North East Humanists
  • Home
  • Humanism
  • About Us
  • Activities
    • Public Events
    • Monthly Bulletin
    • Small Gatherings
    • Education
    • Community Fund
    • Charitable Fundraising
    • Ceremonies
    • Pastoral Support
    • Community Engagement
    • Young Humanists
    • Local Campaigns
  • Membership
  • Donate
  • Contact Us

Education

Picture
School Support

North East Humanists have a team of experienced school speakers who have all been trained by Humanists UK. We are available to come into schools to lead assemblies, teach lessons, or contribute to interfaith events. Online sessions are possible now too. We can offer general introductions to Humanism or focus on particular issues. To do this, our speakers draw on a rich range of materials provided by Humanists UK, as well as other sources and our own experiences. Rest assured that we are not anti-religious. We happily work with people of various faiths and we are sensitive to the values and beliefs of pupils, teachers, and other adults. We concentrate on our own beliefs without denigrating those held by others, although we are critical of practices which infringe human rights.

If you want to arrange a speaker, please email us at education@northeast-humanists.org.uk.

Teaching children and young people about Humanism is usually planned as part of the religious education (RE) programme in schools. Humanism has been an optional part of RE for over a decade, during which time guidance and support for teaching about it has increased significantly.

The Commission on Religious Education (2018) made clear that the curriculum should include non-religious world views, with Humanism given as a major example. So, Humanism is increasingly built into the requirements of Agreed Syllabuses.

In conjunction with this, our education team works with teachers, offering professional development and guidance.

We have prepared a document called "Additional Guidance for Humanism" for teachers of RE, in support of the Agreed RE Syllabus in Durham 2020. This additional guidance has also been adapted for North Tyneside and could be useful for teachers following other syllabuses. The guidance covers KS1 to KS4 and is designed to be readily usable by teachers. Most of the resources referred to in the documents are from the Understanding Humanism website. Direct links are provided in the texts.

***IMPORTANT NOTICE***
HUMANISTS UK HAVE INTRODUCED A MAJOR UPDATE TO THEIR UNDERSTANDING HUMANISM WEBSITE IN JANUARY 2022. WE ARE WORKING HARD TO UPDATE OUR GUIDES BELOW TO ENSURE ALL BROKEN LINKS HAVE BEEN CORRECTED. PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE NOTIFIED WHEN THIS UPDATE HAS BEEN COMPLETED.
Additional Guidance for Humanism in support of the Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education in Durham (v1.10)
File Size: 411 kb
File Type: docx
Download File

Additional Guidance for Humanism in support of the Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education in North Tyneside (v1.7)
File Size: 369 kb
File Type: docx
Download File

​
One additional document is freestanding and is provided separately:
​
Discover and Explore Humanism at KS1/2
File Size: 619 kb
File Type: docx
Download File


​We have also developed a PowerPoint presentation to introduce all of these materials, which you can see here:
​
Picture
We also recommend this book as a fantastic resource for young people to learn about Humanism. It is called What is Humanism? How do you live a good life without god? And other Big Questions for Kids, and it was written by Michael Rosen and Annemarie Young. This book explores questions of life, death, science, nature, morality, meaning, and purpose from a Humanist perspective. It features interviews with Humanists including Philip Pullman, Shappi Khorsandi, Natalie Haynes, and Jim Al-Khalili, and asks them how they approach life’s biggest questions. The book is published by Wayland and is available at online retailers like Blackwell’s.


Adult Education

We have several presenters who have experience talking about Humanism to groups such as WIs, men’s clubs, and Probus clubs. Each talk can be tailored to your requirements, but most groups normally want something on our history, beliefs, campaigns, and involvement with the local community. The sessions normally end with a Q&A session interacting with the audience.

Humanists are not anti-religious and our speakers are sensitive to the varied beliefs of our audience.

If you want to arrange a speaker, please email us at education@northeast-humanists.org.uk.

​Poster Resources

We have produced several posters to explain different aspects of Humanism. You may click on the pictures below to see a larger image, or you can download print-ready PDF files by clicking the text below the pictures.
Picture
Information for RE Teachers and Coordinators
Picture
What is Humanism?
Picture
Questions, Evidence, and Theories
Picture
Happiness, Fulfillment, and a Good Life
Picture
Being Kind, Showing Respect, Upholding Rights
Picture
Climate Action, Biodiversity, Justice, and Sustainability

North East Humanists Stall

​We can also provide a stall with information about Humanism, using our series of posters, plus a range of handouts from North East Humanists and Humanists UK. We have taken this to outdoor places in town and city centres across the region, such as shown in the photograph below in Durham Market Place. We have also provided this stall for an event at Teesside University.  
Picture
​Our stall is suitable for community events, markets, school/college/university events, and interfaith/diversity events.  It is always staffed by at least one member of North East Humanists who is happy to talk to members of the public of any faith or none. Please contact us if you would like us to come to a venue near you.   

Useful Links

Humanists UK: Homeschooling Resources
Humanists UK: SACRE'S AND ASCs

SE London Humanists Group's Useful SACRE Site
National Association of SACREs
North East Humanists
73 Grosvenor Avenue
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE2 2NQ

T: 0191 2812923
contact@northeast-humanists.org.uk
We are an HMRC Registered Charity (#1112965). We are entirely funded by subscriptions and donations.
See Ways You Can Donate
Follow Us on Social Media:
Sign Up to Our Email List
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Humanism
  • About Us
  • Activities
    • Public Events
    • Monthly Bulletin
    • Small Gatherings
    • Education
    • Community Fund
    • Charitable Fundraising
    • Ceremonies
    • Pastoral Support
    • Community Engagement
    • Young Humanists
    • Local Campaigns
  • Membership
  • Donate
  • Contact Us