9th of September 2026

Something to reflect on....

Dear colleagues

I hope you were able to rest and recuperate over the summer, at home or away. The long dry and hot period already seems a distant memory. As I write this the rain is hammering at my study window, and my daily routine is changing to involve trainers and trousers again rather than Birks and shorts on the twice daily dog walks; and I now have to factor-in time again to dry and clean the dogs before my working day, given the more traditional weather that we expect!

It’s therefore timely and even more relevant with this year’s extreme weather, the droughts and fires, that we reflect on their impact during Creationtide, more commonly known as the Season of Creation. This was introduced in 1989 and adopted in the UK in 2008. It starts on September 1, the first day of the Orthodox church year and ends on October 4, St Francis’ Day, demonstrating it’s a shared idea between Western and Eastern Christianity.

Christians are called to pay special attention to our shared responsibility for the Earth and everything that lives upon it. The timing of the Season of Creation means it is an excellent way to link wider issues with traditional harvest festivals. It is a time to celebrate the gift of creation and renew our commitment to care for God’s planet, through prayer, worship, and practical action.

Each year, a new theme and resources are created by a group of churches from around the world. The theme for the Season of Creation 2026 is Living Water, based on Ezekiel 47:1-12, which portrays God’s life-giving water flows from the temple of God, growing deeper, restoring barren land, reviving waters, and sustaining flourishing ecosystems. The vision invites human responsibility: recognising ecological damage, embracing interconnectedness, we are called to immerse ourselves in the water, and actively safeguarding and working for the renewal of creation so that environmental healing and human well-being may flourish together.

As well as the practical and ethical things we should do to support creation, this Season gives us the opportunity to remember that when we spend time in creation – parks, gardens, along rivers, coastlines, in fields forests and woodland, and on mountains and beaches : we are drawn more deeply into the life of God. These abundant spaces, and the life that fills them, can be places of encounter with our God, who creates them.

There are resources that you might find interesting to incorporate into your worship and class reflections in the coming weeks:

Sun Hats & Wellie Boots have a range of nature-inspired & eco-friendly activities, including nature trails, crafts, and resource packs.
A Rocha have a range of resources for children (ages 4-7 and 7-11) and youth (ages 11-14 and 15-18)
Messy Church Volume 4 was recently released, focusing on the 5 Marks of Mission. The theme for September is the 5th Mark- to ‘Treasure’ God’s world.
Muddy Church have a selection of resources across seasons, including for Harvest.
Creationtide resources | The Church of England
Treasuring the Earth Inspiring Heads, Hearts and Hands in School Communities for People and Planet – a practical and well based Grove booklet.

With best wishes for a good term and my thanks for all you do and are in your places of impact and influence.

Jeff

Jeff Williams

Director of Education

Book Recommendation: Theologically-Rooted Leading, Teaching and Learning (Trevor Cooling)

This ebook is a really helpful, quick read (just 26 pages), for anyone involved in Church School leadership. The exploration of ‘ordinary theology’ is particularly reassuring. It provides helpful clarity and guidance in relating the Christian faith to what goes on in everyday school life. Trevor Cooling encourages us to avoid ‘biblical sprinkles’ in our policies and documentation, instead challenging us to think about how school curriculum, teaching and learning can be influenced and enhanced by the ‘big story’ and overall messages of the Bible: love, grace, redemption and hope.

Being reminded that Christian theology is, at its heart, concerned with human flourishing and the formation of character brings a fresh perspective when considering the principles and purpose of subject-specific teaching and learning. Trevor Cooling also presents a strong rationale for moving beyond a purely knowledge-based curriculum, pointing out that Church school leadership also requires a values-based approach to our curriculum planning. The example of MfL teaching in the book makes this point well: a core purpose of teaching a modern foreign language should be to offer welcome and hospitality to foreigners, rather than simply equipping students to order lunch or ask for directions when visiting another country! The author also advocates for curriculum opportunities for students to be curious and to listen to individual stories, a principle which already enhances spiritual flourishing in many of our schools. One of the key messages woven throughout the book is that of ‘practical theology, strongly linked to the ‘ordinary theology’ mentioned above: to respond to the needs of our school communities in a deeply Christian way, through promoting values such as hospitality, dignity, servant leadership and community, is to respond theologically.

