This past week on November 19th we were proud to support and host the ‘Celebration of Methodist Education’ conference. In partnership with Methodist Schools, we welcomed those that contribute so much to Methodist schools across the country. From headteachers to chaplains, from the Methodist Schools committee to school governors, over 70 registered for the event.
The day opened with devotions from the President of the Methodist Conference, the Rev’d Richard Andrew, who expressed his gratitude to those involved in education on behalf of the Church. He identified that whilst teaching is at times difficult, presenting unique challenges, it is a sacred vocation with schools continuing to be beacons of love, light and hope. The conference attendees were also treated to a musical video that showed Methodist students across the globe unified through song.
The first keynote of day, titled ‘Connection, Belonging and Success in Times of Change’, was delivered by Rachel Johnson. Rachel opened with the story of David and Goliath and how David was not the underdog that he commonly is believed to be. At face value, the odds were against David, yet Rachel argued that he in fact possessed the tools and aptitude to overcome someone that appeared far stronger. Likewise, today we are surrounded by the ‘giants’ of poverty, disadvantage, power and corruption, hopelessness, and fear but we are not the underdogs. Rachel’s message to the conference attendees was that we are the bringers and deliverers of hope, creating moments characterised by elevation, pride, insight and connection.
Prior to the lunch break, all attendees were brought to their feet by both music and dance. Suzanne Butler and Judith Gray from the charity Fischy Music invited attendees to participate in a singing and dance workshop involving the songs they produce for schools and churches across the United Kingdom.
After lunch, conference attendees were able to choose between three breakout rooms. In Breakout A, Dr Michelle Jayman spoke on improving support and inclusion for children and young people with special educational needs. During the talk, Michelle spoke of the research work that she has been doing, in partnership with the Susanna Wesley Foundation, specifically on the experiences of children and young people with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. In Breakout B, Dr Mary L. Shannon and Himan Heidari introduced another Susanna Wesley Foundation supported project, their recently published book on the remarkable life of Billy Waters. In Breakout C, the role of the chaplain and other school staff was explored in terms of how they create a culture of Christian faith within schools. The session was led by Holly Adams and Rev’d Aubin de Gruchy and highlighted the importance of schools having active participation and interactions with others in the wider local community.
The second keynote of the day was delivered by Gary Aubin, who reflected on the current challenging national context for specialist education in schools and how steps may be taken moving forward. With many uncontrollable factors at play in the current climate, Gary focused on things that could be controlled such as teacher confidence and shifting the culture and attitude towards specialist education. He argued that when it comes to inclusion, having a ‘proud to’ mindset, rather than a ‘have to’ mindset, can make a significant difference within schools.
There was more audience participation in the afternoon from Julie-Ann Hewitt and Dr Emma Pavey who presented on their project aiming to develop a Methodist Christian leadership programme for Methodist Schools leaders. Emma and Julie-Ann asked the conference attendees to share their thoughts on various questions relating to their research. For example, attendees were asked to share what they believed were characteristics of Methodist school leadership. Through a live-generated word cloud, love, inclusion and excellence revealed themselves as key themes.
The day closed with devotions led by Methodist Chaplain to the University of Roehampton and Chaplain of Southlands College, the Rev’d Nicola Morrison. Nicola reflected on her personal connection to the day considering how positive the conference had been toward children with specialist needs. Nicola shared a final piece of music, a Southlands student-made song, which had been commissioned by the Southlands Methodist Trust for world kindness day. The conference was then led in a closing prayer.
A post-conference reception was enjoyed by many, with a special attendance from the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Roehampton, Jean-Noël Ezingeard. We thank all that attended and enjoyed the opportunity to host the Methodist Schools for this event.
Photographs courtesy of James Heatlie.