Welcome to this issue of the REC newsletter.  If you have information about projects, conferences, reports or developments you'd like included in the next one please email it to me by 21^st November.  It should be in the format of a heading, two or three sentences giving the basics and a website or email address where readers can obtain fuller details. 

Best wishes,

Sarah Smalley, Executive Support Officer, RE Council of England and Wales

CELEBRATING RE
All over England and Wales plans are taking shape in schools, faith and belief communities, SACREs, libraries and museums for the month long national celebration of RE in March 2011.  Information about the latest developments is available in the monthly newsletter, for which anyone can sign up via the website at www.celebratingre.org  where an online calendar lists events. There are new website articles this month on Celebrating RE with the local community (libraries, museums, businesses, councils etc), Celebrating RE in schools of a religious character, Learning Outside the Classroom and Celebrating RE and Publicising your events and activities; there will be many further additions over the next couple of months.

RE-SILIENCE
The REsilience project, designed to build secondary teachers'confidence to handle contentious issues in RE, has now been given the green light by the new government.  This means the project will be available for secondary schools in England and Wales from 1^st November.  Schools are invited to register interest in taking part by signing up on the website at www.re-silience.org.uk  Those interested in following the development of the project can also sign up for the newsletter via the website.

INTER FAITH WEEK 2010
The second national Inter Faith Week in England and Wales is taking place from Sunday 21 to Saturday 27 November 2010.  The aims of the Week are: to strengthen good inter faith relations at all levels; to increase awareness of the different and distinct faith communities in the UK, in particular celebrating and building on the contribution which their members make to their neighbourhoods and to wider society; and to increase understanding between people of religious and non-religious belief. Full details can be found at www.interfaithweek.org.uk.  For any general enquiries about Inter Faith Week in England, please email: . For enquiries about Inter Faith Week in Wales, please email: .

Organisations can apply for support for local Inter Faith Week events under the Faiths in Action programme. 

INTER FAITH YOUTH TRUST GRANTS FOR INTER FAITH WEEK 2010
The deadline for grant applications has been extended to 8 October 2010. IFYT can provide small grants up to £500 to organisations running events/activities for young people (11-25 years old) in and around Inter Faith Week (21-27 November 2010). 

For details please see: www.ifyouthtrust.org.uk

COURSES FROM RE TODAY
RE Today is running a number of professional development opportunities during this academic year for primary and secondary teachers of RE. Most courses have a choice of two dates, in different locations. The course fee is discounted for RE Today and NATRE subscribers For details see their website: www.retoday.org.uk/courses

TEACHING ABOUT HINDUISM?
If you are teaching Hinduism and looking for new ideas to engage and challenge learners then two new publications from RE Today will provide the inspiration you need: Opening Up Hinduism (primary) and Questions: Hinduism (secondary). They are available from http://shop.retoday.org.uk at £8.50 and £9.50 respectively. Opening Up: Islam and Questions: Islam in the same series are also available.

CHOOSING RESOURCES ON WORLD RELIGIONS
The latest addition to NATRE's website is user-friendly, online guidance on choosing high quality resources for teaching world religions in RE. Drawing on the findings and recommendation of Materials used to Teach about World Religions in Schools in England, carried out by the University of Warwick, 2010, this guidance provides: a brief summary of the Warwick Report's findings, key questions for teachers, stimulus materials to support discussion and decision-making for teachers working individually or with colleagues. An ideal stimulus to review the resources you currently use, and to guide the selection of new ones. See: www.natre.org.uk/rg

RESOURCES FOR TEACHING WORLD RELIGIONS IN SCHOOLS IN ENGLAND
The audit of resources undertaken for the above project by Paul Hopkins and Mary Hayward became available on the DCSF(now DfE) publications website over the summer. It can be accessed by using the following address

http://publications.education.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction=productdetails&PageMode=publications&ProductId=DFE-00488-2010

The Audit provides a useful descriptive listing of books, websites and other media on world religions for primary and secondary schools and details of publishers and producers of materials. It should provide a very helpful first stop for teachers and others who want quick access to information about resources for RE.

RE CPD E-HANDBOOK
The CPD E-Handbook is now live following peer reviews. The Handbook is actively supported by a number of leading professional RE organisations, and edited by Professor Liam Gearon. In addition to guidance on teaching, learning and assessment in religious education, the Handbook provides up-to-date information on important initiatives such as community cohesion, with contributions from faith communities, academics, advisers and teachers.  www.re-handbook.org.uk

JAINPEDIA (www.jainpedia.org)
JAINpedia, which has never been exhibited before, opened at the V&A Museum in May 2010 and will be displayed in the Nehru Gallery of Indian Art till December 2012.   To celebrate this there will be a family weekend on 13-14^th November 2010 at the Museum, including a Jain Diwali Rangoli, Jain Storytelling with dance and a Jain Digital Diwali Treasure Hunt.  All events are free and drop in and all members of the public are welcome to attend from 10-5 .30pm on both days.  Also the Institute of Jainology has recently published Jain Tales by Colin Hynson this publication is a collection of popular Jain stories and fables such as the 14 Dreams of Queen Trishala Lord Mahavirs mother.  For further information contact   or log on to www.jainpedia.org

INTELLIGENCE SQUARED DEBATE
Intelligence², the London-based global forum for live debate, will be putting forward the motion: ‘Stop Bashing Christians: Britain has become an anti-Christian country'. Speakers for the motion are the former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, the novelist and journalist, Howard Jacobson, and Peter Hitchens. Opposing the motion will be Dom Antony Sutch, a Benedictine monk, Claire Rayner, the well-known agony aunt, and Matthew Paris, columnist for The Times and The Spectator. The debate will take place on the 3rd of November, at the Royal Geographical Society in London. Further details available at www.intelligencesquared.com

SOUTHWARK CATHEDRAL POST-16 CONFERENCE
The event is a Post-16 Conference to be held on 30^th November from 10.00-12.30 in the Cathedral and is based on the BBC's Question Time.  Students will be able to ask their own questions on a wide range of topics to the panel of speakers: Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty ; Richard Ottoway, MP for Croydon South; Dr Adam Rutherford, Editor of the science journal Nature and presenter of BBC4's The Cell and The Right Revd Richard Cheetham, Bishop Commissary in the Diocese of Southwark. The cost is £1.00 per student plus £15 booking fee; please book by phoning 020 7367 6715 or emailing 

REONLINE SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE BOOSTER COURSE
Now entering its third year, the REonline Booster Course is proving to be a great success. Aimed at graduates who want to become RE teachers but who do not have a specialist degree, the course provides an opportunity to become conversant with the main belief traditions of the UK. It is tutored by PGCE trained tutors and enables graduates to enhance their skills and chances of gaining a PGCE place. Costing just £195 the course is exceptionally good value for money. For more information contact Deborah Elwine at the Culham Institute -

FAITH MATTERS BOOKLET: OUR SHARED FUTURES
This new online booklet has been developed through discussions with faith, organisational and community leaders in the City of Derby and is a local narrative which promotes (i) the respect of diversity (ii) the protection of life and (iii) scriptural narratives against those who promote hate and division between communities in the area.  The booklet has also been developed with young people in Derby and is a useful resource for schools, educational institutions and community organisations who may want to work with young people on projects which promote cohesion and which may also support the development of the Big Society. The booklet also supports preventing extremist narratives.  It is downloadable from www.faith-matters.org

FORUM ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE
An interesting new report gives findings from a US survey comparing the knowledge of other religions as held by people from different religious and belief backgrounds. It found that atheists and agnostics were the most knowledgeable.   What would a similar survey reveal if carried out in the UK?  http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/13213