Clergy and RE

• Stay calm!
• It is always worth checking BEFORE you take a class whether there are any special circumstances that you should be aware of. This is especially true when you are dealing with potentially delicate matters such as family relationships.
• If you already know about the child's situation, discuss with the teacher how it should be handled if the need arises.
• Make sure that you know where the class teacher will be during the time you are taking the lesson.
• At this age (9-10) some children will cope better than others. However, the child may be confused and not have a very full understanding of what is happening. The statement about her parents may be a simple statement of fact, or a cry for help. But the classroom is not the place to deal with specifics. Offer to talk to the child about it afterwards and move on to the next point.
• If the teacher is out of the class at the time, make sure he or she knows about the incident afterwards. This is important in case the school has not been informed already about the family situation.
• Don't let the issue take over the lesson.
• But don't ignore it. It could be a useful way of talking honestly about the fact that people do get things wrong, and that sometimes these things are hard to put right and we always have to live with the consequences. The important thing, for Christians, is that we should forgive each other, as we have been forgiven by God. This may take time. God is patient!
• It is also important to stress to the child that the situation is not his or her fault.

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