Saturday, March 31, 2007

Richard Dawkins - Author of the Year - The God Delusion

Dawkins wins 'Author of the Year': more information & Video of Presentation Ceremony:

Sir Peter Vardy & David Vardy - 'academy' sponsored by fundamentalist Christians

What a creation ...

When Doncaster's mayor and the Labour council wanted to replace a local comprehensive with a new 'academy' sponsored by fundamentalist Christians known to have the enthusiastic backing of Tony Blair, two mothers began a parents' revolt. John Harris reports on an unexpected outcome

Saturday January 15, 2005
The Guardian


Tracy Morton and Kay Wilkinson, from Conisbrough, a sometime mining community not far from Doncaster, have been engaged in a passionate fight against the government, Doncaster's elected Labour mayor and Sir Peter Vardy, a man recently described by the Times Education Supplement as a "Christian fundamentalist car dealer". Their battleground: a schools policy to which the government now pledges heartfelt allegiance, namely the replacement of "bog-standard comprehensives" with the gleaming new creations known as "academies".

In 2001, Northcliffe was inspected by Ofsted and credited with being "a good and improving school". Both that year and the next, the DfES gave Northcliffe a School Achievement Award. In 2003, the school's pupils produced the best SATs and GCSE results in its history. Three months later, however, Northcliffe was placed in Special Measures by the Schools Inspectorate - the category denotes a school that is "failing or likely to fail to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education".

"When we got the report, and we read it, we were just like, 'What school are they on about?'" said Kay. "'Are they really on about Northcliffe?'"

"It was really contradictory," said Tracy. "On the one hand, they were saying the head was providing good leadership, and he'd got the support and loyalty of his staff. But on the other hand, there were faults in his vision and forward planning. They said that the standard of teaching was too low; ridiculously low. Relative to two years previous, it just seemed to have plummeted. So it was quite a shock: it had just got its best ever GCSE results - and it was being put in Special Measures. I was stunned."

Five months after that, Doncaster's local education authority (LEA) unveiled plans to replace Northcliffe with an academy run by a charitable organisation called the Vardy Foundation. The announcement appeared in the pages of the Doncaster Free Press. "The idea was to catch the wave and say, 'You've got a failing school, but look - we're going to give you £23m and a lovely new school,'" said Tracy. "And a lot of people were like, 'Wow - wonderful.' But the paper was also canny enough to say the school would be run by evangelical Christian sponsors."

Academies, initially known as City Academies, were publicly rolled out in 2000 by David Blunkett, who aimed to use them to replace schools that were either in Special Measures or deemed to be "underachieving". Four years later, the government planted the idea at the core of its education platform for the general election, announcing plans to open up to 200. The idea is roughly this: for a fee of £2m - payable in random instalments - private benefactors are handed effective control of brand new state schools, although the taxpayer meets the lion's share of both building and running costs (which tend to involve an initial sum of at least £20m, and annual payments of around £5m). The relatively small size of their contribution has little bearing on the sponsors' clout: they can appoint the majority of the school's governors and thereby have the crucial say in the appointment of senior management, and shape the school's practices without having to worry about the national curriculum. Stranger still, academies are not bound by national agreements on teachers' pay and conditions.

Among those who had got in early was Sir Peter Vardy, a millionaire car dealer and evangelist from Durham. Under the auspices of the Thatcher government's not entirely dissimilar City Technology Colleges Programme, his Vardy Foundation, run by his brother David, had already seen to the opening of a school called Emmanuel College in Gateshead. Thanks to the City Academies initiative, September 2003 marked the arrival of a second school, the King's Academy in Middlesbrough. The following March, it was ceremonially opened by none other than Tony Blair, who was presented with a Middlesbrough FC shirt bearing his surname. Two weeks later, he enthused about his visit during prime minister's question time. "There is nothing more inspiring," he said, "particularly when one knew the old school that the King's Academy replaced, than to see the brand new buildings, the total commitment of the teachers and staff, and the pupils there eager to learn."

Both Vardy schools certainly lie some distance from the underachieving, anarchic stereotype with which the government maligns the old comprehensive ideal. Buttoned-up, disciplinarian, characterised by an almost corporate efficiency, they outwardly suggest enviable success: every year since 1996, for example, Emmanuel College's GCSE results have put it in the top 12 nonselective British state schools.

