Schools programme KS1 | KS2 | KS3 | GCSE, Sixth Form and beyond Welcome to Hereford Cathedral Schools Programme! Educational visits for schools and colleges are an important part of the work of the cathedral. We welcome students of all ages and invite them to experience the very special atmosphere of our cathedral building where prayer is still offered today, as it has been over the centuries. We have taken steps to ensure that all usual tours and workshops which we offer can still be offered to schools. Easter 2021 Update While we await the easing of restrictions, we have developed a range of options for Easter and Summer 2021: Experience Easter Usually, in the run–up to Easter, we have a series of workshops entitled ‘Experience Easter’. Unfortunately, this year we are not able to run these workshops as usual; instead, we are providing digital versions of these workshops for schools to download and use with their classes. They are aimed at KS2 children, and will comprise a series of workshops that tell the story of Holy Week from Palm Sunday to the resurrection on Easter Sunday. There are a total of six short films, each containing a reading from the bible and some explanation. They then have either an activity or some questions for reflection. The combined length of the films is less than one hour. The six workshops are: Palm Sunday The Last Supper In the Garden of Gethsemane The Trial The Crucifixion The Resurrection If you would like a link to these workshops, along with accompanying resources, please email [email protected] Lent Competition On Easter Sunday we celebrate new life and hope in Jesus. It is the time of new beginnings just like in Spring time; there are new leaves on the trees, the flowers begin to bud and the birds begin to nest and lay their eggs. Hereford Cathedral has recently been awarded Eco Church Silver status, in recognition of our commitment to the environment and to caring for all of God’s creation. To celebrate this award, we are having a competition for primary school children. Please create a picture which represents Herefordshire or Hereford Cathedral, with the theme of new life and the environment. The entries should also include a short explanation as to why they have chosen this particular image. Selected entries will be shared on social media and our website. The winning entry will have a wall hanging created out of the picture, to be presented to their school. The winning entry and runners up will be used as images in the cathedral family service broadcast on Good Friday, and will receive cathedral goodie bags. We will share the child’s first name with these images unless schools tell us otherwise. Please submit your entries no later than Friday 26th March, to [email protected] Please ensure you include the child’s name, year and school. There are no limits on the number of entries available from any school. Virtual Mappa Mundi Workshop As part of the development of our digital resources, we are pleased to offer a virtual Mappa Mundi workshop. This can be aimed at any age group, from KS1 to KS4. It consists of a talk and Q&A session led by the Head of Schools and Family learning, with suggestions for follow-up activities and resources supplied. Please email [email protected] for more details. We are currently developing virtual versions of many of our tours. This can be combined with a Q&A session by members of the education team, either by video link or in person. New for this year, we are encouraging schools to take part in the Windows on our Communities project through visits to the cathedral. Details of this project can be found here. Visits to school Members of the education team are happy to bring any of our standard workshops to take place in your school. In addition, we are linking with the Music Department to offer organ workshops to take place in your local Church Standard Primary School tours Details of the primary school tours and workshops are shown on the following leaflet: Primary leaflet (pdf) Self-guided tours If you would like to lead your own visit, then we have a teacher’s pack to help with this. To request a copy of this please email [email protected]. Self-guided tours need to be booked in advance, in the usual manner. For more information on any of these activities, please contact William Talbot-Ponsonby, Head of Schools and Family Learning, on 01432 374256 or [email protected].