Teach Primary Issue 19.6

ANDREA YOUNGMAN AND DONNA DONAGHY centuries, being a destination in its own right, as well as being part of the famous Santiago de Compostela route in Spain. The monastery of Finchale, just outside Durham, is the starting point for the Camino Inglés, leading to the pilgrimage of Compostela. rapid transport if needed. The deputy head, typically responsible for risk assessments, took on the task of dealing with safety concerns. Each child had a pilgrimage passport, for stamping at stopping points. And, just as medieval pilgrims to Compostela used a shell as symbol of their visit, the children created shell key rings. “The children wrote prayers that could be used at different stopping points, and created a prayer book for use on the walk,” explained Donna. “Walking past the prison allowed children to think about how you learn from mistakes, dealing with sins and overcoming them,” said Rev Canon Charlie Allen. “Am I crazy?” This was the first thought that Donna Donaghy, RE co-ordinator at Blue Coat Primary School, had when the idea of a whole-school walking pilgrimage originally popped into her head. After seeing waymakers appearing locally, and teaching about pilgrimages, Donna wondered if she would be able to take Blue Coat on its own journey. Having discussed it with her headteacher and other school staff, she contacted Durham Cathedral and asked about how it could work. The logistics were huge: 280 primary school children, staff and parents walking 2.5 miles along the Camino Ingles pilgrimage way, plus toilet stops and transport connections at each end. As it happened, Rev Canon Charlie Allen had been exploring the possibility of encouraging whole-school pilgrimages. Durham Cathedral has been an important part of pilgrimages for The first priority was to decide a date for the pilgrimage. June was chosen because it offered the greatest chance of suitable weather conditions, and enough time to create a multi-disciplinary approach. A teamwas set up within the school to oversee the event. Different teachers took responsibility for certain aspects; for example, it was decided to have some teachers driving to each location so that cars were available to provide UNDERSTANDING A journey to Taking on a whole-school pilgrimage allowed the pupils of a Durham primary school to think about their place in the world WILL THIS WORK? FROM CONCEPT TO REALITY FOR EVERYONE Pilgrimages can be made to many places, not just churches. Even a short walk to a war memorial or holy well can be a pilgrimage. It is a common element in all religions. WORTH IT Going on a school pilgrimage brings the concept alive to children. A multi-faith and cross curricular approach takes time to organise, but provides maximum learning outcomes. 60 | www.teachwire.net