buddhism for schools

still learning

Welcome to Still Learning, a not-for-profit education service working in partnership with the Sheffield Buddhist Centre. Still Learning provides high-quality tours and workshops about Buddhism and Mindfulness delivered by experienced practising Buddhists. Our sessions are engaging and interactive, as well as designed to meet your learning objectives.

Visit Sheffield Buddhist Centre

Sheffield Buddhist Centre is a beautiful converted church situated in Walkley, Sheffield. We offer engaging, interactive and informative tours of the Buddhist Centre, tailor-made to suit all key-stages. Tours usually last for 2 hours.

Your pupils will experience first-hand the calming atmosphere and the sights, sounds and smells of a Buddhist Centre, complete with two beautiful shrine rooms, a variety of Buddhist artwork and statues and traditional Buddhist artefacts.

Below there’s information on Primary and Secondary school visits, information for scouts and trainee teachers, on mindfulness for schools and free download packs for schools.

For more information or to book a session use the contact form below, phone or email.

Choose Your Activities

Below are some examples of popular themes and workshops we offer, although we are always happy to work with you to develop new activities to suit the needs of your class. Most of these activities can be adapted to suit any key stage.

If you can’t make it to the Buddhist Centre then we can come to you, we offer full or half day workshops in schools:  Workshops in Schools

Primary School Visits

Since Still learning started we have welcomed thousands of primary age children to the Buddhist Centre and visited them in their schools. We run high quality, educational tours with a variety of interactive activities. A standard school tour will meet many of the curriculum’s objectives and would include the following:

However, we plan each session to be specific for the children attending and are happy to address themes and specific learning objectives. We have a wide range of learning activities up our sleeves. The sessions are planned and delivered by an experienced Buddhist primary school teacher plus colleagues.

Our sesions are:

Interactive

Each visit is highly interactive, using images, objects and activities that mean children can get really involved.

Educational

Each activity is designed for learning and finding out what it is really like to be a Buddhist and what Buddhism looks like in the modern world.

Sensory and Fun

We know that not every child learns in the same way and aim to incorporate a range of teaching and learning techniques that make activities sensory, hands on and fun.

Secondary School/ College Visits

Since Still Learning started we have welcomed many secondary school students to the Buddhist centre and visited them in their schools and colleges.We run high quality, education tours with a variety of interactive activities. A standard school tour will meet many of the curriculum’s objectives and would include the following:

However, we plan each session to be specific for the students attending and are happy to address themes and specific learning objectives with our wide range of learning. The sessions are planned and delivered by an experienced Buddhist, qualified teacher plus colleagues.

Our sesions are:

Educational

Each visit is highly interactive, employing a range of teaching and learning techniques and high quality resources.

Challenging

Through visiting the centre we hope to challenge students to think deeply about modern world religions and their personal opinions and views. Students will find out what it really means to be a Buddhist and what Buddhism looks like in the modern world.

Thought Provoking

Students will be encouraged to consider some of the bigger questions in life and give reasoning to support their findings.

Scouts

Come and visit us at the Centre or let us ‘bring the Centre to you’. You will meet Ordained Buddhists and Buddhists training for ordination and hear about their lives and their practice. You can look at a range of Buddhist artefacts from around the world and use your detective skills to find out what they are and what they symbolise. Plus you can visit our shrine room and hear about the festivals that take place and what we use a shrine room for. You can take part in eye spy to find a series of objects you might find at a Buddhist Centre. And you can learn about meditation and have a go at a Stilling Exercise.

You can learn about:

Your local place of Buddhist worship

The people involved, their titles and what they do

The important or sacred objects

Buddhist stories and traditions

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is very popular now in school and workplace settings because of the benefits it can have including (but not limited to) increased concentration, focus, relaxation and reduction in stress. Even the government are getting involved in mindfulness research and have recently launched a mindfulness trial in schools in order to further assess its impact on improving mental health.

Learn about Mindfulness and experience its benefits for yourself:

Learn basic mindfulness techniques that can be applied to many situations

Try stilling exercises, body scans, more formal meditations. Even mindfulness games.

