The below are adapted remarks from a lecture given at Chester Festival of Ideas on 2 July, 2026 Introduction Good afternoon, and thank you for being here. My name is James Holt, and I am Associate Professor of Religious Education at the University of Chester. My professional role centres on the education and training of … More On Holy Ground: Experiencing Life in Relationships
Last year I posted about what I learned by sharing images of the Nativity from around the world. I repeated this task during Advent in 2024. It still helps me understand that God comes to us where we are. He loves all of his children- and I share all of the images from this year. … More A Global Nativity (2024)
I love Christmas! One of my earliest ‘religious’ memories is of Christmas when I was about five or six years of age. On Christmas Eve my mum took my brother and me to a Christmas Eve service at the local Church, where we held Christingles. Maybe this sticks in my mind because there is a … More Christ as the Light of the World
We probably all recognise a caricature of RE lessons which revolves around tasks that keep children’s attention but don’t seem to stretch. We have all, perhaps, taught some of those lessons- and one important caveat is that each of learning experiences that we use that might in one lesson be incredibly valuable, but we need … More Challenge in RE
I wrote an article a number of years ago that was never published. It links with my last post on the use of pop culture. It explores the religious beliefs that might lie behind some aspects of Tolkien’s writings in The Silmarillion. I wrote in my last blog post about the Chronicles of Narnia and … More The Music of Life
In questioning beginning teachers’ experiences of Religious Education during their schooling I am invariably met with a very mixed group of responses. Some, usually because of the teacher bringing the subject alive, loved it. Others, for a plethora of other reasons struggled to see the value of it, or actually remember anything they ever did. … More Pop culture and RE: an under-realised third space
Today I had the opportunity to present some evidence to the Commission on RE. I submitted the text below in advance- it contains more than I was able to deliver in my verbal submission but reflects the beginnings of my thoughts. I enjoyed the opportunity to share some of my views and listen to the … More Evidence to the Commission on RE
In my last blog post I discussed some of the issues surrounding a five year GCSE. This spurred me to explore some aspects of assessment. A fuller discussion can be found in Religious Education in the Secondary School When I first started teaching my Head teacher told me: “R.E. teachers should stop moaning about assessment … More Assessment: one size fits all?
I have been involved in different ways in the development of the new GCSE for Religious Studies and, in many ways, see it as a step forward in building religious literacy but also helping pupils make links between beliefs, teaching and practices. I think it is a way to meet the aims of RE which … More A Five Year GCSE- really?
It’s been a bit quiet on the website recently- apologies for this- it’s been a hectic time of year. Just stopping by to advertise a couple of RE networking opportunities that I will be attending and leading elements of over the next couple of weeks. On Monday 28th September I’m at the Heads of RE … More RE Networking opportunities
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