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Visits to places of worship
We are very lucky in Derby in having a very wide range of religions and beliefs in our local community and this is reflected in the Religious Education syllabus for local schools.
The location of the Open Centre means that it is within a very short walk of a wide variety of places of worship.
Religion and belief are controversial subjects and our visits are designed to help visiting groups to understand the beliefs of others. We are about breaking down barriers and encouraging tolerance and understanding - and there is no better way to do this than to encourage visits to the different places of worship in our community.
Parental objections to visits
Please click here for our comments and survey on parental objections.
Places of worship
Our trail starts at the Open Centre and can include:
- A Muslim mosque
- A Hindu Mandir
- A Sikh Gurdwara
- A Jewish Synagogue
- Christian churches (including the Cathedral, black-led churches, Serbian Orthodox churches etc.)
We can divide up large groups so that visits to different places of worship can overlap to save time and to ensure that everyone gets the chance to ask questions if they wish.
Making a booking
Please click here to make an enquiry about a booking.
Our services are very popular but we will try to fit you in on the day you require or as close as possible.
We have to juggle many things when arranging a visit: individual places of worship may or may not be available on certain days or certain times and our staff may be booked for another visits, workshop or talk.
Please also remember that we are only able to offer this service because the places we visit are willing to open themselves to us in the best interest of community understanding. We are very grateful for this cooperation and it has benefitted tens of thousands of pupils over the last 25 years. We do not want to jeopardise the excellent relationships we have built up with the places of worship we use.
Minimum group size
Our minimum group size (to make our work financially viable) is 25. Please contact us if your group will be smaller than this.
Important notes for schools visiting by coach
- Please tell coach drivers that access to the St James Centre is on Malcolm Street - just off Douglas Street. Please see the map link on our contacts page. Coaches may be parked on any of the streets local to the St James Centre.
- Please arrange with your coach company to go first to the Open Centre (at the St James Centre) so that pupils may drop off bags etc. The coach should then take pupils, and one of our staff, to the first place of visit. Pupils will walk back to the Open Centre.
Warning about booking direct
We (and all LEA RE advisors) strongly advise you against making a direct booking with a place of worship.
We have had unfortunate reports of inappropriate language and material being used with groups in some place of worship.
All our visits are led by our trained and CRB certified staff who are also members of the local community - they know how to present appropriate information in a sympathetic manner which will be appreciated by both pupils and adults.
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