Kendal schools champion religious freedom in children

Queen Katherine School and Grayrigg Church of England Primary have been selected to take the lead on a new regional Religious Education project.

This was officially launched on Friday, March 8 at the world-renowned Quaker Tapestry Museum in Kendal.

The two schools will work closely with the North West RE Hubs lead, Jane Yates.

She said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for two local schools to take the lead on a high-profile regional RE project.

"I look forward to working with both schools and disseminating the Young Ambassador for Religious Education programme to more schools across the North West.”

The pupils got to learn more about the Quaker movement during the launch (Image: Jane Yates)

The project is designed to empower young people to have a voice in advocating for the Freedom of Religion or Belief.

Multiple students from the two schools have taken up the challenge to become Young Ambassadors for Religious Education.

Cumbria is the birthplace of the Quaker movement and has a rich local history in terms of religious expression, providing a 'powerful' example of how crucial the freedom of belief is.

This comes as Quakers faced opposition and persecution for their beliefs in the past.

During the launch, the students worked together to learn about the history of Quakers, met members of the local Quaker community and started thinking about their role as Young Ambassadors for Religious Education over the coming year.

The project will culminate in a visit to Westminster in 2025 to enable the Young Ambassadors to debate matters of religion and belief with policy makers at Westminster.

The scheme is building upon the existing programme of Young Ambassadors for RE, which focuses on giving children the space to show enthusiasm for the subject.

This new project is managed by AREIAC (the Association of RE Inspectors, Advisors and Consultants) and is funded by Culham St Gabriel’s Trust.