Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
Schools across UK to receive free copies of 'What is Humanism?' from British Humanist Association
From 21 February, schools across the United Kingdom will be receiving free copies of Michael Rosen and Annemarie Young’s children’s book What is Humanism? courtesy of the British Humanist Association (BHA), following a successful crowdfunding campaign.
What is Humanism? is the first of its kind: a nonfiction book for upper primary and lower secondary pupils which explores humanist views of morality and ethics, the origins of life, and the relationship between religion and the state. It is intended for use in the classroom or at home to help children from all backgrounds better understand the mainstream non-religious values shared by record numbers of people in the UK today.
This is the first time the BHA has distributed a book to primary schools, and for many schools, it will be the first book about non-religious worldviews in their libraries.
The book features special content provided by authors Stephen Fry, Natalie Haynes, and Philip Pullman, who are all patrons of the BHA, as well from the BHA’s Vice President, physicist Jim Al-Khalili, and its President, the comedian and novelist Shappi Khorsandi, who share their outlook on life.
BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson commented: ‘Thanks to generous donations from humanists across the UK, Michael and Annemarie’s groundbreaking new book will be available in classrooms and libraries throughout the country.
‘These days it’s more important than ever that children are able to learn about the different beliefs and perspectives they will encounter in modern Britain. It’s important that children have access to information about all the different religions and non-religious perspectives out there in the world today so they can make up their own minds about what they believe.’
Michael Rosen and Annemarie Young commented: ‘Millions of people in this country and all over the world work out their philosophy of life, and how to live, without referring to religion. Schools quite rightly spend a good deal of time and effort exploring the ideas and philosophies of the world's great religions, but the ideas of humanism, secularism, and atheism are largely ignored. The mismatch between what is believed and what is taught is surely wrong. Our book aims at opening up a discussion about what humanism is, and how people live their lives as humanists. Throughout the book, readers are encouraged to ask questions, in order to help them think for themselves and thus to counter prejudice.’
A 2015 court judgment, Fox v Secretary of State for Education, clarified that all schools in the United Kingdom have a positive duty to teach about Humanism, the UK’s principal non-religious worldview, as part of Religious Education (RE) lessons. The BHA hopes that the book will go towards helping teachers to fulfil their statutory obligation by supporting young people to discover how many people today live happy, ethical, and fulfilling lives without religion.
The book is available to request for free through the BHA’s education website, Understanding Humanism (http://understandinghumanism.org.uk), which also provides free teaching resources about Humanism for children of all ages, along with trained and accredited humanist School Speakers who can help teachers to plan and deliver inclusive RE lessons.
Humanists are non-religious people whose values include looking to reason and science to gain an understanding of the world around them and relying on empathy to make moral choices. Recent surveys estimate that as many as one in five people in the UK share these values, and that half of the population claim no religion. This number rises to two in three for Britons under 35.