On Monday the 1st of November, over thirty staff - both teaching and non teaching- from Marlborough Primary School attended an inset day organised by the Muslim Council of Britain. With over 50% of the school's pupils coming from Muslim families, the staff were keen to learn more about Islam - particularly how it can be taught appropriately and creatively to children from reception class to year six. After a morning session of exploring the basic practices and beliefs of Islam, the Islamic festivals and common areas of confusion - such as fasting, dress and prayer for children, the group were warmly welcomed by the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, where they were given a tour of the facilities, observed the afternoon prayer and took part in a question and answer session.

Headteacher, Jessica Finer, said – "The day was both interesting and informative. The school based session was very useful, staff were able to ask questions about issues that they face regularly in school which gave a personalised element to the training. The visit to the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre in the afternoon added a different dimension to the day and gave everyone a unique learning experience, including our Muslim staff! Feedback on the day, from staff, was very positive. Everyone said they had learnt things they did not know and the visit to the Centre gave us all a window into the lives of many of our children and families. The facilitators were excellent and I would highly recommend this training to all schools."

The Muslim Council of Britain is delighted to have provided this service and is happy to provide similar experiences for schools where possible.