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Jo Bailey, from Fairlop Primary School, reflects back over the three years of her involvement in the National Society's Godly Play Schools Project and the impact this work has had on her approaches to teaching and learning in the classroom.
Over the last three years I have been using Godly Play in my infant classroom to teach Christian stories. I have felt that this approach of using 3D materials and objects to teach stories has been very successful. The school day is extremely busy and pressured but I have found that Godly Play allows children the time to stop and reflect. The stories give children the opportunity to daydream, to question and to imagine being part of the story. The wondering questions encourage children to reflect upon their own spirituality and give the class freedom to think deeply about their feelings and opinions.
As a teacher, I have found this project very inspiring. It has made me think carefully about how important it is for children to be given opportunities to wonder, to reflect and to express their own thoughts and feelings. The creative work the children produced during the response sessions, and their feedback, reflected their enjoyment of Godly Play. Their work also portrayed a real understanding of themselves and the world around them. The project enabled me to find out more about how the children think, question and respond to religious stories and events.
I led a whole staff INSET on the Godly Play work with my class. My colleagues were very excited by the approach which is now incorporated into our RE syllabus. I look forward to seeing Godly Play grow throughout Redbridge and beyond. I am keen to share this work with anyone interested in Godly Play.
Teacher: Jo Bailey
Fairlop Primary School
Colvin Gardens
Hainault
Ilford
IG6 2LH
Tel: 020 8500 3857
Fax: 020 8501 3132
Fairlop Primary is a community school in the London Borough of Redbridge. The site is on the boundary of Hainault and Barkingside. At present there are 600 children in the school arranged in 21 classes. There is also a nursery.
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