Diocese of St Albans Schools Team

Flourishing Together

Education EN ↓ 35 episodes

Reflecting on Journeys of Hope and Stewardship in Education. Join Ryan, The RE and Christian Ethos Adviser to the Diocese of St Albans Schools Team as each episode he talks to colleagues from the world of education to explore a different topic, where he'll be asking for their wisdom and their top-tips.

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Diocese of St Albans Schools Team

Episodes

S2 E20: Intellectual humility and RE with Karen Steele 06.07.2026 38:07

Welcome to Season 2 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 20, Ryan is joined by Karen Steele, a Senior Lecturer (Teaching) for PGCE Secondary Religious Education at the University of Worcester. Show Notes: The Joy of Being Wrong video: https://www.templeton.org/discoveries/intellectual-humility Podcast Conversations on Intellection Humility: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conv...

S2 E19: Using case studies in RE: what, why and how choose? with Paul Hedges 10.06.2026 32:50

Welcome to Season 2 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 19, Ryan is joined by Paul Hedges, Professor of Interreligious Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Show Notes: Paul Hedges, Understanding Religion: Theories and Methods for Studying Religiously Diverse Societies The Pluralism Project: Case Studies | The Pluralism Project Religion Media Centre Morning News B...

S1 E15: Spirituality and Play with Kate Adams 20.05.2026 30:29

Welcome to Season 1 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 15, Ryan is joined by Kate Adams, former primary teacher and now Professor of Education at Leeds Trinity University. Show Notes: Adams, K. (2023) ‘Imaginary’ friends: the roles of imaginary/invisible companions in the classroom , Education 3-13 Spiritual Playdate is a US website with resources to support social, emotional and...

S2 E18: ‘Are debates even appropriate in RE?’: knowing well in RE with Jo Fraser-Pearce and Alexis Stones 06.05.2026 51:17

Welcome to Season 2 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 18, Ryan is joined by Jo Fraser-Pearce and Alexis Stones, academic researchers and colleagues based at the UCL Institute of Education. Show Notes: Knowing Well in Religious Education: https://tinyurl.com/2svukws2 Tackling social injustice through developing epistemic literacy in Religious Education: https://tinyurl.com/3btp6a6w

S2 E17: Non-religiosity and RE: considering students and curriculum encounters with Anna Strhan 23.04.2026 18:53

Welcome to Season 2 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 17, Ryan is joined by Anna Strhan, a Reader in the Department of Sociology at the University of York. Show Notes: Anna Strhan and Rachael Shillitoe. Growing Up Godless: Non-Religious Childhoods in Contemporary England (Paperback) Growing Up Godless by Anna Strhan, Rachael Shillitoe | Waterstones Article: Becoming Humanist: World...

S2 E16: Oracy and RE with Neil Mercer 18.03.2026 29:31

Welcome to Season 2 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 16, Ryan is joined by Neil Mercer, an Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Cambridge and Director of the study centre Oracy@Cambridge at the Cambridge college Hughes Hall (of which he is also a Life Fellow). Show Notes: Neil Mercer, Oracy: The Transformative Power of Finding Your Voice : https://www.penguin.co.u...

S1 E14: Empowering students as agents of change with Dan Moxon 04.03.2026 19:56

Welcome to Season 1 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 14, Ryan is joined by Dr. Dan Moxon, a researcher and practitioner specialising in inclusive youth participation. Show Notes: Here's a good link to the Lundy model (has some other resources on child participation there too) https://eu-for-children.europa.eu/about/lundy-model_en#:~:text=The%20model%20has%20four%20main,are%20involve...

S2 E15: What might an ecologically minded RE look like? with Kate Christopher 11.02.2026 25:09

Welcome to Season 2 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 15, Ryan is joined by Kate Christopher. Kate is a National RE Advisor and Senior Lecturer with the Initial Teacher Training team at Anglia Ruskin University Show notes: Christian Climate Action https://www.stalbansdiocese.org/resource/christian-climate-action/ Ministry of Eco-Education: Home | Ministry of Eco Education Let’s Go Z...