Unfortunately, that's only half the story. Vardy's Christian beliefs are shared by John Burn, sometime head of Emmanuel College and now education adviser to the Vardy Foundation, and Nigel McQuoid, principal at the King's Academy. Papers they have co-authored give a flavour of their stance: "If relativist philosophy is acceptable, then sadomasochism, bestiality and self-abuse are to be considered as wholesome activities," runs one. "It is very important that young people begin to realise that activities which are 'private and personal' often degrade oneself and are not necessarily good and acceptable." By way of clarifying the latter position, McQuoid recently told the Observer that "the Bible says clearly that homosexual activity is against God's design. I would indicate that to young folk."

Most notoriously, Vardy schools accord equal importance to both creationism and theories of evolution. According to McQuoid, though state schools are required to teach evolutionary theory, "also, schools should teach the creation theory as literally depicted in Genesis". The 300-year reign of the enlightenment apparently counts for very little: in his view, creation and evolution are both "faith positions". Blair, it should be noted, has claimed to have no problem with such a stance. In 2002, when asked by the Liberal Democrat MP Jenny Tonge if he was happy about creationism being taught alongside evolution in state schools, he replied, "I am very happy. I know that the honourable lady is referring to a school in the north-east [ie, Emmanuel College], and I think that certain reports about what it has been teaching are somewhat exaggerated. It would be very unfortunate if concerns about that issue were seen to remove the very strong incentive to ensure that we get as diverse a school system as we properly can."

After Emmanuel College and the King's Academy, the Vardy Foundation - in concert with Doncaster's mayor, Martin Winter, and the council - had proposed the opening of a third school in Thorne, a small town 20 minutes' drive from Conisbrough. Government approval of the scheme arrived in January 2004: David Miliband, the schools minister, told the Yorkshire Post he was sure it would result in "a successful and popular school [that] will do much to improve opportunities for the young people it serves".

By June 2003, Doncaster's authorities had drawn the consultation process to a close. Local people, according to a council spokesman, had "been given ample opportunity to voice any concerns". In vain, Brookes told local reporters that "these plans have been swift, some might say too swift" and sounded a note of alarm about the Vardy Foundation's motives and beliefs: "To me, they are using their £2m input to buy into children's minds." A local independent councillor named Martin Williams, however, was having none of it. "This cannot be a bad thing for the area," he said. "As far as the religious aspect goes, I don't think it will be brainwashing the children. Pupils are intelligent enough to make up their own minds at that age."

"There was a line of men in suits," said Tracy. "John Burn was there. David Vardy, Peter Vardy's brother, came to the parents' one. There were representatives of the City Academies programme from the DfES, various lawyers, and Mark Eales, the Doncaster director of education. And our local councillors would sit at the back saying very little indeed."

"If you asked a question, even if the panel said, 'I don't know', you weren't allowed to make another point," said Kay. "There wasn't any consulting," added Tracy. "Nobody asked us anything: 'What do you think of this? What would your preferred options be?' We were not consulted."

When parents asked Burn about creationism, he appeared baffled ("He just said, 'I don't know what you mean by creationism.' He asked us what it was"). At the parents' consultation meeting, Tracy quoted a speech Burn had given in which he had said that teachers at Vardy schools should be "full-time Christian workers"; he told her that it was a personal view not necessarily reflected in the Foundation's plans for Conisbrough and Denaby. "At the first parents' meeting," Kay recalled, "somebody asked David Vardy why they were contributing only £2m while the government put in so much more. And he said, 'Well, I can always take my money elsewhere. I can go and buy myself a yacht.'"

"John Burn began his answer by saying, 'Well, we think it's a sin,'" the teacher told me. "When the staff gasped, he tried to broaden his response by saying that they believed in including everyone, and they had people working in their schools of the Christian faith, other faiths, and no faith - no one would be excluded on the grounds of faith. Then the guy who had asked it was cut off by the chair of the meeting. But we had follow-up questions, distributed around the staff. They were along the lines of, 'You seem to have made up your minds about which staff members are sinful and which aren't. How far does that extend? We have Muslim teachers on our staff. What about them?' Burn said, 'I don't think that's something we need to discuss at this point.' He fudged it."

