As part of the Year 9 Religious Studies curriculum, students at The Radclyffe School have been exploring a unit titled Faith in Oldham, which encourages them to learn about and reflect on the rich diversity of religious belief within their local community.
A highlight of this unit is the opportunity for students to attend one of several interfaith panel sessions, where local religious leaders come together to share their experiences, answer questions, and offer insights into their faiths. This year, we were delighted to welcome four fantastic representatives of Catholicism, Islam, Judaism and Hinduism: Adam Hurst of Standing Together, Imam Molana Akmal from A&A Islamic Tuition, Father Phil Sumner from The Parish of Our Lady and St Patrick Church, and Kumar Sisodia.
This event reflects our commitment to nurturing an inclusive environment that values the beliefs, cultures and identities of all our students. Engaging with representatives from Catholicism, Hinduism, Judaism and Islam reinforces the importance of mutual respect, understanding and unity within Oldham’s diverse community.
Students arrived at their session with thoughtful, pre-prepared questions, and our panel responded with engaging, informative and often inspiring answers. Topics discussed included the significance of different religious festivals, the daily roles and responsibilities of our guests, the diversity within each religion, and how their faith impacts their lives in modern Britain.
We are extremely grateful to our panel for giving up their time to visit the school and share their perspectives with such openness and warmth. Their contributions brought real-life context to our students’ studies and offered a meaningful chance to experience interfaith dialogue in action.
Although each student attended just one session, the variety of voices and viewpoints ensured a rich and memorable learning experience for all involved. We’re confident that this has left a lasting impact on our students as they continue to explore themes of faith, identity and community.
Read on for feedback from some of our students:
Maryam: “Thank you for coming to our school to teach us about each religion. I liked how each answer was very detailed. It gave me a lot of information which is very useful.”
Amelia: “What I really enjoyed was hearing all four answers to the same question but all the answers being different. I think it is important for young people to meet faith leaders because it creates diversity.”
Amina: “I enjoyed seeing representatives from different communities coming together without arguing and conflict – hearing everyone’s opinions and respecting them.”
Kaelan: “I enjoyed being able to hear all of the different things that happen in each religion and I also liked that religions are striving for equality and friendship.”
Aysha: “I learned how important it is to support other people’s beliefs.”
Alicia: “What I really enjoyed was the different opinions and view points of the panel. I think it is really important for young people to meet faith leaders because we can see how different religions can work together.”
