Felicity Golding, Senior Adviser for School Effectiveness, still has a watching brief for RE particularly at High school level, but Norfolk has now employed Helen Matter as a specialist County RE Adviser.

Helen began work 2.5 days a week in September 2001. Helen is an experienced Advisory Teacher and writer of KS1/2 curriculum materials. She had a year back in a Suffolk Middle school as RE subject leader in 2000/1 and continues 2.5 days a week as RE Advisory Teacher in Suffolk. Last year Helen concentrated on helping teachers understand the Norfolk Syllabus and developing links between this and the QCA materials. She has already visited many Norfolk schools, running staff meetings, working with subject leaders, recommending resources and holding courses at PDC’s and more local venues.

Helen is able to give advice and help on many issues to do with RE and Collective Worship in schools. Contact her if any of the following sound useful:

• helping staff, parents or governors understand what RE is about
• writing an RE or collective worship policy
• interpreting the Norfolk Syllabus for RE
• linking QCA units with the Norfolk Syllabus
• teaching about a particular faith or about beliefs and concepts in RE
• evaluating resources or using artefacts in RE
• improving the quality of RE in the classroom
• improving collective worship
• understanding spiritual development

At the end of the autumn term Helen will be working on Foundation Stage material. Do you have expertise in this area and an interest in RE? Or do you find RE difficult but love Early Years? Either way, you may be interested in helping with this material. Leave Helen a message at Norwich PDC.

Norfolk is already benefiting from the expertise of an Advanced Skills teacher for RE. Di Spradbery is helping teachers with post-16 RE. A group is already discussing sixth form conferences and looking forward to setting something up connected with the Anne Frank exhibition, on its return to Norwich next autumn.

If you are interested in Di’s work or would like to be involved, please let Helen know and she will put you in touch with Di. If you are thinking of applying for Advanced Skill status and RE is your subject, let us know that too!

Saul Penfold is the Education Officer at Norwich Anglican cathedral. He is looking for teachers (Foundation, KS1 & KS2) to work with him on ideas for Cathedral visits. Please contact him if you are interested on 01603 218320.

This useful website meets KS2 syllabus requirements for teaching Christianity. It examines 3 churches: a Salvation Army citadel in Ipswich, Combs parish church (Stowmarket) and Mendlesham Christian Fellowship. It provides information about activities, organisation and beliefs; it also includes photos of church members, interviews with ministers and details of artefacts. There are links from one church to another and the format could be adapted for a study of a church in your locality. Eventually the site will include downloadable tasks and worksheets but already holds QCA syllabus links and useful teacher information.

A C.A.T. is a teacher who goes into school to take lessons and assemblies about Christian Aid’s work worldwide for justice. You might like to invite one in to school if you are doing work on Christianity, particularly the Y7 QCA unit: What does Justice mean to Christians? Please contact Eldred Willey (01603 620051) for details of school visits or Christian Aid information packs for schools.

These publishers have catalogues which contain very helpful RE resources:

An Islamic Resource Centre has opened in Norwich. It will offer comprehensive support services for schools wanting to know more about Islam. For further information, please contact Ayyub King or Heddaya Manning on 07807 394959.

The Norwich PDC now houses the RE / Collective Worship resource collection, with books, posters and videos available for teachers to browse through or borrow. The selection is due for update over the next few years but already contains useful material. The Centre is in Room 21 and is available for teachers after 4 pm on Mondays or by arrangement with Linda Harrison at the PDC. It is also possible to pop in if you on a course, provided the room is booked.

Much of what comes under the ‘Christmas’ banner in school is not RE but why not play the helpful subject leader and introduce staff to the following:

• A few new Nativity plays e.g. The Bossy King, Whoops-a-Daisy Angel; The Sleepy Shepherd (3-6’s); It’s baby! (4-8’s); off to Bethlehem; It’s a Party (5-9’s); Stable manners; Witnesses; Baboushka (6-11’s) All from Out of the Ark Music (phone 01932 232 250)
• Some new Christmas songs / carols – Songs for Every Christmas (5-11’s) From Out of the Ark Music – listen to samples on their free sample tapes or on the website www.outoftheark.com
• A new Christmas artefact – an unusual crib set from Peru or the Philippines (Articles of Faith catalogue - phone 0161 763 6232) or a nativity finger puppet set (Religion in Evidence catalogue – phone 0800 318686
• Some new Christmas storybooks – for example ‘Follow the Star’ or ‘Mary’s Story’ from Hunt and Thorpe (see publishers’ section above)