North Leicestershire
Charlotte Faulconbridge.
cfaulconbridge@hall-orchard.leics.sch.uk
My name is Charlotte Faulconbridge and I am the Personal Development Lead and member of the Senior Leadership Team at Hall Orchard CE Primary School in Barrow upon Soar. I have been teaching for longer than I care to recall (nearly 30 years!) and I have been an RE lead and Collective Worship Coordinator for the last five years. However, I have had over 20 years of experience of delivering Collective Worship in primary schools through my various church and teaching roles.
I have always enjoyed delivering Collective Worship and have a passion for finding ways for both children and adults to encounter faith by engaging in conversations about God, both as individuals and together. I spend a lot of time thinking of ways in which Collective Worship can be inspiring and challenging, both in-person and in online/classroom-based sessions through what they see and hear. I love introducing songs that help us to talk about God in a fun way (and they usually involve some form of dancing or actions) and how you can switch up Bible stories and tell them in new ways.
More recently, I have been working on developing ways in which children and staff can reflect more on what they have heard and deepen their own spirituality through experiences of prayer, stillness, and worship.
I am looking forward to starting our Collective Worship Leader Hubs as sharing not only good practice but difficulties too. They often offer you to take something usable away with you too.
- Spring Tuesday 25th February 2025 via Teams
- Summer Tuesday 10th June 2025 via Teams
East Leicestershire
Nikki Copeland
ncopeland@waltham.risemat.co.uk
Nikki has been teaching for over 15 years and has taught across all year groups. She has previously been a ‘Lead RE’ teacher for Leicestershire Diocese and has worked in partnership to strengthen RE and Collective Worships across Leicestershire schools. She has previous experience of leading RE across the Vale cluster group meetings and developing professional expertise amongst all staff. Nikki is currently EYFS and RE co-ordinator at Waltham-on-the-Wolds Church of England Primary School. CW has always been a very important aspect of school life for Nikki and she believes if it is done effectively it is the beating heart of a school. It is a fantastic way of preparing children for life in our world and enabling them to think and develop spiritually.
North West Leicestershire
Amy North
Amy is currently the worship lead at Belton CE Primary School, Leicestershire. Throughout the past year, she has worked on reinventing the school’s collective worship and spiritual offer. This is the first time she will have led a local network group but is extremely excited to see how this collaboration will benefit the children that she teaches.
Amy has had experience of leading worship in a small school, where mixed ages and low numbers can have an impact on her work. Also, she has worked with the head teacher to prepare for a SIAMs inspection and ensure that her school has a good Christian ethos. Amy has led worship days based on the school’s Christian values, school bible story and courageous advocacy.
Amy is the the lead for RE and Music and has done so for the past 3 years – this has really supported her changes to the worship in her school. She has a real passion for performance and dance and this reflects in her style and choices in worship. This has meant the children have a greater enjoyment of this time in Amy’s school. Spiritual connection is something very important to Amy and that idea of coming together and connecting is how we can see profound improvements in our lives.
One of Amy’s areas of expertise is ‘diversity’. This topic is something incredibly important to her as she really values the children’s need to see a diverse community outside the village school. She has done work with the St Phillips Centre and the Linking Project to help expand her children’s horizons. In the future, Amy will be working on the Global Neighbours award and the Leicestershire ‘Everyone’s Welcome’ Curriculum.
West Leicestershire
Rachel Hiscocks
rhiscocks@allsaints-coalville.leics.sch.uk
Rachel has been teaching for over 15 years and has taught across all year groups. She has previous experience of leading CW & RE in Leicester City and County schools and led group meetings to develop professional expertise amongst all staff. Rachel is currently CW and RE co-ordinator at All Saints CofE Primary, Coalville. CW has always been a very important aspect of school life for Rachel and she believes if it is done effectively, it is the beating heart of a school. It is a fantastic way of preparing children and adults for daily life in our ever-changing world and enabling the whole school community to continually think, question and grow on their individual and collective spiritual journey.
