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All articles in category Education

News

May 2019
News > Education > Religious liberty

Mum sues school for forcing her child to take part in ‘gay pride’ parade

A mother, Izzy Montague, is taking legal action against her child’s former school for how they handled her complaint after her child was forced to take part in a ‘gay pride’ parade. She is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre, which says Mrs Montague has filed a complaint with the County Court against the Governing Body of Heavers Farm Primary School. She is alleging breach of her parental rights, victimisation and harassment at the hands of the school. The problems began in June 2018 when the headteacher of Heavers Farm Primary School in south-east London made pupils as young as five take part in...

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News

April 2019
News > Education > Society

Compulsory relationship lessons for all schools

Schools with pupils of all ages must provide compulsory ‘relationships’ lessons from September 2020, the Education Secretary Damian Hinds has announced. In the past many schools have been allowed to decide for themselves, in consultation with parents, whether to cover the subject. But now all schools, including private schools, will be forced to deliver Relationships Education and secondary schools must run Relationships and Sex Education (RSE). Schools have been told that pupils should receive ‘appropriate’ teaching about gay and transgender issues, and that LGBT relationships must be ‘respected’ This will be mandatory in secondary schools, although primary schools will be free to choose whether they...

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Birmingham primary school stops LGBT lessons after parents protest

News

April 2019
News > Education > Society

Birmingham primary school stops LGBT lessons after parents protest

A primary school in Birmingham that promoted LGBT issues to pupils as young as four has stopped after hundreds of children were withdrawn by parents in protest. The Guardian reports that about 600 mostly Muslim children, aged between four and 11, were withdrawn from the school for the day. The school would not confirm the number. Before withdrawing their children, parents had been protesting outside the Parkfield Community School in Saltley, Birmingham. The parents had been carrying placards with slogans such as ‘stop exploiting children’s innocence’, and ‘education not indoctrination’. As part of the LGBT lessons, children were being made to read books like Mommy,...

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News

April 2019
News > Education > Society

‘Trust Parents’ rally outside Parliament

A group of over 100 people rallied outside Parliament calling on the government to ‘trust parents’ and ‘let parents choose’ when it comes to sex education. The protest was organised by Christian Concern. The group’s CEO Andrea Williams said it showed that ‘we care deeply for our children’. She also said that parents should be the primary educators of their children rather than the state. Several other speakers at the rally said parents are responsible and best-placed to decide how their children are taught about relationships and sex education. A petition to Parliament in support of parental rights over Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) attracted...

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News

April 2019
News > Education

Ofsted told to keep out of ‘identity politics’

Ofsted should focus on the quality of education and not ‘identity politics’, says The Christian Institute. The group called for the government inspectorate to ditch its obsession with forcing primary school children to learn about same-sex relationships. It comes in the wake of remarks made to the BBC by the head of Ofsted, Amanda Spielman. She defended LGBT lessons, saying they were ‘about making sure [children] know just enough to know that some people prefer not to get married to somebody of the opposite sex and that sometimes there are families that have two mummies or two daddies. ‘It’s about making sure that children who...

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News

January 2019
News > Education

Faith schools top primary league table

Faith schools account for almost half of the top 500 state primary schools in the UK, latest league tables show. Out of the top 100 state primaries 48 are faith schools. The good performance comes in the face of pressure from humanists to end the Government funding of faith schools. Professor Alan Smithers, Director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research, said faith schools were doing so well because they shared a set of religious values, based around a moral work ethic. He said, ‘Faith schools are our best schools as these tables show and it would make no sense to dismantle some of...

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Education – Parental rights consultation

News

December 2018
News > Education

Education – Parental rights consultation

Religious think tank Theos is calling for a number of improvements to Religious Education in schools, in a report which summarises a series of high-level conversations on the effectiveness and future of RE. Recommendations include ending parents’ right to withdraw their child from RE, ensuring Ofsted take action against schools not teaching RE well, and exploring structural reforms to improve consistency and quality among RE syllabuses nationally. The report stated, ‘It is essential that all children have the opportunity to receive a high-quality, critical education in school about religion or belief. Yet it is increasingly clear that Religious Education in English and Welsh schools is...

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News

October 2018
News > Education

Education – Scottish schools in sex education row

The Scottish government has given its backing to draft lesson plans that could effectively lower the age of consent to 13. The draft Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) curriculum suggests teaching pupils aged 12 to 14 that although sex under the age of 16 is illegal, those aged 13 and over could engage in sexual activity without fear of reprimand. Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, commented, ‘The intention of this draft resource is, in effect, to lower the age of consent without a change in legislation. This bypasses parliament and is an affront to democracy’. Norman Wells, director of the...

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Education – Sex education opt-out

News

September 2018
News > Education

Education – Sex education opt-out

Parents are set to lose the right to withdraw their children from sex education when their child reaches the age of 15, and primary aged children should not be withdrawn from new ‘relationships’ classes. The alarming new proposals were announced by Education Secretary Damian Hinds. He said parents should lose their right to withdraw their child in the three terms leading up to the child’s 16th birthday. Sex education will not be made compulsory in primary schools, but parents will have no opt-out from new ‘relationships education’, he said. The Department for Education said the subjects will come into force from September 2020, but for...

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Education – Training course for women

News

August 2018
News > Education

Education – Training course for women

Church Society and Union School of Theology have launched the Priscilla Programme, a new training course for women, which will start from September 2018. The Priscilla Programme is intended to encourage and equip women to serve local churches in voluntary ministries, such as teaching Sunday school and leading Bible study groups. According to a newsletter from Church Society, the content will include in-depth biblical, theological and pastoral modules, delivered by experienced and trained women. There will be regular interactive seminars and individual tutorials, as well as video lectures and other downloadable content. It is designed to be accessible and affordable, with all the teaching delivered online. The...

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News

August 2018
News > Education

Education – PRTS takes over Masters course

The Pastors Academy at London Seminary has handed over its Masters in Theology (ThM) to be run by the Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary (PRTS), which is based in North America. From January 2019, the partnership with Westminster Theological Seminary, which currently runs the ThM, will end. In a statement, London Seminary commented: ‘We are sad our formal partnership with Westminster is drawing to a close, and are very grateful for all Westminster and so many of its faculty have selflessly given to this work in the UK over the years. But we are thrilled to have found such dynamic new partners at PRTS’. In the...

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By Ruth MacLean

News

July 2018
News > Education

Education – Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide Library

Tucked away at one end of the Westminster College in Cambridge sits a small but fabulous library collection in the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide. This library is open to the public and well worth a visit. Although aimed at providing print and archive materials for research scholars and students at Cambridge University and the Cambridge Theological Federation, the collection can be browsed by visitors for free. Alternatively, for £12 a term or £36 a year, anyone may register with the library and borrow its books. What stands out about this collection is its focus on Christianity and the church in the non-western world. Whilst...

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