Sunday, 12 September 2021

Education Sunday is marked this year on 12 September – just after the new academic year starts. The theme for 2021 is ‘A word in season’, taken from Isaiah 50:4.

Churches Together in England (CTE) rightly describes teaching and studying as “demanding and privileged callings” and Education Sunday gives us the opportunity to give thanks to God for all who teach and all who study, for all who continually have to find the right words and deliver them with enthusiasm and graciousness.

This is all the more poignant as we attempt to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers, pupils and leaders in our schools have suffered 18 months of disruption and uncertainty. For the second year in a row, GCSE and A Level students have been Centre Assessed or Teacher Assessed – a challenging situation for both teachers and pupils.

On 12 September, we pray that God will fortify those working to make our schools places of learning and sanctuary – not just teachers and leaders but all the support staff whose tireless work sometimes goes unnoticed. We pray for all our primary and seconday pupils – particularly school leavers who have had such a difficult journey in recent times – not to mention students in higher education and vocational training.