For all their resolve, I wondered how Kay and Tracy viewed the prospect of Northcliffe's closure, and their kids' induction into the world of the Vardy Foundation. "That is very frightening," said Tracy. "I can't even think about it. I can't bear the thought of my daughter sitting in the classroom being taught by someone who's trying to lace her education with these extreme kind of Christian ideologies. It horrifies me."

© John Harris, 2005. This is an edited extract from So Now Who Do We Vote For? by John Harris, to be published by Faber on January 20 at £7.99.


reposted from: Guardian
my: highlights / emphasis / key points / comments


Sir Peter Vardy

Wikipedia article: Sir Peter Vardy is a successful British businessman from Durham specialising in the automotive retail business. He appeared in the Sunday Times Rich List 2004. He is one of the UK's most generous philantrhopists, via the Vardy Foundation. Vardy took control of the car dealership Reg Vardy plc in 1976, after the death of the founder. Vardy has funded the building of a number of City Academies. The bulk of these form the Emmanuel Schools Foundation, a coalition of Christian schools based in the north of England. These are run as part of the mainstream of England secondary school education, and in some cases were formed by taking over schools that had low performance previously. This is part of a wider trend: church schools have a long track record in the UK of achievement and are usually over-subsribed, and successive governments have encouraged their growth. However in the case of the Emmanuel schools, despite their obvious success, some have voiced concern over the apparent promotion in such schools of doctrines such as creationism.


There have been a number of media reports about this issue - for example [2] that Vardy rejects the theory of evolution in favour of creationism. However, in an interview with the BBC Today Program[3], broadcast 15th April 2006, Sir Peter pointed out that he did not hold fundamental creationist beliefs stating, "I believe that God created the earth and created man in his own image, quite how long it took him I don't know". He claimed to exert no influence over the curriculum of the schools he sponsors beyond insisting on a "chrisitan ethos" and that he would be concerned if creationism was taught as fact in his schools. Vardy complained that a comment made 5 years ago in which he intended to convey only a belief in a "creator God" rather than a literal belief in the bible creation stories, had been mis-interpreted and blown out of proportion by the media.

  1. ^ BBC Article announcing Vardy's Honour, 15 June, 2001. [1]
  2. ^ The Guardian discusses Vardy's plans to teach creationism in UK schools, 15th January, 2005. [2]
  3. ^ Interview (RealAudio stream), BBC Today Program, 15th April 2006. [3]

Ringwood School RE Policy

During key stage 3 students will learn about Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism. There are opportunities for students to learn more about a religion of their choice in one module where students work independently. In key stage 4 some students opt for GCSE RS and when there is demand short course RE is offered too. All students have core RE as part of their social education programme.

Welcome to the Religious Education department at Ringwood School

What is RE?

RE at Ringwood School follows the Hampshire locally agreed syllabus, ‘Living Difference.’ Students have opportunities to learn about living faiths and how people following different beliefs actually live them out. In doing this students will appreciate how and why people live differently from each other.

We aim to encourage students to:

  1. have REspect for other people’s ideas
  2. compaRE religions
  3. interpREt art, history, politics - religion affects them all!
  4. REspond to religion in their own way
  5. REsearch what other people believe and why
  6. expREss their own opinions and beliefs and share them with others
  7. search for the sacREd side of life

We support students in the development of their own values and principles and in their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

http://www.ringwood.hants.sch.uk/?area=Global%20Interactions&subject=RE


GSUS Live comes to Ringwood school - attempts to indoctrinate my daugter

On 29th March my daughter attended a 45 minute lesson by Christian Evangelists GSUS Live (website) at Ringwood School, Hampshire.

Our permission for her attending this event was never requested by Ringwood School.

I will be investigating why parents were not told that their children were to attend.

COUNTIES are Christian Evangelists. A Trustee is David Vardy, Sir Peter Vardy's brother (Guardian), a man recently described by the Times Education Supplement as a "Christian fundamentalist car dealer".










The GSUS Live trailer is a purpose built mobile classroom which introduces Jesus' teachings on the themes of Fear, Forgiveness, and Rejection - Walk Through the trailer


Make a list of the things for which you might need forgiveness.

Question

Who do you think you need to go to, to say "I'm sorry?" The person you hurt? God?

Is there anything you can do to put things right?

