New Hope is an online schools work conference hosted by Prayer Spaces in Schools and Youthscape, streaming live, for free, on Monday 5th October.

“It is our plan,” says the UK Government’s website, “that all pupils, in all year groups, will return to school full-time from the beginning of the autumn term.”

So, it’s back to normal then? Well…not quite.

Social distancing. Year group bubbles. Enhanced risk assessments. “Robust hand and respiratory hygiene” guidance. Visitor restrictions. School is definitely going to look a lot different in the next academic year because of the ongoing global impact of Covid-19. And this means the way that churches and Christian organisations offer support to schools will need to change too.

And of course, there are big questions about the impact that these last few months have had on children and young people. For some, it’s been a safe and enjoyable time, while for others, it’s been acutely challenging and traumatic. As these children and young people return to schools in the coming months, the need for pastoral, safeguarding and wellbeing services is likely to be high.

There are certainly going to be challenges, but we want to face them with new hope, and navigate our way through them into a better future.

“I have plans for you,” said the Lord to Jeremiah, “plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

The details

WHAT IS IT? An online Conference focusing on what Christian schools work could look like in the coming academic year, and how we as a community will navigate the challenges that this presents. We’d love for you to join us.

WHEN & WHERE? Monday 5th October. We’ll be live-streaming to YouTube, and using Zoom for seminars – you'll need to sign up to access the seminars. The day starts at 10am and finishes at 3pm.

WHAT'S HAPPENING? During the day there will be four sessions. Two shaped around our keynote presentations, and two shaped around a choice of live webinars. All four sessions will include opportunities to interact and engage with the discussions – there will be a lot of wisdom in these virtual rooms, and we want to make the most of the opportunity to learn from one another.

WHO'S INVOLVED? Our keynote contributors will be:

• Jill Rowe, Ethos and Formation Director for the Oasis Trust
• Esther Deans MBE, former Head teacher and chair of the Race Equality and Education Group (REEG)
• Baroness Elizabeth Berridge, the Parliament Under-Secretary of State for Education, interviewed by Bishop Paul Butler, Diocese of Durham
• Rachel Gardner, Director of Partnerships at Youthscape

Details of the webinars will be available soon, but they will include: content around mental health and wellbeing; grief and loss; chaplaincy in primary and secondary schools; racial injustice and education; prayer spaces in schools; and how schools are responding to the new guidelines.

HOW MUCH IS IT? We realise that this is a difficult time in many ways, and we want to do our best to serve you. Because of this, Prayer Spaces in Schools and Youthscape are co-hosting this conference for free – there is no booking fee to pay. However, if you would like to support us with a financial donation towards the cost of the day and to invest in the work that we’re trying to do to equip the Church to serve children and young people, we’d be incredibly grateful.