Reviving CCE in the UK Update #3
Welcome to my monthly update, although I haven't been able to keep up the pace of at least one article a month. I'm currently in the second year of training as a clinical scientist so I’ll definitely be making posts less frequently than once a month.
In this digest I've collated and shared updates from various classical education institutions. I hope you find it helpful. I would like to encourage you to sign up to the newsletters for each of these institutions, you can find a link in each section.
In all the news that we get, month by month, we read of triumph and struggle. Ultimately though, it is Christ that pulls us through and every success is due to him and for him.
Selden College
College info:
Website: https://www.seldencollege.co.uk/
Founder’s Letter:
In this update we want to outline our thinking on why we need a Christian college at this time in our history, and why, in particular, a liberal arts college. We will then give preliminary details for the 2024 Summer School and an opportunity for families to sign up to attend.
Why a Christian College now?
We are living in a time of great change: Brexit, the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the succession to the throne of King Charles III, the dramatic departure from biblical orthodoxy by the Church of England, and the encroaching tyranny of liberal and progressive ideologies in society as a whole and in universities in particular. All these events present great challenges and opportunities for the church in the British Isles.
The church, however, is in need of reformation and revival if it is to meet these challenges well and not simply succumb to the pressure to conform more and more to the surrounding culture. A generation of Christian leaders (in every office, public and private) is needed who are theologically literate, historically, philosophically and literarily astute, and competent to understand the biblical and theological heritage that has shaped the laws and customs of the British Isles over its history. We need leaders who are committed to raising families and building strong churches in the fear of God, conserving and renewing the good inheritance that is under threat.
The church can no longer rely on secular academies to train the next generations of faithful Christian leaders. These places of learning, many first established by the church, have departed dramatically from their Christian foundation, and many have been captured by the progressive ideologies of our day. We need to recover the heritage of Christian university education our forefathers provided for us, and equip our students to do the same work of recovery wherever God calls them. We trust God will use Selden College as a means in His hands to bring about reformation and revival within the British Isles and a renewing and rebuilding of our Christian foundations.
Why a Liberal Arts College?
The mission of Selden College is to graduate faithful Christian men and women who are prepared to act justly, skillfully, and magnanimously in every office, public and private, in peace and in war. Therefore, life at Selden will aim to form students spiritually, intellectually, and morally so that they are prepared to fulfil any number of vocations as faithful Christians. A liberal arts education enables us to fulfil this mission and will elevate our students to the height of interdisciplinary competence, sorely lacking in the modern academy. And thus, by God’s grace and as He leads, our graduates will be equipped to follow numerous paths in life, in areas such as jurisprudence, politics, theology, social sciences, arts, engineering and medicine.
The liberal arts curriculum we are developing is not a mere replica of historical models; rather, it builds creatively on the foundation they provide for our own times and needs. Thus we walk in the footsteps of Christian educators such as Augustine, Cassiodorus, Hugh St Victor, and Melanchthon, without trying to reenact any specific, irretrievable historical moment. We aim, under God, to develop a curriculum for a particular place – the British Isles – at a particular time, whose roots are deeply embedded in the long tradition of Christian education.
2024 Summer School
The goal of the summer school is to provide parents and students with a taste of the type of education Selden College aims to provide. As we have articulated, it is an education of the whole person: moral, spiritual and intellectual, and all aspects of that education will be present in these four days.
Each day will begin with morning worship and bible teaching, followed by expert instruction in Psalm singing (more will be said about the importance of this in forming our educational culture in future updates). Dr Timothy Edwards will give keynote lectures each morning on the vision for the College and the biblical and theological reasons for Selden College’s distinctives. These morning sessions will be open to everyone.
The afternoon seminars will only be open to prospective students of the college (October 2025 or 2026 intakes), so they can experience the type of classroom experience and teaching they will be receiving. These groups will be kept small to maximise teacher/student interaction. Registration details can be found below. We would request early sign ups for this event to aid us in planning for a venue and any extra faculty we might need.