Forgiveness is a difficult subject - that's why Jesus had so much to say about it. He knew that forgiveness is not only impotant for the person who receives it but also to the person who gives it.

http://www.gsuslive.co.uk/students/ben/learn/index.html

You Will Be Forgiven

The Bible "Forgive and you will be forgiven."
- Jesus speaking in Luke 6:37

The standard that we use for others is the one which will be be used for you. If we are unwiling to forgive other people, then we will be unable to accept forgiveness for the things we do wrong.

http://www.gsuslive.co.uk/students/ben/learn/youreforgiven.html

Keep On Forgiving

The Bible Forgive... "not seven times, but seventy-seven times"
- Jesus speaking in Luke 6:37

Forgiveness should have no limits. No matter how often we say it, we should never come to an end of saying, "I forgive you."

http://www.gsuslive.co.uk/students/ben/learn/keepforgiving.html

God's Forgiveness

The Bible "As far as the east is from the west, so far has God taken our wrong from us."
- Psalm 103:12

When we begin to understand how God is willing to forgive us, we begin to see how we can forgive others. Forgiveness is one of the great gifts that God offers to those who go to Him.

http://www.gsuslive.co.uk/students/ben/learn/godsforgiveness.html

Trust In Christ

The Cross Millions of Christians round the world have trusted Jesus Christ for guidance, love, friendship, forgiveness, and purpose.

You can discover more about Him by reading the Bible. Might we suggest that you start by turning to Mark or Luke - two books in the Bible about Jesus. You'll find them towards the back of the Bible.

Please e-mail us with any questions you have about GSUS Live or about the Christian faith. We really want to hear from you.

http://www.gsuslive.co.uk/students/ben/learn/trustjesus.html

Make a list of the type of people who may suffer from rejection or bullying.

Question

Have you or are you being bullied or rejected? Where do you go for help?
http://www.gsuslive.co.uk/students/jack/learn/index.html

Jesus Knows Rejection

The Cross

If you are feeling rejected, you're not alone.
God's Son, Jesus Christ also experienced incredible rejection.

http://www.gsuslive.co.uk/students/jack/learn/rejection.html

Jesus Knows Rejection: Time For The Outsider

The Bible

Jesus had time for those who were on the fringes of society. He went out of His way to meet a lonely 'foreign' woman who no-one else had time for. He touched a man with a dreaded skin disease. He knew how important it is to give time to those who feel rejected or bullied.

http://www.gsuslive.co.uk/students/jack/learn/timeforoutsider.html

Jesus Knows Rejection: Alone

The Bible

When being executed, Jesus was rejected by society and was abandoned by many of His friends. He was even 'God forsaken'! This means Jesus fully understands what it's like to be alone and can help us when we feel on the outside.

http://www.gsuslive.co.uk/students/jack/learn/alone.html

Trust In Christ

The Cross Millions of Christians round the world have trusted Jesus Christ for guidance, love, friendship, forgiveness, and purpose.

You can discover more about Him by reading the Bible. Might we suggest that you start by turning to Mark or Luke - two books in the Bible about Jesus. You'll find them towards the back of the Bible.

Please e-mail us with any questions you have about GSUS Live or about the Christian faith. We really want to hear from you.

http://www.gsuslive.co.uk/students/jack/learn/trustjesus.html

FEAR

http://www.gsuslive.co.uk/students/kylie/story/scene1.html

Make a list of the things that scare you.

Question

Do they scare you because:

It's out of your control?
You've never experienced it before?
You HAVE experienced it before?
- or is there another reason?

Some people can handle their fear quite well. Most of us would handle our fears better if we had someone to help us.

http://www.gsuslive.co.uk/students/kylie/learn/index.html

Jesus Knew Fear: Fear of Being Alone

The Bible

When Jesus was arrested, all of Jesus' friends ran away leaving Him to face an uncertain future alone.

Jesus knows what it's like to be afraid and alone, so He can understand our fears and help us if we want Him to.


http://www.gsuslive.co.uk/students/kylie/learn/fearofalone.html

Jesus Knew Fear: Fear of the Future

The Bible

When being executed, Jesus knew real fear but He was able to trust someone. Jesus said 'Father I give myself into your hands'!

