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Calls for Christians to be salt & light in education

Calls for Christians to be salt & light in education
CViE

Christian Values in Education (CViE), a Christian charity that aims to equip and encourage believers involved in education – parents, students, teachers, staff, governors – held its annual National Conference on 27 September with the theme “Salt and Light”, focusing on the importance for Christians to be salt and light in education today.

The event welcomed over 400 to Stopsley Baptist Church in Luton. The keynote speakers were Alun Ebenezer (Headteacher), John Denning (The Christian Institute), and James Mildred (CARE).

Another Christian school buckles under VAT hike

Another Christian school buckles under VAT hike
Emily Pollok
Emily Pollok

Another Christian school is joining the list of casualties resulting from the government’s introduction of VAT on private school fees.

The King Alfred School in Dudley, which provided classical education for children aged 3-13, announced its closure in August citing the impact of VAT as well as rising employment costs and the removal of charitable-status business rates relief. The school was also facing an increase in rent from its landlord, The Methodist Church in Lower Gornal.

The case of JR87: Faith in education?

The case of JR87: Faith in education?
Olwyn Mark
Olwyn Mark

The role and place of religion in the education system in Northern Ireland is currently under scrutiny in light of a case currently being considered by the UK Supreme Court – the case of JR87.

The case centres on a child who attended a primary school in Northern Ireland with a Christian ethos. When the child in question started repeating a prayer at home before eating, one that she had learnt at school, and began asking questions about God and religion, her parents voiced their concerns to the school, namely that the education that their daughter was receiving did not conform with their own religious or philosophical convictions.

New sex ed guidance ‘muddying the waters’

New sex ed guidance ‘muddying the waters’
Emily Pollok
Emily Pollok

The latest guidance on Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) for schools in England, published by the Department in Education in July, is receiving mixed reactions from the Christian community.

The big win from the guidance for Christian parents is that all teaching materials for lessons on sex education should be made available to parents from September 2026, when the new rules come into play.

Shock as Spurgeon's College closes

Shock as Spurgeon's College closes
en staff
en staff

Spurgeon's College, London, is to close with immediate effect.

The evangelical Baptist College was set up in 1856 by famous Victorian preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

UK’s first Classical Christian school faces imminent closure

UK’s first Classical Christian school faces imminent closure
Nicola Laver
Nicola Laver

A small Christian primary school in the West Midlands is in "a critical state" and could close by the end of July as a direct result of the imposition of VAT on school fees.

The King Alfred School in Dudley said it has gone down from 34 children to 18 children since the measures came into effect. One of the school’s founders, Hayley Bowen, said the new policy on VAT has “devastated our income stream”.

Ten Commandments bill sparks debate in USA

Ten Commandments bill sparks debate in USA
Emily Pollok
Emily Pollok

A bill requiring Texas public schools to display posters of the Ten Commandments in every classroom is causing debate, even among Christians, over the separation of church and state in the US.

The bill cleared state legislature in May and is headed to the Governor, Greg Abbott’s desk, where it is expected to be signed.

Christian loses unfair dismissal appeal

Christian loses unfair dismissal appeal
Nicola Laver
Nicola Laver

A secondary school teacher who told year 7 pupils at a Church of England school that being LGBTQ+ was a sin and is “not fine”, and that transgender people are “just confused”, has lost her appeal against dismissal.

Glawdys Leger, a Christian, lost her teaching job after 12 years at Bishop Justus Church of England School, Bromley in May 2022 after a pupil’s mother complained about “very distressing” comments she allegedly made in class. The pupil was “exploring” who she was.

Traditional marriage teaching removed from curriculum
letter from Dublin

Traditional marriage teaching removed from curriculum
Lois McCrea
Lois McCrea

Of concern to evangelicals is the recently updated Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum which is taught in all secondary schools across the Republic of Ireland.

The new SPHE curriculum for junior cycle students (aged 12–15) was updated in September 2023. Students engage in 100 hours of SPHE teaching over three years and the first cohort of students is now in the second year of the programme. The senior cycle curriculum for students aged 16–19 was updated in September 2024 and covers 60 hours of teaching.

Parents could be forced to report Sunday School attendance

Parents could be forced to report Sunday School attendance
Nicola Laver
Nicola Laver

A statutory obligation could be imposed on parents to report if their home-schooled child is attending Sunday School and other forms of church education, under the wide-ranging Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

The bill, which details plans for compulsory registration of home-schooled children, has also been criticised by some for a suggested implication that ‘all home-educated children are at risk’.

