Enabling teachers to find their voices as leaders in the religion and worldviews community

We present the process, collaborative management, and impact of a pilot leadership programme created to help teachers of Religion and Worldviews (R&W) (We are using the phrase ‘religion and worldviews’ to reflect a change in approach advocated in the Commission on RE (2018). We use the abbreviation R&W throughout. We acknowledge and accept that many are using the phrase ‘religious education’ or ‘RE’ to refer to the school subject.) find their voice as leaders. At the heart of the project’s successful impact is a steering group which not only manages the programme, but models collaboration across the R&W eco-system. Here we reflect as a team on the process of programme development particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. We consider what we have learned individually and as a team, and how we each perceive the impact of the programme so far. We use a collective writing method, identifying key themes arising from the different perspectives and draw conclusions. This approach mirrors the way in which the team worked together reflecting the values of the joint funders such as integrity, openness, empowerment, and service. We conclude by offering this model as a way of working strategically across multiple diverse organisations.