We will tailor your mindfulness session to your groups needs and requirements

Universities/ Trainee Teachers Section

We run workshops with a dual focus for training teachers; we give a solid introduction to Buddhism and we also explain and suggest ways to teach Buddhism to their future students.  A standard tour would usually include looking at symbols, artefacts, the Buddha’s life story, ethics, karma and meditation. However, we always tailor our activities to suit the needs of the group attending.

Currently we run workshops in several local universities working with:

Trainee primary school teachers studying BA

Trainee secondary RE/ Ethics/ Philosophy teachers

Primary PGCE trainee teachers

Our Team

Still Learning was launched in 2009, in response to requests from teachers across the region. Since then we have worked with over 30,000 students and over 125 schools, universities and scout groups. All our team are DBS checked and have a wide range of teaching experience.

Workshops in Schools

Why book a workshop? If you can’t get to the Buddhist Centre, why not bring the world of Buddhism into your classroom with workshops tailor-made to meet your learning objectives? Our interactive and informative workshops can help bring to life any aspect of Buddhist life and teachings, including a taste of Buddhist meditation with our popular meditations or ‘stilling exercises’, suitable for people of any faith or none. 

Run by enthusiastic and committed Buddhists who can speak directly from their own experience about what it’s like to live by the Buddha’s teachings.

Minimum charge £150  Half day workshop £250 Full day workshop £350

We are committed to finding a way to give students a first hand experience of Buddhism whatever the budget. Please get in touch with us to find out more. When should I book? Please try to make any bookings at least one month in advance, which will help us to accommodate your preferred dates.

Teachers Notes

At Still Learning we have created some teachers’ notes which you might like to use in your classroom to follow on from one of our tours or workshops. You can access these by clicking on the links below:

Also, our friends at Clear Vision in Manchester have been working to bring Buddhism into schools for a number of years. They have produced lots of great resources to help staff and pupils study Buddhism. Sadly they closed down in 2020, but some of their very useful resources are still available and you can access them here.

Contact Still Learning

Jordana

I first became interested in Buddhism as a teenager from a chance encounter with a book found in my school library. I was immediately struck by how Buddhism taught that I could change how I experience the world and that I could grow as a person. However, it wasn’t until many years later at the Sheffield Buddhist centre, that I began to commit myself fully to Buddhist practice as I saw that practicing Buddhist teachings was having a very positive impact on my life and on the lives of others.

I was delighted to join the Still Learning Team in November 2018. My previous work has been as a teacher and as an artist and I feel privileged to be able to bring those skills together with my passion for Buddhism in order to teach children and young people about Buddhism.

Aryadasa

I first came into contact with Buddhism in my final year of university when I attended an introductory course at the Sheffield Buddhist Centre. I was instantly captivated by the revolutionary yet practical nature of the Dharma (teachings of the Buddha).

I began to meditate and apply Buddhism into my daily life and found that it actually worked! I had started to view the world differently and in a way that made me happier. I gained great confidence by this and became a committed Buddhist practitioner soon afterwards.

I enjoy sharing with others what I have learnt and how Buddhism has transformed me so I was delighted to join the Still Learning team in October 2013.

Buddhist Artefacts

Suitable for all Key Stages A fun activity for all ages. Explore a range of traditional Buddhist artefacts. Can you guess what they might be used for? Pupils and teachers love the hands-on approach of this game.

Ethics and Kamra

We have a range of exercises and activities, depending on ages and ability levels, exploring Buddhist ethics and their implications for how we might live as Buddhists.  

The Life of the Buddha

How did the Buddha become the Buddha? Who was he before? What is enlightenment?

An understanding of the Buddha’s life story is an indispensable introduction to the religion. We draw out the key aspects using a beautiful painting that depicts the different events from the story.

The Three Jewels

We often theme our tours and visits around the Three Jewels of Buddhism, the Buddha, the Dhamra and the Sangha. Find out why the Three Jewels are common and central to all schools of Buddhism.

Stilling Activity

Very popular with both students and teachers, this exercise will give you a taste of what it’s like to meditate.