Welcome to the Cathedral Church of St Marie, the mother church of the Diocese of Hallam and the seat of its Bishop, The Rt Rev Ralph Heskett. St Marie’s is located at the heart of Sheffield City Centre, in the midst of its civic, cultural and commercial life. It is open throughout the day and visited by large numbers of people.
Religious Education
Religious Education
Religious education in the UK is a prime subject in secular schools, as well as church schools. Christian beliefs, doctrines and rituals are central, but teaching about other religions is also part of the syllabus, as well as reference to not having a religion at all. And some schools are allowed to teach other religions as their prime object – Judaism, Islam, Hinduism being examples.
The teaching of Religious Education can benefit from a variety of different experiences outside the classroom. Each religion has its own traditions and schools will have their own needs and wants in terms of relating each religion to the other. Teachers should be aware that religion and particularly places of worship can be sensitive and taking a large group of noisy children into such an environment will take plenty of forethought and planning.
Some ideas and tips for planning such trips include...
Before you go:
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Make initial contact: find out if you can visit and when is the best time – both for you and the faith community concerned.
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Preliminary visit: Try to visit the faith community yourself to explore learning opportunities and to discuss your needs with the person who will be involved in the visit. Share with him/her what you hope pupils will get out of the visit. Clearly planned aims help to fit the visit into a scheme of work. A general ‘look around’ is the least likely activity to be successful. If possible try to arrange for the pupils to meet some believers other than the ordained leaders. Talk about how long you will stay. As a rule of thumb, under an hour is usually too short to make the most of the learning opportunity.
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Get parental permission: Schools should send a letter home with each pupil to make clear that this is an educational visit and that pupils will observe, not participate, in worship. Invite parents and other adults to help out on the visit.
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Prepare pupils: It is likely to be a completely new situation for them. Provide guidance about appropriate attitudes and any dress requirements such as removing shoes, covering heads. Encourage pupils to ask and respond to questions during the visit. Talk over, in advance, questions they may wish to ask during the visit. Identify ways in which the visit will be followed up back in the classroom.
Some key points to remember when visiting faith communities:
- Dress: in addition to any specific requirements, modest dress is the usual guideline. Shoes are removed before entering the prayer rooms of the Mosque, Mandir, Gurdwara and Buddhist Vihara. Check specific requirements when organising the visit – the following are the usual practice: Mosque: Female: Head, legs, arms covered. Male: Heads covered during prayer time. Gurdwara: Female: Head and legs covered. Male: Head covering. No cigarettes to be taken into the Gurdwara.
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Photographs: many places of worship will allow photographs to be taken at the appropriate time but prior permission should be sought.
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Behaviour: normal good behaviour standards are appropriate. In all places of worship it would be disrespectful to chew, talk loudly, run around or touch things without invitation. In places where sitting on a carpeted floor is usual, it is disrespectful to sit with legs open facing the focal point e.g. a deity, a holy book, Qibla wall etc.
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Hospitality: a number of places of worship will show hospitality to visitors by offering food or refreshment. It is important to prepare pupils for this: Hindu: prashad – this may take the form of crystal sugar, almonds, sweets or snack food. It is not sacred and should be accepted with thanks and eaten on the spot. Gurdwara: Kara prashad – a semi-solid cold food made from butter, semolina, sugar and milk, or a cup of tea boiled with milk. This is not a sacred food and should be accepted with thanks. Kara prashad can be kept for eating later.
- Donations: places of worship do not, as a rule, charge for visits, but a donation is recommended.
It is possible to arrange visits to local churches, chapels, mosques, temples and synagogues. Most of the cathedrals have education or visitor centres and resources for schools which can be viewed on their websites.
Main organisations:
The Religious Education Council
National Association of Teachers of Religious Education
Inclusion: NASEN
Thought of visiting?
Venues for this Curriculum
Churches throughout England contain Medieval and Tudor brasses illustrating the knights and ladies, scholars,merchants and priests of the past, often laid down as portraits in memory of the dead. They are accurate 'postcards of the past' telling us about social custom, armour, dress, trades, professions and families.
This magnificent Norman Cathedral with its sense of awe and wonder is the perfect environment to support work in all areas of the National Curriculum and agreed Religious Education syllabus. Along with Durham Castle the cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile is a church in Central London named after the Holy Family's exile in Egypt.
This cathedral has been described by architectural historian Mark Girouard as the finest 18th Century Ecclesiastical building in Ireland. It was built in the Neo-Classical Georgian style which was de rigueur. Roberts was fond of this style, reminiscent of Ancient Greece and its elegance was in contrast to the ornate Gothic interiors of most of the churches in this time.
