Programme Overview

What is Objects Connect?

A new, unique way of learning about faith and belief through special objects. Watch this video to find out what parents, children and teachers think:

88% of parents said this project really helped them appreciate how their child/ren learn RE

100% of teachers said they would run the project again

“It is lovely to share this experience with my daughter. It encourages important conversation and discussion”

Through this project we aim to effectively engage parents to enhance the teaching and learning of Religious Education in schools. We want to provide an object oriented learning model with resources which actively engages parents to work collaboratively with pupils and teachers through an immersive educational experience that reflects the Religions and Worldviews approach (RWVs).

Why should your school get involved?

• To incorporate parents and caretakers’ diverse perspectives in the teaching of RE
• Explore innovative approaches to teaching faith and belief through objects
• And develop your parental engagement strategy

How does it work?

At the heart of this project is the home learning environment and the engagement of parents and their children with five key artefacts or objects. With the support of project guidance and specially designed resources, they can investigate them in their own space: applying their personal knowledge/ worldview as a lens to help appreciate their own and others’ beliefs, practices and values. They will then use a survey to answer some pre-prepared questions that encourage them to think about the objects through this lens, without doing their own independent research about the object. Pupils will also explore these themes at school with their teachers.

Why engage parents in Religion Worldviews teaching and learning?

Research evidence shows that children’s progress at school can be accelerated by parental involvement in their child’s education. Below are some on the potential benefits to engaging parents:

For Schools

• Increased communication and strengthened relationships between school and parent
• Increased parental engagement in school with a better understanding of REW teaching (breaking down some of the misunderstanding that can exist)
• Positive changes in school’s support of children’s learning in partnership with parents

For Parents

• More confident and motivated to support child’s learning
• More proactive in creating opportunities to support the child’s learning outside of school
• Development of relevant parental skills and better understanding to support child’s learning

For Children

• Improved motivation to learn
• Improvements in communication and enquiry skills
• Broadening understanding of Worldviews and values in relation to everyday practice

Through the resources developed as part of a two-phase pilot, we can share a self-guided teacher CPD through 3 PowerPoints to help teachers implement the project in their schools. There are also useful resources that can be downloaded to support project delivery.

How can your school get involved?

To run the project in your schools, follow the link to our resources for teachers to find everything you need. We would love to know if you’re running the project in your school – message us on schools@faithbeliefforum.org to let us know.