JKHS students recently experienced a very different kind of RE lesson. ’GSUS Live’ is an RE experience on board an Eddie Stobart lorry, parked in the school car park. 

It enabled students to find out more about Christian teachings on topics such as fear, rejection and forgiveness. Using touch screen computers, students picked a character who is dealing with an issue; they then had a chance to offer the character advice as well as learn about the issue from a Christian perspective. In addition to exploring stories from the Bible, students had the opportunity to see and hear clips from well-known figures such as Martin Luther King, Marie Curie and Malala Yousafzai.

This was the third visit of ’GSUS Live’ to JKHS, which was one of the first schools in the UK to experience it back in 2000. During the intervening years, the software has been substantially updated to ensure that it has a contemporary feel. Older students from Ashfield Park primary school were also able to be involved.

Head of RE, Nick Wardale, described how much students had enjoyed the experience and expressed his thanks to the local churches who had provided facilitators to take each class through the experience. "Over 500 of our lower school students have enjoyed this unique experience; it has provided them with a wealth of learning that we will be able to link back to in future lessons." Mr. Wardale went on to state how much the RE department enjoyed receiving visitors from the local faith communities, with contributions being made by Buddhist, Christian, Jewish and Humanist groups during the last year. Nigel Griffiths, Headteacher added: “As members of a multi-cultural society, it is important for our students to learn about a variety of world religions, including Christianity, so that they are in a position to draw their own conclusions”.