Five years ago, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed an international annual day dedicated to celebrating education (un.org). Are we as Christians also aware of the importance of education and the impact it can have?

Education has Christian roots.

St. Augustine gets the credit for starting the history of education in England in 597AD, and ever since the church has played a role in education in the UK through monasteries, charity schools, Sunday schools, ragged schools and parish schools.

The UK has seen a journey from education for only the male elite, to education for everyone.

I sometimes forget what a huge privilege it is that every young person aged 3-18 in the UK is entitled to a free education. Schools are hyper-local communities where hundreds and sometimes thousands of young people congregate for six hours a day, five days a week, 190 days a year.

Nationally 95% of children do not attend church (Scripture Union stat.). In London this is likely higher. But most will attend a school.

Recent years have seen many issues and problems affecting our schools as they face a crisis on funding (who will pay for our schools), curriculum (what and how to teach), control (LEA’s, Academy Trusts, charities, businesses, parents or teachers).

Local schools are overstretched, understaffed, coping with young people in challenging situations and suffering a crisis in morale. The recent strikes are a visible sign of this.

Support and help from a local church can come in many forms; mentoring, assemblies, RE lessons, lunchtime and afterschool clubs, sports, music and language tuition, volunteers to run school fairs, governors and involvement in PTAs, and support for vulnerable families.

It is currently a legal requirement for all state-funded schools in England to teach RE, this includes Christianity. Who better to explain the Christian faith than a Christian?

In my experience many schools would welcome the opportunity to interview a Christian about their faith as part of an RE lesson or perhaps visit a local church building.

I have been invited by my children’s school to come in and share about Easter in assemblies, run baking sessions with those not likely to bake at home, and lead lessons on why the Bible is important to Christians. At the end of the lessons I was given permission to leave copies of different children’s Bibles in the book corner of each class. I have it on good authority that these Bibles are still being read (the comic strip Action Bible being the most popular!) - all simply because the Head Teacher and RE leader knew about my faith.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see more and more positive trusting relationships between schools and their local church springing up across our city? We long to see the church known as a place to go for help and encouragement – a place to discover more about a God who loves and cares even more than his church does.

God’s word is clear that we have a duty to "Tell the next generation." Psalm 78:4.

The recent 2021 Census results reveal a rise in those who have no faith (the ‘Nones’) and a rise in those following other faiths. There is an increasing need in our capital to tell our young people who God is, what he has done and why it is relevant for them. Schools have a big part to play in this.

The Schools Team at London City Mission is partnering with churches and organisations to envision and equip ordinary everyday Christians across the capital to love their local school.

We are currently working alongside a church in Brockley, South London training volunteers to deliver our early intervention knife crime prevention course, Operation Forgiveness.

We all know that serious youth violence is a big problem across London, but with the right expertise and training, the message of Jesus can be used by churches to be part of the solution.

Loving our local schools will always begin with prayer. Imagine if every school in London was covered by prayer from local believers. I am confident that as a result we would be well on our way to seeing a Christian witness in every school in London, and so sharing the good news of Jesus with the young people across our city.

“We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.” Psalm 78:4.

For more information on how the LCM Schools Team can help ordinary and everyday Christians in your church to love their local school, contact our Schools Team lead, Charlie, at Charlotte.Macdonald@lcm.org.uk