S2 E14: How I approached the Understanding Christianity resource via a worldview lens with Kate Christopher 28.01.2026 23:09

Welcome to Season 2 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 14, Ryan is joined by Kate Christopher. Kate is a National RE Advisor and Senior Lecturer with the Initial Teacher Training team at Anglia Ruskin University Show notes: Easter/Salvation - RE Online: https://www.reonline.org.uk/resources/easter-salvation/ We are deeply saddened by the passing of Lynn Revell. Her rich contribution t...

S2 E13: Is your RE curriculum helping students flourish? with Kathryn Wright 14.01.2026 15:09

Welcome to Season 2 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 13, Ryan is joined by Kathryn Wright. Kathryn is the Chief Executive of Culham St Gabriel's Trust, a charitable trust that champions religion and worldviews education. Prior to this, she has worked as an RE teacher, advisor and freelance consultant. Show notes: Home - RE:ONLINE Flourishing Together Through RE - RE:ONLINE

S1 E13: A broader look at the spiritual flourishing of children: rights, equity and justice with Valerie Michaelson 13.11.2025 28:38

Welcome to Season 1 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 13, Ryan is joined by Valerie Michaelson, an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at Brock University in Canada. Show Notes: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091743519301513 Connections associated with a healthy spirituality: are these unrecognized intermediary determinants that shape he...

S1 E12: Reflections on Science and Religion: Conflicting or Co-existing? With Professor Russell Cowburn 09.09.2025 15:04

Welcome to Season 1 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 12, Ryan is joined by Russell Cowburn, Canon Scientist at St Albans Cathedral and Professor of Experimental Physics, University of Cambridge. Together they discuss the relationship between science and religion. Show Notes: The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion: https://www.faraday.cam.ac.uk/schools/overview/ NICER Scienc...

S2 E12: Getting Better at 'Ways of Knowing' in RE with Gillian Georgiou and Olivia Seymour 17.07.2025 34:29

Welcome to Season 2 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 12, Ryan is joined by Gillian Georgiou and Olivia Seymour. Gillian is the Diocesan RE Advisor in the Diocese of Lincoln, and is a mentor for the Culham Leadership Programme and Farmington Scholarships. Olivia is a part-time Assistant Diocesan Director of Education in the Diocese of York, and is also an RE consultant and RE Hubs le...

S2 E11: Knowledge, knowing and the knower in RE - the RE-searchers approach with Rob and Giles Freathy 17.06.2025 38:58

Welcome to Season 2 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 11, Ryan is joined by brothers Rob and Giles Freathy. Rob is a professor of Education at the University of Exeter and Giles is a senior lecturer at Plymouth Marjon university. Show notes: The RE-searchers approach: The-RE-searchers-A-New-Approach-to-RE-in-Primary-Schools.pdf Quick start guide: reonline.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/20...

S1 E11: Spirituality, nature and the early years with Ruth Wills 18.03.2025 30:23

Welcome to Season 1 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 11, Ryan is joined by Ruth Wills, a Lecturer at Liverpool Hope University. Show Notes: Ruth Wills’ publications: Nature, Spirituality an Early Childhood Education: ⁠https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003483939⁠ Spirituality, Football and Olivia: how connectedness inspires hope through difficultsituations: ⁠https://www.tandfonline.com/do...

S2 E10: Exemplifying a worldview approach in RE with Kate Christopher and Lynn Revell 20.01.2025 37:36

Welcome to Season 2 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 10, Ryan is joined by Kate Christopher, National RE Advisor and Senior Lecturer with the Initial Teacher Training team at Anglia Ruskin University, and Lynn Revell, a Professor of Religion and Education at Canterbury Christ Church University. Show Notes: Islam as a Worldview - RE:ONLINE (resources) Islam as a worldview - RE:ONLINE...