USA: Christian education gains pace

USA: Christian education gains pace
Emily Pollok
Emily Pollok

Several US states are moving towards publicly-funded Christian education, sparking heated debate over the separation of church and state amidst the rising tide of Christian nationalism across the country.

Texas and Ohio are pressing ahead with such plans – but in Louisiana and Oklahoma, supporters of similar moves are facing setbacks.

Christian Institute founder John Burns dies

Christian Institute founder John Burns dies
Nicola Laver, Christian Institute

Christian Institute (CI) founder John Burn has died aged 86 following a long illness. His death on 25 October comes eight months after the sudden death of CI director Colin Hart in March.

Originally a science teacher, John’s work in improving standards in schools brought him an OBE for services to education. While a lay reader in the Diocese of Newcastle at Jesmond Parish Church, John was invited to be a member of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Commission on Urban Priority Areas.

The unseen cost of boarding school: pain, healing, and the gospel

The unseen cost of boarding school: pain, healing, and the gospel
Carl Chambers
Carl Chambers

There is a malady which affects the souls, bodies and lives of many men and women, but is barely spoken about. Few understand it, while many subconsciously deny it, whether through ignorance or fear or shame. It may affect someone you know personally, and almost certainly affects people who have had an influence on your life.

What is it and how is it caused?

This malady is called 'Boarding School Syndrome' (BSS). I call it 'Prep School Pain'.

Paraguay sex ed curriculum welcomed

Paraguay sex ed curriculum welcomed
Iain Taylor
Iain Taylor

Evangelicals and other Christians are expressing strong support for Paraguay’s first national sex education curriculum, to be rolled out in 2025.

The initiative is a response to the crisis by which the country has the second highest rate of teenage pregnancy in South America, surpassed only by Venezuela. Paraguayan government figures show that, in 2023, 10,697 adolescents aged 15–19, and 405 girls aged 10–14 gave birth in the country, which has a population of under 7 million.

Christian schools shutting down following VAT changes

Christian schools shutting down following VAT changes
Nicola Laver
Nicola Laver

Weeks after the government announced VAT will be imposed on private school fees, the first independent Christian schools have begun to close doors.

Cedars Christian school in Greenock, Inverclyde, closed in September after 25 years, partly because of the VAT move. The school, catering for children aged 5–18, had also experienced a steady drop in pupils on the roll.

Sutcliffe appeal lost

Sutcliffe appeal lost
Nicola Laver
Nicola Laver

Maths teacher Joshua Sutcliffe has lost his appeal against a ruling banning him indefinitely from teaching.

Sutcliffe was dismissed after deliberately failing to use a pupil’s preferred pronouns in the classroom and on TV. He had also shared with pupils his views about gay marriage and homosexuality.

Truancy falls 96% as church-school partnership lifts off

Truancy falls 96% as church-school partnership lifts off
Nicola Laver
Nicola Laver

Truancy has dropped by a staggering 96% after a Welsh evangelical church launched a new ‘learning hub’ with a nearby school.

The hub was opened in June by Noddfa Evangelical Church and Abersychan Comprehensive School and combines academic teaching and broader ‘Life Skills’. So far, 20 school pupils have registered with the hub.

Christian schools alarmed by charging of VAT on fees

Christian schools alarmed by charging of VAT on fees
Nicola Laver
Nicola Laver

The imposition of VAT on private school fees threatens the survival of small Christian schools, which are ‘worlds away from the Harrows and Etons of this world’, the Association of Christian Teachers (ACT) is warning.

Meanwhile, the head of a small private school says Christian parents are being punished, and has challenged the church to support families and Christian education.

Growing fears around sex and health education guidance

Growing fears around sex and health education guidance
Nicola Laver
Nicola Laver

As the Autumn term across England and Wales begins, the Association of Christian Teachers (ACT) has expressed concern about uncertainty around the draft relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) guidance.

The draft guidance, published in May, includes clear age limits for teaching the most sensitive content, and states that the ‘broader concept of gender identity’ should not be taught. If published, the final guidance would be statutory.

Welsh school criticised for Christianity

Welsh school criticised for Christianity
Nicola Laver
Nicola Laver

A Welsh comprehensive school is being investigated after the National Secular Society (NSS) complained it is teaching creationism and promoting evangelical Christianity to pupils.

The NSS criticised Llanidloes High School, Powys for teaching creationism and displaying posters combining educational content with Scripture verses – material NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said amounts to an ‘extensive campaign of evangelism’.

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