Christmas starts March 2017 with Christingle NEED TO KNOW I STORIES I AREA UPDATES I EVENTS NEAR YOU Archdeacon’s View Bishop By Ven Martin Webster, Archdeacon of Harlow AS has been said before – ‘the past is a Eloise sure guide to the future’. As I retire from nearly 40 years of will ministry I feel this is true and not so true. If we think that Bring the kids to light a candle the future is going to be just a steady progression from the for Christ’s birthdaylaunch present (and the past) then we are probably going to find ourselves hugely disappointed. What I see happening at the moment is Lent that a variety of events and technologies are interrupting this steady flow. Surprises, rude or otherwise, are leaping from the side-lines and disrupting this Appeal steady progress into the future. So the past may not always be a guide Full story on to the future in this sense. Centre pages Our lives are going to be disrupted, possibly on an increasing timescale, in ways we cannot yet imagine. This is the challenge of the age we are christmasstarts.com in now. However, when I think of the past, when I read my bible and reflect on God’s interaction with the world and those who try to listen to him, I see www.chelmsford.anglican.org something that is steady and sure and CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 Robots and drones Football fan Mike feature in lessons at Lodge is the new impressive new Archdeacon of East London school Southend Page 2 Page 3 ■ Pioneer minsters begin their training as new Diocesan initiative is launched: Page 12 2 THE MONTH March 2017 THE month takes a look at our University Technical College in Newham VARIED CURRICULUM: Students visit the Battersea Power Station site and try their hand at Faith is a high archery (below) priority for new school's CLASSROOMS are more hi-tech these days with interactive boards, laptops and online learning plans youngsters proliferate, but has the BY REVD TIM ELBOURNE employment and higher Friday prayers and some curriculum changed? Robots and Director of Education – education. Muslims attend Agape Some argue that the Chelmsford Diocese Secondly, our meetings. Chaplaincy is education this generation of NEWHAM is a part of commitment is to offered by a team through children is receiving is little London where faith is taken wholeness, ‘life in all its the Centre for Theology different from that their seriously by a large fullness’. That means and Community based at St parents or even their majority of the population. creating proper space to George-in-the-East, drones are grandparents had. In the last census only explore questions of faith Shadwell. But, in a world where 0.03% of adults identified and meaning, which we do Shermara Fletcher, who artificial intelligence and themselves as atheists (a through providing is on site two-and-a-half robots threaten jobs, the third of the number of Chaplaincy to staff and days a week organises a skills that this generation of declared ‘Jedi Knights’) students. The College is Gospel Choir and Agape children need to learn are on hi-tech and just 9.5% of ‘no not a ‘faith school’, rather a weekly meetings and has likely to be radically different religion’. college in which faith is started an Aspire from the three Rs that have It was entirely fitting, taken seriously. Leadership Programme – for so long been the mainstay therefore, that the Church The Church of England’s with a faith and social of education. of England became part of Chief Education Officer and justice theme – working This is very evident at a curriculum a project to create a his Head of Policy visited with year 10s. new school in East London, University Technical the UTC and were greatly “People are making the London Design and College in Newham. impressed. decisions that impact on Engineering university When I came to the Our diocesan appointed them, so they need to know technical college, new school diocese in 2013, one of my college trustee, Revd Chris about that,” says Sharma. that is, according to its head first visits was to meet a Beales, subsequently Her approach is often to Geoffrey Fowler, currently small group in Stratford attended a small meeting of ask people about how they little more than a Portakabin. beginning to plan this project officers, bishops, see faith – “good, bad and Despite this, the UTC - and steer it through the headteachers and people ugly”. which caters for 14- to complex process of getting involved in policy to talk Students come to her 19-year-olds - was massively established. about the UTC project and groups saying things like “I oversubscribed when it I am very proud that the technical education. used to go to church but… opened its doors for the first Chelmsford Diocese is now His input was well Now I want to come back.” time in September. one of its members and a received and there followed Shermara has also This UTC in Docklands is co-sponsor. We ae the first a stimulating discussion observed that being a black co-sponsored by Chelmsford Anglican diocese to about technical education woman has opened doors Diocese. sponsor a UTC. and, among other things, which may be sometimes John Wraw, the Bishop of Our contribution is two- the need for technical hard to open for white male Bradwell and a former chair fold. First, we affirm the teacher training. They also chaplains/clergy – “the way of the Chelmsford Diocesan mission of the College, to discussed chaplaincy and some BME students Board of Education, said: “We provide an innovative the model being developed express and experience consider this an excellent technological education at our UTC. their faith is different. It opportunity to develop a UTC equipping students for the More than half the 180 helps me to engage with all based on an existing quickly developing students are involved with students and it helps me to respected provision for young workplace and offering a faith group at the UTC. engage with young people who wish to follow a routes into skilled Some Christians attend women.” vocational route in their education aspiring to higher The school - which sets no vocational style of education, resolution and compression. Hi-res JPGs education. "The Diocese is committed homework, relying instead on barring UTCs from recruiting or Tiffs should be re-sized to min 7x5in at to the development of young pupils wanting to get on with pupils from their schools. But 300dpi with no layers or sharpening. people within East London their projects in their own statistics suggest that pupils Captions, your name and contact details and we think that this project time - is, according to Mr attending UTCs have just as The Month, incorporating NB and East should be embedded in the 'File Info' Window, is the free circulation can be transformational for Fowler, "inspiring children to good results if not better than section if possible. If e-mailing many be part of a new type of those in more conventional newspaper of Church of England in the lives of many young shots, send only 72dpi initially at max size people.” learning". schools. Essex and East London (Diocese of of 8x6in. When submitting photos please And applications for the While other schools may It is something James Chelmsford). www.chelmsford. confirm that written consent has been next school year closed on see the projects listed above Culley, head of computer anglican.org/themonth ● obtained from parents / guardians of January 31 – it is likely to be as fun "add-ons" to the core science at the school, sees Find Chelmsford Diocese on Twitter children under age 16 for publication of oversubscribed again. curriculum, Mr Fowler thinks for himself every day. @chelmsdio "I have never seen ● photos publicising church activities in The The first cohort 180 pupils they have to be embedded. Find Bishop Stephen on Twitter Month. lucky enough to have got a Sixth-formers work on what students learn so quickly," he @cottrellstephen ● place have had a very is called an extended project said. ● The inclusion of an advertisement Subscribe to our YouTube channel should not be taken as implying different experience of the qualification, which is the Lots of primary schools are www.youtube.com/ChelmsfordDiocese curriculum in the few months equivalent of half an A-level. now convinced of the ● endorsement of the objects of the Like us on Facebook: www. advertiser by the diocese. since they joined. The school works with a importance of learning to facebook.com/chelmsdio One group have designed range of industry sponsors, code. ● Like our Ask an Archdeacon advertising from scratch a virtual reality including the University of As well as lessons devoted Facebook www.facebook.com/ environment that takes East London, Thames Water to it, after-school code clubs askanarchdeacon Please contact: Glenda Charitos, viewers on a journey around and Fujitsu, all of which offer proliferate at the UTC. ● Tynker, a company that has View our photostream on Flickr www. Cornerstone Vision, 28 Old Park Road, an Ethiopian village as part of input into the types of skills they would like to see already brought its coding- flickr.com/photos/chelmsford-diocese Peverell,Plymouth, Devon PL3 4PY. a project to highlight the work of the charity Water Aid. children learn to equip them through-games philosophy to Tel: 01752 225623. Fax: 01752 673441. Another has spent the term for the workplace as well as 60,000 schools in the US, editorial e-mail: [email protected] teaching Pepper – one of offering apprenticeships.