S1 E10: Reflections on Spirituality with Tony Eaude 22.11.2024 52:12

Welcome to Season 1 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 10, Ryan is joined by Dr Tony Eaude. Tony was previously a headteacher of a multi-cultural primary school in Oxford. After studying for a doctorate at the Department of Education, University of Oxford, he has worked independently, mainly in research, writing and teaching both adults and children. He is passionate about the need to...

S2 E9: Teaching Jewish Worldviews with Anna Silver 11.11.2024 32:05

Welcome to Season 2 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 9, Ryan is joined Anna Silver, Education Officer for the Board of Deputies of British Jews. Anna Silver: anna.silver@bod.org.uk Institute for Jewish Policy Research: https://www.jpr.org.uk Jewish Living Online: https://jlo.org.uk/ Board of Deputies of British Jews: https://bod.org.uk/ Jewish Living Experience Exhibition: https://b...

S2 E8: RE in the Early Years with Gill Vaisey 16.10.2024 35:45

Welcome to Season 2 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 8, Ryan is joined by Religion and Worldviews Adviser Gill Vaisey to discuss RE in the Early Years. https://www.booksatpress.co.uk/ If you'd like to hear more from this podcast, please don't forget to subscribe to ensure that a new episode lands in your podcast app each month. With thanks to Gill Vaisey Thank you for journeying wit...

S2 E7: Teaching Islam with Zameer Hussain 02.08.2024 24:36

Welcome to Season 2 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 7, Ryan is joined by Zameer Hussain, a Religious Studies Consultant and an experienced secondary school Religious Education teacher and Head of Department ‘Diversity in Islam in British RE’ by Philip Wood: ⁠https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/13617672.2024.2315400⁠ ‘Ijtihad in the RE classroom’ by Zameer Hussain and Chris...

S2 E6: Introducing diversity and messiness of worldviews in the primary classroom with Rachel Buckby and Deborah Yeomans 16.07.2024 21:51

Welcome to Season 2 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 6, Ryan is joined by Rachel Buckby and Deborah Yeomans. Links: NATRE: https://www.natre.org.uk/ National Content Standard: https://religiouseducationcouncil.org.uk/resource/national-content-standard-1st-edition-2023/ Nobody Stands Nowhere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFRxKF-Jdos RE Hubs: https://www.re-hubs.uk/ If you'd li...

S2 E5: Reflections with Lat Blaylock: who has inspired you and your work in RE? 14.05.2024 32:45

Welcome to Season 2 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 5, Ryan is joined by Lat Blaylock, National RE Advisor. If you'd like to hear more from this podcast, please don't forget to subscribe to ensure that a new episode lands in your podcast app each month. With thanks to Lat Blaylock Thank you for journeying with us, and we hope that you can join us next time!

S2 E4: Critical Religious Education with Christina Easton and Angela Goodman 30.04.2024 38:48

Welcome to Season 2 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 4, Ryan is joined by Christina Easton and Angela Goodman. Critical Religious Education in Practice: A Teacher’s Guide for the Secondary Classroom – https://www.routledge.com/Critical-Religious-Education-in-Practice-A-Teachers-Guide-for-the-Secondary/Easton-Goodman-Wright-Wright/p/book/9781138123229?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAj...

S2 E3: Hermeneutics: How Can we Enable Richer Encounters with Biblical Texts in RE? with Bob Bowie 05.02.2024 23:56

Welcome to Season 2 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 3, Ryan is joined by Professor Bob Bowie, Professor of Religion and Worldviews Education at Canterbury Christ Church University and Director of NICER, a University Research Centre focussed in Christianity and education. Information on the ‘Texts and Teachers’ project, and associated resources, can be found here: https://nicer.org....

S2 E2: 'Diving for pearls in RE’ - Content and Teacherly Judgements with David Lewin 08.01.2024 33:05

Welcome to Season 2 of the Flourishing Together podcast! In episode 2, Ryan is joined by Dr. David Lewin, Senior Lecturer in Education at Strathclyde University, Glasgow. After RE Project: https://www.afterre.org/ If you'd like to hear more from this podcast, please don't forget to subscribe to ensure that a new episode lands in your podcast app each month. With thanks to David Lewin. Than...