Dates: July 15 (pm) registration and evening reception July 16 - July 19 Summer School activities
Venue: To be confirmed, but most likely to be in either the Bath/Bristol or Oxford areas. Confirmed Summer School Faculty and classes offered:
Dr Timothy Edwards, D.Phil
OT Law and its Afterlife in the English Reformation and Beyond
Reading Old Testament Poetry
Dr Crawford Gribben, Ph.D (Professor of History at Queen's University Belfast.)
John Owen and English Puritanism on the Individual, Family, Church and Nation
Mr Alberto Solano, M.Phil (D.Phil candidate in New Testament, Oxford University)
An Introduction to Patristic Hermeneutics and Exegesis
Yet to be confirmed:
Dr David Erb, Ph.D (Fellow of Music, New Saint Andrews College, Moscow, Idaho).
More faculty will be added depending on the number of students attending.
Cost: £250.00 per family or individual (includes all summer school activities as well as 2 evening meals, 4 lunches, and coffee/tea refreshments in the mornings). If cost is a barrier to attending or if you would like to sponsor a family or student, please contact us.
Please sign up using this google form link or send a completed word document (attached) to tedwards@seldencollege.co.uk. No payment is required at registration, but registering implies a commitment to attend. Payment will be processed early in the new year.
Prayer points:
Thank you for praying for all aspects of planning and preparation (including good attendance) for the summer school. Also, please continue to pray for:
Wisdom in all areas of planning and in all conversations surrounding establishing Selden College as a degree awarding institution in the UK.
Faculty. We will need numerous faculty as we seek to establish the college.
Facilities. We will need a physical home to deliver an in-person Christian Liberal Arts education.
Finances. Such an endeavour requires considerable resources.
Tim Edwards and Steven Keen
Bilney Classical Christian School
School info:
Sign up to their newsletter: https://www.newhopechristiancentre.co.uk/contact
Founder’s Letter:
Reimagining Education
'Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.' - Romans 12:2
How exciting it is to consider God's rhythms of work and rest, and how often these stand in contrast to the patterns of the world. Even the word 'school' brings preconceptions that we are looking to challenge. What if God's way was not a 5 day a week, 9am-3pm routine. What would it look like to structure the day and week in a way that glorifies God and redeems the family?
We are still yet to fully flesh out a timetable, but the skeleton we are developing looks like 3 days a week to support but not redirect attention from the family. We are still exploring what hours this would look like but are working from the conviction that parents are a child's primary and best educator. Whilst not all parents are equipped to undertake this, we want to support and empower the family.
We met with the founders of Veritas Academy in Austin, Texas (established in 2005), who made use of similar ideas and convictions. Veritas Academy combines Classical Christian education with a collaborative model that supports parents in their primary role of educators.
What a privilege it was to be able to share the vision of Christian education in Norwich with members of City Gates!
We have been praying for over a year now that God would provide ways to be able to meet with other Christians and share what He has laid on our hearts, and so this meeting was such a blessing and answer to prayer. Our hearts desire is to support Christian parents and teachers in this city and so it was a joy to meet those who are interested in what we are offering.
Please Pray:
For parents who are considering this option for their children, that God would give them wisdom in making their decisions and that they would know His peace in the process.
For teachers who are currently teaching in secular schools, that they may be a light that cannot be hidden and that their example of integrity and compassion would lead people to ask questions about their faith. Also, that they would know whether God is directing them to stay or move, that they would remain in His will for their lives.
For God's wisdom and guidance as we continue to flesh out the practicalities of this project.
St Anselm’s School
School info:
Sign up to their newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/5428040a9b94/sign-up-to-our-newsletter
Founder’s Letter:
The St Anselm team held a meeting at Highfields Church, Cardiff October 14th and shared their vision of what Classical Christian education could look like in Cardiff.
St Alban’s Classical Academy
School info:
Sign up to their newsletter to get updates directly from them! https://stalbansclassical.uk/contact
Donate: https://www.givesendgo.com/stalbansclassical
Founder’s Letter:
Dear Supporter,
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. — Galatians 6:9
Please join us in praising God: the Eastleigh Parish Church PCC has unanimously agreed to accept our offer to use their church hall for St Alban’s Classical! We have a building!
It is the building on the left, next to the church, which can hold two classrooms, and has previously been OFSTED-approved as a nursery! Let us not grow weary.
