Islam in RE teacher support
Helping teachers cover Islam with more confidence
Help teachers answer difficult questions about Islam – and change the tone of the conversation.
Many RE teachers are expected to teach about Islam with little or no background in the subject. At the same time, their pupils are seeing negative headlines and social media content every day.
By visiting a school as a Muslim speaker you give pupils something they rarely get: a calm, human conversation with a real Muslim they can ask questions to. You also give teachers a lifeline – someone they can email later when new questions come up.
This project exists to defend the image of Islam from misunderstandings and stereotypes, by explaining the truth about Islam and helping teachers and pupils see Muslims as real people in their own community.
Why these visits matter
- Teachers are under pressure to cover Islam as part of RE with very limited time.
- Pupils are full of questions shaped by headlines, social media and politics.
- Meeting a Muslim in person often changes how they talk and think about Islam.
- Small, repeated visits in local schools are more powerful than any campaign.
What speaking usually involves
- Visiting local schools within a reasonable travel distance from your home.
- Talking about your own experience of faith, not delivering a long lecture.
- Answering questions – including the awkward and difficult ones – patiently.
- Working alongside teachers and respecting school rules and safeguarding policies.
What we’re looking for
- Practising Muslims who are patient, calm and able to listen as well as speak.
- People who can talk positively about Islam without attacking others.
- Reliability – if a school books you in, they need to know you will turn up.
- Willingness to receive some guidance and feedback as you start visiting schools.
You do not need to be a scholar, you just need a good foundational knowledge of Islam. Most pupils and teachers simply want to meet an ordinary Muslim who can explain the basics clearly and answer questions honestly.
Where schools are asking for Muslim speakers
The map below shows the areas where teachers have asked for a Muslim speaker through this project. (Initially this will include demo entries. As real requests come in, they will replace the demo markers. The demand is very real though, in fact far more than is shown here.)
Each red circle is a postcode area where a teacher has asked for help. We only show approximate locations, not exact addresses.
Two ways to support this work
If you’re ready, you can apply to become a speaker now. If that’s not possible for you, you can still support the project by helping fund speakers’ travel and time so that nobody is out of pocket for serving their local schools.
Two ways to help
Not everyone can visit schools, but everyone can help make sure those who do are financially supported while serving their community.