Meeting Dates: 26th Oct, 8th Feb and 6th June
Secondary Lead
Edel Hawthorne
My name is Edel Hawthorne and I have worked at Brockington College for ten years. I am head of drama but also take on the role as Collective Worship lead at the college. I am passionate about working in a church school and want my pupils to be provided with opportunities to explore faith and what it means to follow Christ. It is important that Collective worship is engaging and inclusive for all pupils in our school. I am looking for ways to make it more innovative year on year. I work across the Embrace Trust to help support and advise staff in providing opportunities for Collective worship. I have a strong passion in the Culture and Ethos of church schools and finding ways to support and implement change to prepare schools for SIAMS. I help staff with looking at their school vision and from this, cultivating a programme that can help drive their vision both in the classroom and beyond. I am passionate about working in a church school and supporting staff to deliver a Collective worship programme that is invitational and inclusive to all pupils.
I am now working in leadership and am overseeing Personal Development and SIAMS within Samworth Academy. This is my first leadership role and I am also in charge of the attainment and attendance of pupils within my college. I also run the Student leadership team and our Assembly programme. I am passionate about working in a church school and ensuring that pupils are provided with opportunities beyond the classroom. I teach RE, Drama and RSHE.
Meeting Dates:
- Wednesday 11th Nov 2024 – 4.30
- Wednesday the 26th of Feb 2025 – 4.30
- Wednesday 25th June 2025 – 4.30
Leicester City and Surrounding Areas
Diane Brown
dianeb9@churchhill-jun.leics.sch.uk
Diane has been teaching in Church of England schools for twenty-six years both in Cambridgeshire and Leicestershire. She is currently the Head Teacher of Church Hill C of E Junior School and is passionate about collective worship and spiritual development. With a background in music, Diane particularly enjoys developing singing within collective worship.
During her career, she has led meetings between local schools in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, Literacy (as a Leading Literacy Teacher for Cambridgeshire) and cross school writing moderation.
Having originally trained as a music specialist, Diane also holds the NASENDCo qualification and has furthered this interest to gain a qualification as a teacher for dyslexia. She also recently completed her Church of England Qualification for Primary Headship. She is excited to be supporting the Diocese in this new role as a Collective Worship Leading Teacher and looks forward to facilitating the sharing of good practice across the local area.
Online Meeting Dates:
Tuesday 29th Oct 2024 3.30 – 4.30pm
Tuesday 25th Feb 2025 3.30 – 4.30pm
Tuesday 3rd June 2025 3.30 – 4.30pm
South Leicestershire
Rachel Chamberlain
rchamberlain@swinford.embracemat.org
My name is Rachel Chamberlain and I am co-headteacher at Swinford CE Primary school which is part of the Embrace MAT. I have experience of teaching across the primary phase and have worked in church and non-church schools of all sizes. I have been at Swinford for 20 years and have been CW and RE lead. I like to keep in touch with what church schools are doing to develop CW across the UK and have used materials from different diocese to inspire our Collective Worship. I have a passion for church schools and for developing links between the schools, their communities and churches. I hope this network will be a great opportunity to share ideas to enhance our Collective Worship times so that they are inspirational, invitational and inclusive to all.
Meeting Dates: Tuesday 4th March 1:30-2:30pm.
For online meetings, email officeDBE@LeicesterDBE.org for the links.
Rachel Hiscocks
rhiscocks@allsaints-coalville.leics.sch.uk
Rachel has been teaching for over 15 years and has taught across all year groups. She has previous experience of leading CW & RE in Leicester City and County schools and led group meetings to develop professional expertise amongst all staff. Rachel is currently CW and RE co-ordinator at All Saints CofE Primary, Coalville. CW has always been a very important aspect of school life for Rachel and she believes if it is done effectively, it is the beating heart of a school. It is a fantastic way of preparing children and adults for daily life in our ever-changing world and enabling the whole school community to continually think, question and grow on their individual and collective spiritual journey.
Meeting Dates: 26th Oct, 8th Feb and 6th June