Newham students are challenging religious stereotypes through an innovative project involving nine secondary schools. The initiative aims to foster tolerance, develop critical thinking, and encourage understanding among students from diverse backgrounds.

The Challenging Religious Stereotypes 2024-2025 project, detailed in a report presented at the Newham SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education) meeting, engaged students from Plashet School, Quwwat UL Islam Girls' School, Azhar Academy, St Bonaventure's RC School, Lister Community School, Kingsford Community School, Little Ilford School, Chobham Academy, and Rokeby School. The project included sessions focused on understanding stereotypes and direct encounters with individuals who have experienced stereotyping due to their beliefs.

Collage of images showing activities related to religious education, including food preparation, a visit to a Gurdwara, a group photo at a Hindu temple, and a Torah scroll.
Collage of images showing activities related to religious education, including food preparation, a visit to a Gurdwara, a group photo at a Hindu temple, and a Torah scroll.

According to the report, students developed skills in collaborative working, interpersonal connections, and critical reflection. They also gained insights from meeting faith representatives and hearing their personal experiences. One student noted, I've learned to be more respectful as a person and stopped stereotyping people based on their religion.

Building on this success, a new project titled Belief in Action is proposed for the 2025/26 academic year. This initiative will explore the supportive roles of religious and non-religious worldviews during difficult times, particularly addressing mental health challenges among young people. The project will involve interactive sessions and community visits to places of worship and organisations providing practical support. The SACRE meeting also included an update on a place of worship tour for teachers, which significantly increased their confidence in teaching about various religions, as illustrated in the POW Tour Evaluation from March 2025.pdf. For example, confidence in teaching about Hindu Dharma increased by 68% after the tour, as shown in this chart.