MULTI-FAITH DAYS At Grove Primary School 23rd – 24th March 2016
Pupils took part in two Multi-Faith days on 23rd and 24th March 2016. The event formed part of the school’s continued commitment to enhance the Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development of our children and to promote the British Values of Respect and Tolerance. The aim of the two days was to foster in pupils a curiosity for other cultures as well as help them develop a greater understanding of beliefs which might be different to their own. Pupils spent the first day researching one particular religion and meeting speakers in the afternoon so that they could compare how religious beliefs impact on people’s daily lives. The following day, they used the knowledge they acquired to design and produce, in their Houses and using a range of media, an informational and inspirational “Faith Box” which will be used as a classroom resource in the future. The event culminated with Houses presenting their Faith Box to each other at the end of the Thursday afternoon. Seven speakers from the local community representing Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Church of England and Roman Catholic faiths attended the event. The school would like to extend a warm thank you to Lowestoft Rising for putting us in touch with Mary Hunt, Secretary of the Waveney Inter-Faith Agency who gladly shared her expertise and list of contacts. Contributions of posters and artefacts from the Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource (SIFRE) and the East of England Faiths Agency (EEFA) also contributed to bringing the event to life.
COMMENTS FROM THE GUESTS “The children were so welcoming, helpful and polite. I really enjoyed meeting and working with them. It was a truly harmonious event… You have a lovely school community that is reaching out to others.” – Mary Hunt – Secretary of the Waveney Inter-Faith Group. “Questions (from the children) were very pertinent and interesting…..A delightful experience. Thank you so much for allowing me to be part of this great day” – Nora Hassan “Thank you for the chance to visit your lovely school again and for the warm and friendly welcome. Congratulations on organising such an interesting and thought-provoking day”. Rt Reverend Bishop Alan of Thetford. “From the very first moment, I felt a warm welcome and lovely atmosphere. It was a pleasure to meet with the children…It was particularly lovely to hear all the young voices chanting….with me” – Agnes Lillis “Thank you for allowing me the pleasure of talking to the children. They were all delightful and asked some good questions. It was also so nice that they joined in the sing-a-longs” – Liz Allan “I was delighted to come to the school… Most impressed with the School’s Multi-Faith display. All the children were very attentive and asked clever questions. The staff were most helpful and friendly” – Kiran Kumar