Jesus knows what it's like to be afraid, so He can help us when we're afraid.

http://www.gsuslive.co.uk/students/kylie/learn/fearoffuture.html

Trust In Christ

The Cross Millions of Christians round the world have trusted Jesus Christ for guidance, love, friendship, forgiveness, and purpose.

You can discover more about Him by reading the Bible. Might we suggest that you start by turning to Mark or Luke - two books in the Bible about Jesus. You'll find them towards the back of the Bible.

Please e-mail us with any questions you have about GSUS Live or about the Christian faith. We really want to hear from you.


http://www.gsuslive.co.uk/students/kylie/learn/trustjesus.html


The GSUS Live project is run by .

Trailer Diary - 26th February – St Peters Lower School 2nd March – The Grange School 9th March – Highcliffe School 16th March – Ringwood School 23rd March - The Arnewood School

What is GSUS Live?

http://www.gsuslive.co.uk/general/index.html

GSUS Live is a resource that is available to secondary schools. The aim of GSUS Live is to show that Jesus is relevant today.

There are two mobile classrooms with a fully functioning multimedia computer suite as the core of the hardware. They are designed to take classes of up to 32 Key Stage 3 pupils for a 45 to 60 minute lesson and will provide a stimulating environment in which they can investigate Jesus' teachings on Forgiveness, Fear, and Rejection.

Each session begins with a scene setting 3D video sequence - special glasses provided!

A presenter gives basic instructions about the use of the computer program, and then the students will be on their own! The program has been designed in such a way as to allow the freedom to explore without losing the desire to progress further.

After the independent learning session, where students have investigated their choice of topic (Forgiveness, Fear, or Rejection) they will be provided with a printed outline of their responses.

The presenter will then lead a final session, bringing together some of the things discovered and drawing the lesson to a close.

GSUS Live with 3D video, surround sound and 16 computers.
GSUS Live has introduced Jesus to nearly 200,000 teenagers. See the RESOURCE page.

GSUS Live Interior

COUNTIES commitment is to communicate the Christian faith in the UK,
through evangelists and resources and to assist churches in evangelism (Home Page)


The GSUS Live Mobile Classrooms

The mobile classrooms are housed in purpose built trailer units.

They visit one school each for a week and provide up to five lessons each day.

Inside both of the mobile classrooms there is:

  • A large screen video display
  • Surround sound and integrated lighting system
  • Seating for 32 pupils
  • 16 computers
http://www.gsuslive.co.uk/general/index.html#whois

GSUS Live is built on the success of another Counties' mobile exhibition - 'The Bible Experience' - which was visited by thousands of pupils.

GSUS Live is available to schools free of charge. The project is funded by individuals, churches and Christian trusts. http://www.gsuslive.co.uk/general/index.html#whois


In the Guardian January 15, 2005:-
At the parents' consultation meeting, Tracy quoted a speech Burn had given in which he had said that teachers at Vardy schools should be "full-time Christian workers"; he told her that it was a personal view not necessarily reflected in the Foundation's plans for Conisbrough and Denaby. "At the first parents' meeting," Kay recalled, "somebody asked David Vardy why they were contributing only £2m while the government put in so much more. And he said, 'Well, I can always take my money elsewhere. I can go and buy myself a yacht.'"

Organised and funded by Counties http://www.countiesuk.org/contact.html

Counties Information Page (2nd April 2007) http://www.countiesuk.org/contact.html - pdf

COUNTIES' Mission Statement and 'Core Values'

"Bringing The Good News to the Nation"

The following underpin COUNTIES' Mission Statement, beliefs and convictions :-

1. Dependency on God. We acknowledge our dependency on God, by faith.
2. Commitment to the Bible. We are committed to the truth of the Bible, affirming evangelical Christianity. We seek to be obedient to its teaching, evaluating our work and attitudes in its light.
3. A Focus on Evangelism. We are committed to the great commission (Matthew 28v 18-20) and the task of evangelism.
4. Believing Prayer. We believe that prayer is the basis of our work and underlies everything that we do.
5. Church Linked. We recognise the importance of churches and seek to equip and support them in evangelism, providing appropriate resources.
6. Biblical Unity. We value the fact that we comprise Bible believing Christians from different churches seeking to work together in unity.
7. Achieving Excellence. We are committed to integrity, honesty, quality and professionalism, encouraging creativity and innovation in all that we do.

