining us for the day, we are fortunate to welcome representatives from organisations who aim to inspire and deepen our understanding of diverse worldviews, enriching our subject knowledge.
A modern worldview based on some ancient ideas. It can be summarised in a sentence as “evidence, reason and compassion for all sentient beings”. While Sentientism’s core ideas are simple and intuitive, the worldview has radical implications for the way humanity lives today.
God and the Big Bang is an innovative education project run by Unlocking the Growth Trust. The project aims to demonstrate compatibility of science and faith and encourage students to discover some of life’s biggest questions.
This conference would be suitable for those who teach or lead religious education across the primary phase, perhaps coming in partnership with those who lead on science as you consider how one subject may support the learning in the other through careful curriculum mapping.
The day will begin at 8.45am arrival and registration and concluding at 3:30pm. Places are limited, so don’t delay, book today! Need more information? Contact our Christian Distinctiveness Officer, Jen Mcilveen.
Investment
£140 per booking, second booking £100.
Includes two-course delicious lunch and refreshments throughout the day.
Humanists UK’s education service. It aims to introduce young people to humanism as a non-religious approach to life which can be studied as an example of a ‘non-religious worldview’.
Meet our Keynote Speakers
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Jamie Woodhouse
Volunteer, Sentientism
Jamie is working to develop Sentientism (“Evidence, reason and compassion for all sentient beings.”) as a worldview and as a global movement. He hosts the Sentientism Podcast and YouTube and has published articles and presented academic seminars on the Sentientism Communities that so far span over 100 countries.
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Abi Falkus
Schools Development Officer, God and the Big Bang
Abi started working with the project After completing her degree in Biological Science at the University of Exeter and a Masters in Climate Science at King’s College London. Abi has always loved exploring the deeper questions of both faith and science and loves encouraging curiosity in all those around her.
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Bethan Fowler
Education Networks Manager, Understanding Humanism
With a background in teaching in primary and secondary settings, Bethan now works in the the Understanding Humanism team, managing their educational programme and networks, including the school speaker and teacher training programmes.