Walk along Bournemouth Seafront with Jeff, the Team and Bishop Geoff Sat 26th Sept 10am

We sent a ‘Save the Date’ back in July and wanted to remind you that you are invited and most welcome to join us on 26th Sept. You’ll have seen that in the 2026/27 Project overview I mentioned some walks that I’m organising throughout the year. If you haven’t read the 2-side summary of the project, you can find it here.

The launch walk will be an easy starter – it’s fully accessible and flat. We will start at Hengistbury Head carpark and walk to Bournemouth Pier at 10am on Saturday 26th September. This is just under 5 miles – so it offers a full 10 mile walk for those interested in walking ‘there-and-back’, or key stops along the way where people can turn around to make the walk shorter / to suit their needs. There are toilets and cafes en route. It’s a great way to have good conversation, meet people and share ideas.

This will be for adults (and dogs!) – who can clearly bring their own children; but it’s not an invite for schools to bring classes of children, where there’d be a need for a higher level of supervision and risk assessments. It will though offer those who come the option of trying it then organising their own visit with a class/es if inspired. I’m delighted that Bishop Geoff will be joining us for this walk.

There will be a range of other walks throughout the year, including countryside / urban / hill and at least one part of the St James Camino, ending at St Swithun’s Shrine at our Cathedral. These walks will therefore cover different terrain, different levels of ability and different distances, so I hope you are able to join us at one or all of them.

New Chief Education Officer announced

Charlie Lang has been appointed as the next Chief Education Officer for the Church of England and Chief Executive of the National Society for Education. Currently Programme Director of the Maximising Value for Pupils Programme at the Department for Education. You can read more details here.

Diocesan Project 2026-2027: Camino

We wrote to you in June with a two-page summary of our Project – you can access it here. We will be sharing our Project Booklet just before half-term. Specific details about our Installation will be sent after Christmas, but there’s a brief outline of it here.

The SIAMS Annual Report was published last week. You can access the report here. We were delighted to see a specific reference to Bransgore Primary School and the parish on page 23.There are recommendations for schools and I’d encourage you to discuss these with your senior team, governors and RE Lead. Jane Kelly, Sue Bowen and Hannah Inglis are available to support you and offer any advice and information – do get in touch.

Bags of thanks!!!

Thank you so much for your engagement with the Bags of Hope project and also for your donations of 107 Paddington Soft Toys and 86 Backpacks – which will be distributed to a number of organisations and charities this month, who will give them to displaced children. On their behalf, we thank you – sincerely. We have sorted the luggage labels and will be offering these to churches to use during next year’s Refugee Week to initiate conversations, reflections and for the labels that have prayers on them, to use during worship.You can view our Celebration Booklet which highlights ways that many of our schools used the project in creative ways. Do sit back and enjoy! You can view the booklet here.

Froxfield Church of England Primary school turns 150!

Froxfield School recently celebrated their 150th anniversary by holding a concert in the church, where a choir made up of children from the school along with members of Froxfield Choir performed. Other performances where held by internationally renowned musicians and singers and actress Kate Phillips read poems by Edward Thomas and Rudyard Kipling and a poem written for the anniversary by Jane Dunster, a member of the school staff - ‘Now We Are One Hundred and Fifty’.

Global Neighbours awards

Many congratulations to St Luke’s CofE Primary School Sway, who have been re-accredited with the Gold Global Neighbours award for the third time, making them the first triple-gold school in the country! The assessor was really impressed with all that the school has done and with the pupils’ understanding that courageous advocacy involves both reflection and action.

We are also delighted that Bursledon CofE Infant School has gained the Global Neighbours Silver award, which is particularly impressive for an infant school. The assessor was clear that the school already has strong elements of gold in their provision.

You can find out more about Global Neighbours on the Christian Aid website here. The programme involves a mixture of webinars and live drop-ins to support schools through the process, and a new cohort of schools will be starting this September. Schools in Winchester and Portsmouth Dioceses will receive a 10% discount because we are a partner diocese. Please contact Jane.Kelly@portsmouth.anglican.org if you would like more information, or any support with your Global Neighbours journey. The award is a great way to embed courageous advocacy in your school curriculum and culture.