The only surviving remains in England of a priory of Canons of the Holy Sepulchre, who aided pilgrims to Christ's tomb: the ruined nave of their 14th century church, later used as a barn.
The Priory of the Holy Sepulchre was founded in about 1148 by William de Warenne, as home to a community of Canons of the Holy Sepulchre.
As a place of interest both historically and religiously, Kildare Cathedral is second only to that of the Cathedral Church of Armagh. St. Brigid, the founder of the church, was born in 453 A.D., and is one of the three most famous Irish saints, along with St. Patrick and St. Columcille.
Christ Church Cathedral on Ross Road, in Stanley, Falkland Islands, is the southernmost Anglican cathedral in the world, consecrated in 1892. This is the parish church of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the British Antarctic Territories.
Superb Tudor House and Landscape Deer Park
Charlecote has been home to the Lucy family since the 12th century. Their stories are told throughout the house with their portraits as well as through the objects they collected from around the world. See the design influence they had on the house and parkland. Step into the house today and you will see how Mary Elizabeth Lucy spared no expense furnishing it in Victorian times.
Established in 1986, Newry and Mourne Museum aims to provide a dynamic and inclusive recreational and educational resource reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the local area. The Museum is located at Bagenal's Castle, an early example of a defended residence.
Rediscovered in 1996, Bagenal's Castle survived enveloped in the premises of the former McCann's Bakery on Abbey Way. The rediscovery has been an exciting opportunity for Newry and Mourne to preserve and restore one of the most important aspects of local heritage.
The ruins of Balmerino Abbey are a fine example of a 13th-century Cistercian monastery. The Abbey was founded in 1229, and became a dwelling house of the lords Balmerino after secularisation in 1603.
School groups are welcome by arrangement through Hill of Tarvit Mansionhouse. Talks can be arranged on history, crafts and wild herbs, as used by the monks.
Today, Witley Court is a large and impressive ruin, but 100 years ago it was in spectacular condition.
The rich industrialist Sir Herbert Smith bought the house in 1920 and lived there for 17 years until a devastating fire broke out in September 1937 while he was away.
Discovery, tranquillity and history - an ancient gem in the Dartmoor landscape
700-year-old home of Elizabethan seafarers Drake and Grenville.
In the 13th century, Buckland Abbey was home to the Cistercian monks who built the abbey and the incredible Great Barn and farmed the then vast estate.
Welcome to Exeter Cathedral, one of the great cathedrals of England, and one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture anywhere. This is a very exciting time in the life of the Cathedral; a time of development and change as we work hard to improve facilities and the experience people have when they visit.
Unspoilt, rolling hills – that’s what you will discover at Burton Dassett Hills. Whether you are walking, flying a kite or just sitting in your car, the magnificent views from these hills are breathtaking.
The site comprises a series of rugged hilltops affording spectacular views in all directions and Fox Covert, a small woodland with a surfaced footpath.
The Cathedral is open to visitors every day from 8.30 a.m.to 6.00 p.m. throughout the year. Entry is free but we suggest a donation of £3.00 per adult and 50p per child. Visitors are welcome to look around the Cathedral on their own. A free introductory leaflet is available in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, and Polish.
A focus on education is embedded in the mission statement of the cathedral and is evidenced in the warm welcome and care offered by the Education Department to all visiting groups.
The department consists of a full-time Education Officer and a team of volunteers, all of whom are CRB checked and able to work within the safeguarding policy of the Chester Diocese.
The un-stately home and country estate
With peeling paintwork and overgrown courtyards, Calke Abbey tells the story of the dramatic decline of a country house estate. The house and stables are little restored, with many abandoned areas vividly portraying a period in the 20th century when numerous country houses did not survive to tell their story.
The Cathedral is the fourth church to be built on this site. The first one recorded was a Carmelite church built in the early fourteenth century. After the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530’s it fell into disrepair. The second church, known as the Matthew Chapel was built around the mid eighteenth century under the partronage of George Matthew who lived in Thurles at the time.
St. Theresa's Church was built in 1932 in Hamilton City Bermuda. This Catholic church was constructed to replace the St. Edward's Church which was opened way back in 1859. St. Edwards was a small church and was unable to accommodate the growing congregation. In 1915, the priest Father Isaac Comeau purchased a land on Cedar Avenue in Hamilton on which St. Theresa's church was later built.
A delightful Norman church, displaying one of the most outstandingly complete and well preserved sets of medieval wall paintings in England, dating from the 12th and 14th centuries.
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