A Christian Education Group is set to be established as a sub-group of the Mission Board.
It is set to be established following concerns raised at the General Assembly about the Relationship, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) curriculum in schools.
At the Assembly, commissioners received an update from the Steering Group which was appointed by the Mission Board in June 2021 to address concerns raised at that year’s Assembly regarding the resources provided to support the RSHP area of Curriculum for Excellence. The Mission Board welcomed the appointment of Ms Kirsty Moffat last September as Project Leader of the joint project with Christian Values in Education (Scotland) to develop new resources. The Steering Group has created several resources:
- a Relationships, Sexual Health, and Parenthood (RSHP) – A Guide for Parents and Carers leaflet
- a resource for teachers
- and a survey on Christian schools
Following on from discussions about the work that has already been undertaken and the potential for more work to be done and further support to be given, the General Assembly has directed the Mission Board to establish a Christian Education Group as a sub-group of the Board.
The remit of the sub-group will be to discuss and respond to ongoing developments in Education in Scotland, particularly as it relates to Christian worldview, Relationship, Sexual Health, and Parenting Education (RSHP) and other issues of morality in the Curriculum for Education in schools and early childhood centres in Scotland. It will also explore partnerships with other organisations in Scotland who are engaged in Christian education. The sub-group will continue to equip and support local parents and churches to engage with local authorities, schools and early childhood centres in relation to these issues and support parents who have opted for home education. It will also support Christian teachers and staff in state schools and early childhood centres and educate and inform the wider Church of what is currently being taught in Scottish Schools and early childhood centres.
The membership of the sub-group will be appointed by the Mission Board. It will include members of the Free Church of Scotland and teaching practitioners or those who have recent experience of delivering the Health and Wellbeing and the RSHP elements of Curriculum for Excellence in Scottish schools.