We are now in a position to submit our Department for Education application to become a school, and the six-month clock starts ticking for their decision! Please pray as this Friday we will be recording some professional video content to use for advertising. We now need to recruit students!
A Very Classical Evening Recap:
We had a wonderful night Wednesday last week hosting Memoria Press! The music was fantastic, the talk and Q&A was enlightening, and the company of enthusiastic parents and children was encouraging!
Where you can Help:
We are keen to come to your churches and communities to share the progress and plans for this new school. Word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful tools of spreading information. Please consider speaking to your pastor about having us come for a 15min chat during your coffee hours!
We thank you for your support and prayers toward the establishment of this new school. Together, we can shape the future for Christ by passing to the next generation the faith once delivered to all the saints. Soli Deo Gloria.
King Alfred School
School info:
Sign up to their newsletter! https://www.thekingalfredschool.co.uk/news
Donate: https://www.thekingalfredschool.co.uk/support-us
Founder’s Letter:
As well as a number of new students joining us, we have many others things to celebrate this term:
A new teacher!
Having taught in both state and private schools before, Mr Tim Faulkner (pictured above) is excited to be teaching in a school that offers a classical, liberal arts education. In his spare time Mr Faulkner likes visiting cathedrals, second-hand bookshops and reading English literature and poetry. We are very glad to have him join the team.
Virtue focus.
This term all students have been learning to understand and practise the virtue of prudence.
Psalm singing.
We have started our third year by recovering the forgotten Christian tradition of Psalm singing! We have started the Autumn term with Psalm 100 to the tune “Old Hundredth”.
New table blessing.
Before eating lunch, students have learned a new table blessing:
“Thank you God for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat.
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you God for everything!
Amen.
New class names.
We have renamed our classes after the British authors Milne (A. A.), Potter (Beatrix), Kipling (Rudyard) and Lewis (C. S.).
Highlights so far!
Potter and Milne Classes (Nursery and Reception) had a look round the Horticulture area to observe the sunflowers planted last spring. They have also been studying seasonal changes and harvest. Alongside their read aloud, The Little Red Hen, they made their own bread rolls by mixing ingredients for the dough, learning about the role of yeast and really worked their muscles by kneading the dough!
Kipling Class (Year 1 and 2) have been recapping the story of God’s provision during the Israelites wandering forty years in the desert as well as starting a new year-long study on birds. This learning truly came alive when Mr Bowen brought in some live quails for the students to study and draw the anatomy of quails, making great links to quails described in the Exodus account. Their seasonal study on harvest and produce in season has also led them to some delicious baking of apple pies and other tasty treats!
Lewis Class (Year 3+) have begun a project on careers with Mrs Bowen. The students had a special treat when they were visited by Mr Howard Vie from the Traditional Architecture Group. The children not only learned about what an architect does for a living, they also learned the basics of drawing and the names for different features seen on our school building. Mr Vie has written a fantastic introductory architectural drawing course for the children.
God gave the increase
We have come a long way since opening our doors for the first time in September 2021 with 9 students. We now have 33 students and will soon be turning families away through want of room. Therefore, we are now looking for a new building so we can expand and offer a classical Christian education to as many children as possible. We would like our supporters to consider making a donation to our new building fund as we endeavour to raise £2,500,000 to purchase our own building.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your prayers and support.
Thomas & Hayley Bowen.
A helpful summary from each principle of their current projects and priorities.
It seem to me as noble as the intention is there will always be a conflict between the world and the Lords church and any attempt to reconcile the two will lead to a shift away from sound doctrine and biblical separation will give way to pragmatism within two generations. If membership of a sound Baptist Confessional Church is to be preserved until our Lord returns will not this movement undermine it. I suggest such education come under the oversight and authority of an independent church like all its other ministries. Perhaps a Society of parents working in sacrificial harmony to love Christ individually and bring up their children in the way they should go. Each generation moving on with their children leaving following generations a biblical example (should I say ensample) to follow not a structure of laws or educational status to uphold. Only then will our youngsters grow up to be 1Cor 1:30. in Christ who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 1Co 1:31 that, as it is written, "HE WHO GLORIES, LET HIM GLORY IN THE LORD."