Church Year Calendars 2026-27: Collective Worship Resource

Our Church Year Calendars provide key dates and information for Christian festivals, Saints Days and other important days in the Anglican Church Year. The termly calendars are a useful starting point for planning, so please share with your Collective Worship leaders. Calendars for 2026-27 are now available on our Portsmouth and Winchester Education Team websites.

Church of England welcomes government consultation on RE

The Church of England has welcomed an announcement from the Government on 3rd July 2026 that they will consult in the Autumn on the potential of RE becoming part of the National Curriculum. This is part of the implementation of the Curriculum and Assessment Review. The full article includes a statement of support from our own Bishop of Portsmouth, Rt Revd Jonathan Frost.

Writing Competition for Isle of Wight pupils

Sight for Wight are holding a short story writing competition for all island children with a theme of Love, Hope and Courage, inspired by Arreton Church of England Primary School's values. Schools were asked to submit a theme - and Arreton's was chosen. Chris Cane, competition organiser, said, ‘This is an exciting opportunity for budding Island writers to become published authors and also win some great prizes. This year’s theme has been inspired by Arreton Primary School whose school values are Love, Hope, and Courage. I thought this would be an excellent theme for our authors to create some stunning stories!’ More details can be found on the flier here. The closing date for entries is Friday 30th of October.

National Day of Prayer for Schools - Wednesday 9th of September

Every school across the UK will be prayed for today as Christians, churches and organisations unite for the National Day of Prayer for Schools. There are multiple ways to be involved, including:

Gathering to pray; Prayer walks around your community; join an online prayer gathering. For more details, visit the website here.

The Sanctuary Foundation

The Sanctuary Foundation is offering a free webinar for teachers on 29th September on how to embed an antiracist culture in your school, rather than just ticking a box during Black History Month. You can find out more and sign up here. They are also offering a ‘Great Big Live Assembly’ during BHM, broadcast from the Oxford Story Museum. Primary schools can sign up here and secondary schools here.

Picture News Resources

Picture news have information and resources for the coming term, including a display pack - Resources for a ‘What’s Happening in the World’ with current news stories set of resources and Year of Reading information on webinars and resources here.

Governors Diocesan Newsletter

Governors receive a Newsletter from us on a regular basis. For wider, interest, the most recent edition can be found here.

Interested in becoming a school governor?

We are looking for a person to represent Winchester Diocese on the Governing Body at Talbot Heath school. Please see the further information here.

Celebrating 500 Years of the English Translation of the New Testament

2026 marks 500 years since William Tyndale’s groundbreaking translation of the New Testament into English. The Bible Society have created a pack of excellent resources for schools: Primary Resource pack, KS3 History and KS3 RE packs. Do have a look to inform yourselves about this often overlooked historical figure, as well as exploring use of the resources in school.

Education Sunday 2026: Living Well Together

For well over one hundred years there has been an annual recognition of Education Sunday in England and Wales. It is a national day of prayer and celebration for everyone in the world of education, co-ordinated by CTE (Churches Together England). The resources for Education Sunday 2026 have been developed in partnership with the Bible Society, one of CTE’s Charities and Networks in Association. This year’s Education Sunday takes place during the 500th anniversary of William Tyndale’s translation of the Bible into English: “Working in partnership with Bible Society, one of Churches Together in England’s Charities and Networks in Association, we explore Tyndale’s conviction that engagement with Scripture transforms lives and communities. His commitment was not simply to literacy, but to ensuring that ordinary people could encounter God’s word for themselves and be shaped by it.” The resources are intended to be used in schools and churches on or around Education Sunday: “Education Sunday 2026 invites churches to reflect on the theme “Living Well Together”, using the lectionary readings for 13 September as a starting point for prayer, worship and action. Drawing on Scripture’s vision of reconciliation, forgiveness and mutual responsibility, these resources encourage us to consider how we can build communities where people from different cultures, backgrounds and beliefs can flourish together.”

You are receiving this message because you are: a Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher, RE Lead, Chair, Foundation or Ex Officio Governor, Children and Youth Worker, or have requested to join our mailing list in the Diocese of Winchester or the Diocese of Portsmouth.

Our resources and further information are available at:

https://winchester.anglican.org/education-schools/resources-for-schools/

https://www.portsmouth.anglican.org/education/resources/