From a very young age, teaching was something that I always wanted to do. It was almost like a vocation. I was born in Canterbury and grew up in a Christian family. I lived most of my life just outside York and was part of a Church community. I studied Divinity – a mixture of philosophy and theology – at Edinburgh University and I taught at Harrogate Grammar before coming to BGS in 2008.
I think faith is very important. For many of our children, it’s about how they see the world and how they view their experiences. We allow them to reflect; to challenge their own faith and to learn about other faiths and about those of no faith.
It’s very rewarding to see the children grow. It’s not simply about giving them facts, it’s about the whole person and developing their thinking. It’s about dialogue, challenging and justifying, and their personal, social and spiritual growth. Religious studies is one of those unique subjects where children can reflect on their own thinking and challenge others’ thinking.
Every year we hold a Faiths in the City event for Year 9. These are workshops where children can learn about different faiths in a collaborative way, but also, they can work with people of their own faith. We usually have six workshops – Judaism, Buddhism, Sikh, Muslim, Christian and Hindu. We use the arts – dance, music, and drama – to bring students together. Students are spiritual in many different ways. They may not be religious, but they may like dance or music so through these mediums they’re able to engage and learn through very practical methods. I think their eyes are opened in ways that they wouldn’t have been before. The workshop leaders are really good at providing the children with new experiences and communicating fresh ideas, such as new ways of thinking about faiths. It’s seeing themselves through different lenses.
I think BGS’s USP is that from the word go, we are very much about developing the whole child. We are preparing students for the wider world, so they become young adults who are able to understand difference and also understand themselves. It makes them confident and knowledgeable, but also tolerant, well-rounded individuals.
It very much includes reflection and understanding of those who have no faith which means those who have a secular non-religious view will be confident in their own beliefs. We look at others’ thinking and ethical theories, so for example, a big part of our religious studies is looking at Humanism. It’s very well balanced and that’s very important to us.
BGS is a unique environment. It’s a microcosm of society and it’s a superb reflection of how communities and different faiths and those of no faith can come together and learn and flourish.
“I think BGS’s USP is that from the word go, we are very much about developing the whole child. We are preparing students for the wider world, so they become young adults who are able to understand difference and also understand themselves. It makes them confident and knowledgeable, but also tolerant, well-rounded individuals.”
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