Visiting religious buildings enables pupils to experience for themselves places they might otherwise never enter and to meet practising members of religious communities and engage in conversation with them.
Students visiting Wat Buddhapadipa in Wimbledon © RE Council of England and Wales
This not only benefits their learning but often dispels negative stereotypes and can contribute to promoting equality and cohesion - and if parents join in such a visit then so much the better.
The RE Council of England and Wales (REC) is firmly committed to supporting learning outside the classroom in religious education and the rest of the national curriculum. There are enormous benefits to this, not least motivating children and stimulating their interest in the world and people around them.
A stimulus for deeper reflection
Importantly, particularly in religious education, visits to places of worship can provide a stimulus for deeper reflection on questions RE teachers refer to as “ultimate questions”: about the existence of God, the purpose of life, the meaning of community and what belonging to a religious community might mean and how all of that relates to children and young people and their lives.
There remains a (sometimes forgotten) statutory requirement on schools to promote pupils’ spiritual development – though it is of course much more than a duty. It is a real privilege to engage with young people in these questions and teachers, in my experience, benefit from that engagement also.
Learning outside the classroom
Almost two years ago, the REC was invited to nominate a representative to join the national advisory group on Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) and I have had the privilege of taking on that role.
We form one of eight sectors of the LOtC initiative and we have called ourselves ‘sacred space’ because there are many places where religious education and spiritual development can take place – ancient sites, trails, art galleries, open spaces, school gardens and many others – not just religious buildings.
Students visiting St Paul's Cathedral, London © RE Council of England and Wales
So far the sacred space sector has developed a travelling exhibition with free bookmarks, a website with case studies and advice for teachers on visiting sacred spaces, and we are participating in training and support for the LOtC quality badge. See the sacred space website.
Religious trails
In a linked initiative, the REC has commissioned a religious trails project. This will enable investigations of a local area (and any local area will do!) for evidence of the impact of religion and religious life, both past and present, and can be within or across faiths.
This could include examining the interior and exterior of buildings as well as other features in the built and natural environment. This web-based project will include a colour-coded Google map of existing trails, a resource section, information on what makes a good trail, a toolkit with advice and tips for developing trails and appropriate links, and will be completed by September 2009. See www.mmiweb.org.uk/heritage_trails/.
It is, of course, important to say that these buildings and trails are not just for religious education. The opportunities for cross curricular work are many and varied - both inside and outside. Parish churches, and there’s one within walking distance of virtually every school in the country, provide wonderful opportunities for such work but so do other religious buildings – and the variety is excellent!
Most religious communities are delighted to have visitors and the local Standing Advisory Council on RE (SACRE), which every Local Authority has, can usually provide advice and contacts.
Enjoy sacred space! - Joyce Miller
Joyce Miller is chair of the sacred space sector of the National advisory group on Learning Outside the Classroom. She is an associate fellow of WRERU, University of Warwick, and deputy chair of the RE Council of England and Wales.