The work of COUNTIES is supported by 24 groups of Regional Representatives, usually covering an individual County.
These groups are made up of Christians who are committed to encourage and enable evangelism in their region, by the work of the individual Evangelist, as well as other strategies.
These groups have a key role in the support of the Evangelists and in some areas provide gifts, housing or vehicles.


COUNTIES' policy, vision and strategy is spearheaded by a group of Trustees, known as the Council, who meet four times a year.

Brian Adams, Carshalton Beeches
Michael Allen, Redditch
Roger Brind, Cardiff
Richard Canham, Enfield
Ken Cardy, Buxted
Brian Chapman, Wokingham
Martin Fielder, Fareham
Jim Halifax, Southampton
Peter Jack, Blandford Forum
Val Naylor, Chelmsford
David Vardy, Durham

COUNTIES
30 Haynes Road
WESTBURY
BA13 3HD

Tel: 01373 823 013
E-mail: office@countiesuk.org
GSUS LiveThe 'GSUS Live' mobile classrooms show 3D video and interactive multi-media presentations that introduce Jesus to teenagers as they investigate the themes of forgiveness, fear and rejection.

GSUS Live is made available to Secondary Schools through local churches and other groups committed to providing Christian resources in education.



For further information view the GSUS Live web site www.gsuslive.co.uk or contact the GSUS Live schools co-ordinator email.


http://www.countiesuk.org/resources.html


COUNTIES new
LIFE exhibition

The LIFE Exhibition is a unique, mobile exhibition developed by COUNTIES, a UK based Christian Charity. The exhibition focuses on the life of Jesus, and aims to:

help visitors understand what Christians believe about Jesus

enable questioning and exploration of the life of Jesus

encourage visitors to consider his impact in today’s world

allow visitors to think for themselves about the teachings of Jesus

build on existing links between schools and local churches


The LIFE Exhibition is an educational experience with active learning opportunities. Using PDA technology, with text, graphics, DVD and sound, the exhibition is a ‘hands on’ interactive learning experience.

LIFE tells of the life of Jesus, his Jewish roots, his teaching and miracles, and his death, burial and resurrection.

The final area of the exhibition is the LIFE Café, where visitors can have refreshments and discuss what they have seen and experienced.

For Further infromation see www.Lifeexpo.co.uk
or contact project Co-ordinator Martin Buckley.



http://www.countiesuk.org/life.html

LIFE exhibition
helping churches to reach their community,
launched on 18th March in London.

Click on a category to see more:
LIFE Introduction

LIFE Zone

LIFE Game

LIFE Cafe

http://www.countiesuk.org/index.html

Head Teachers Pack

Outline of Lesson

The presentation is in three parts and lasts about 45 minutes. As the students enter the Mobile Trailer, the sound and light system create an atmosphere of anticipation.

  1. Introduction:

    • An introductory 3D video introduces the themes of Forgiveness, Fear & Rejection.
      Special glasses are provided.

    • A presenter gives brief instructions to help the students prepare for the Multimedia Programme.

  2. Development (Multimedia Programme):

    • The students, seated in pairs at a computer workstation, will choose a theme: Forgiveness, Fear or Rejection and then commence the Multimedia Programme. Students will only have time to investigate one theme.

    • Each theme has four sections.
      Each section is introduced by a short video clip, followed by a 'postcard' asking for help & advice.
      Students then have several desktop resources available to help them formulate a response to each postcard. These resources are:

      • Extracts from the Bible - which is both seen and heard.

      • Quotations - in the form of a web page.

      • Contemporary Christian Music

      • Video extracts from 'The Miracle Maker' (an animated film on the life of Jesus).

    • Students are then given five possible responses. Once a response has been made, students move on to the next section. With each section the story develops.

  3. Final Plenary Review:

    • At the end of the Multimedia Programme the students' responses are printed out for further work/reflection.

    • The Presenter brings the lesson to a conclusion by seeing if there are key points students wish to make. The summary will be relevant to all three themes. Fuller feedback should be left to a subsequent lesson - see below.

Extension Work

We suggest that the time spent in the Mobile Classroom is the first of up to a four lesson process. More details are available in a specially prepared Teacher's Pack, which includes worksheets and additional schemes of work.

http://www.gsuslive.co.uk/schools/htpack/htpack_mp.html