Pupils at Burnham-On-Sea’s St Andrew’s Junior School marked ‘Inter-Faith Week’ by learning about diffrerent religions and cultures.
Inter-Faith week is an opportunity to learn, celebrate and explore different faiths – and each year group at the Burnham school focused on a world religion, with the whole school linking their learning with the theme ‘food and festivals’.
The week was funded by a local charity, Burnham-On-Sea Adult School Trust, whose aim is to assist projects in both a Christian and Educational nature.
The money that funded the project originally came from the sale of the Adult School, run by Quakers. A school Governor, Bruce Poole, helped St Andrew’s apply for the funding.
Year 3 children got to learn about Hinduism and Diwali. The classes got to take part in a workshop, made and tasted samosas, made Diva lamps, created Rangoli patterns and created banners with a Diwali theme. A year 3 child said: “I loved the Hinduism workshop because I tasted food I haven’t eaten before.”
Year 4 children learnt about food and festivals in Christianity. They visited the Catholic Church, had a visit from a local minister, made and tasted Easter biscuits and researched traditions linked with the celebration of Easter. A year 4 child said: “The catholic church visit was really interesting – I really enjoyed the tour.”
Year 5 learnt about Judaism and Hanukkah. They made and tasted latkes, created Hanukkah posters and researched how Hanukkah is celebrated. A Jewish workshop was planned for year 5 pupils but has had to be cancelled due to illness and future work commitments of the workshop leader. A year 5 pupil said “I enjoyed making the latkes- they were really tasty!”
Year 6 learnt about Islam. Year 6 children researched and summarise what they learnt, wrote their names in Arabic and visited a local mosque. A year 6 pupil said “I enjoyed watching the prayer at the mosque. The words that they said seemed meaningful and interesting. We know that the way they dress is nothing to be afraid of and it’s not forced.”
A school spokesperson added: “All the children linked the week to the British values of tolerance and mutual respect; each class had the opportunity to explore why these values are key to our lives.”
“At the end of the week, each child got to share their learning with a pupil from another class.”
