National Curriculum Review notes lack of national agreed standards in RE
The government’s National Curriculum Review panel has issued an interim report which acknowledges that, despite the fact that Religious Education is compulsory, there are disparities in its provision due to a lack of national agreed content standards. The report addresses the fact that both RE and “Relationships, Sex and Health Education” subjects are required by law but are not in the national curriculum. It says in its future discussions: “there is a balance to be struck between securing an entitlement to high quality content for all, and, particularly in the case of RE, the need for flexibility to be retained for different school types (i.e., schools with a religious designation and those without). We will consider these points through our analysis of each different subject before publishing our final report”. The interim report identifies four key areas for overall improvement: ensuring high standards for all; addressing each subject’s specific challenges including why some subjects have been squeezed; responding to social and technological change including digital skills and media literacy; and ensuring courses beyond GCSEs work for all students.The final report is due to be published this autumn.
Methodist campaigner says welfare cuts “near certain” to increase hunger
A Methodist campaigner on poverty, Paul Morrison, has criticised the government’s decision to cut benefits by £5bn a year by 2030. The changes include making it harder to claim Personal Independence Payment disability payments, freezing incapacity benefit and stopping universal credit health payments to people under 22. Mr Morrison says: “As disabled people already have high rates of poverty, foodbank use and destitution, it is near certain that the proposed cuts will lead to more hunger. In the UK the number of people who are food insecure – or hungry – was at the last count 7.2m”. It is “profoundly unjust” that the weakest in society are affected and he says the changes show “a deeply embedded preferential option for the rich”. Paul Morrison is policy adviser for the free churches Joint Public Issues Team. His comment is here
Chief Rabbi withdraws from Israeli antisemitism conference over far right involvement
Jewish News reports that the Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, has withdrawn his participation from the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism, due to be held in Jerusalem next week, because a number of far-right populist politicians from France and Spain will be attending. Lord Mann, the UK Government Advisor on Antisemitism, and Prof David Hirsh, CEO of the London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism, have also both pulled out. The conference has been organised by the Israeli Diaspora Minister, Amichai Chikli, who has supported far-right politicians and strengthened Israel’s ties with Europe’s far-right parties. He has been quoted saying “European right-wing parties understand the challenge posed by radical Islam and are willing to take the necessary steps.”
Pope continuing to improve
The Pope’s health continues to improve. The Vatican’s latest bulletin says that on Monday night, he did not require mechanical ventilation and instead relied on high-flow oxygen. While this is a positive development, it should be viewed with caution as part of a gradual reduction process. The use of non-invasive mechanical ventilation at night and high-flow oxygen therapy during the day continues to decrease”. His condition is said to remain “stable within a complex clinical framework”. The statement says his days include “undergoing treatments, engaging in prayer, and doing some light work. He continues to follow a medically prescribed diet, which now includes solid food”.
Research into role of Hindutva social media posts in Leicester riots
Research into the violence between Hindus and Muslims in Leicester in 2022, has analysed the role of social media in provoking the unrest. The report by Professor Mohan J Dutta, from Massey University New Zealand, looks at how Hindutva ideas amplified Islamophobic hate on digital platforms, flowed across continents and created the narrative of the “Hindu in danger”. Report is here.
Bible sales up 87 per cent in the last five years
The Christian book publisher SPCK says Bible sales in the UK have risen sharply, up by 87 per cent in the past five years, from £2.69 million to £5.02 million. The wider category of Bibles and liturgy books grew from £7 million to £8.1 million in the same period, and religious book sales as a whole went up by 3 per cent year on year. The stats are from Nielsen Book Data. Sam Richardson, Chief Executive of SPCK, told The Times that the trends reflect a major cultural shift. There’s a suggestion that the increasing spirituality of Gen Z is a factor. Times story here.
How a 90-year-old baker’s sausage rolls helped save a village church
Gerry Smith, a 90-year-old ex-RAF driver, has raised £30,000 for the repair of his local church in Suffolk, by baking and selling sausage rolls and malt loaf. The Bury Mercury reports that he spends 70 hours a week baking, a hobby he took up after his wife, Pamela, died. She was the churchwarden of St Mary’s Church in Market Weston and was deeply committed to the community. He says that the church means everything to him now, so when it appealed for £100,000 to fix 12 windows in danger of collapse, he decided to help, and his sausage rolls sales completed the repair fund.
