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Lent and Easter School Resources from the Board

Lent and Easter give schools a valuable rhythm for exploring reflection, forgiveness, hope and new life. For Church of England schools and academies, the season can connect collective worship, classroom learning, pastoral care and community action without reducing Christian teaching to a single celebration day.

The Leicester Diocesan Board of Education supports 97 affiliated church schools and academies with guidance, training, policies and practical materials. Its seasonal resources can also provide useful starting points for Anglican and Christian schools in Australia, where local calendars, state requirements, weather and community expectations shape the way learning is delivered.

School need Useful resource approach Best setting Australian adaptation
Understanding Lent Bible stories, prayer prompts and reflection tasks Classroom or tutor group Use the six-week period leading to Easter, allowing for term breaks
Exploring Easter Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, the cross and resurrection Worship or religious education Include local church traditions and age-appropriate language
Encouraging service Giving, reconciliation and care for others Whole-school project Connect with food banks, community gardens or local charities
Supporting quiet reflection Prayer stations, artwork and music Chapel, classroom or outdoor space Use shaded courtyards, gardens or short outdoor walks in warmer regions

Lent And Easter In A School Setting

Lent is often associated with giving something up, yet school resources can present it as a season of purposeful preparation. Children and young people may explore how Christian communities make space for prayer, generosity, self-examination and care for neighbours. This wider understanding works well across primary and secondary settings because it allows students to engage through discussion, creativity and practical action.

A strong sequence may begin with the themes of wilderness and temptation, move through friendship and service, and lead into the events of Holy Week. Younger pupils might use symbols such as stones, water, seeds and light. Older students can examine the Gospel accounts, consider different interpretations of the crucifixion and resurrection, and discuss how Easter shapes Christian life today.

Schools in Australia may need to adjust the timing. Easter frequently falls during the first school term, while autumn holidays and Anzac Day activities can affect the available teaching weeks. A flexible resource pack should therefore work as individual lessons, short assemblies or a complete seasonal programme rather than assuming a continuous six-week block.

Adapting Resources For Australian Classrooms

The Board’s materials are grounded in the Church of England context, but many of their educational principles travel well. Teachers can retain the central Christian narrative while adapting examples, vocabulary and activities for local communities in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth or regional towns. A school might pair a lesson on new life with autumn planting, a community garden project or the renewal of a local wetland.

Everyday school habits also offer natural connections. A morning gathering, class prayer, student leadership meeting or Friday service project can become a setting for Lent reflection. In a hot climate, a quiet activity under a verandah or in a shaded courtyard may be more practical than a candlelit classroom. Schools can use native leaves, natural materials and local artwork while making clear that these are educational responses to the season rather than replacements for the Christian symbols being studied.

The legal and policy context needs attention too. Australian schools operate under state and territory requirements, including child safe standards, workplace health and safety duties, privacy rules and obligations relating to religious instruction. Government schools and independent Anglican schools may have different policies for worship and religious education. Leaders should check their own jurisdiction, school handbook and safeguarding procedures before inviting external speakers, collecting donations or recording student reflections.

Faith, Inclusion And Christian Identity

Lent and Easter resources should make space for students from varied backgrounds. A Church of England school can teach confidently about the Christian faith while avoiding assumptions about every child’s belief, family tradition or level of church involvement. Clear framing helps: students are learning what Christians believe and practise, and they may respond through questions, comparison, art, writing or silent reflection.

This approach reflects the wider work described through the Board’s distinctive Christian ethos. Christian character is expressed through welcome, justice, service and dignity as well as through worship. Seasonal resources are most effective when the values they describe can be seen in the daily life of the school, including how adults respond to mistakes, how pupils are heard and how vulnerable people are supported.

Inclusive planning also means considering disability, neurodiversity, language and sensory needs. A student may prefer drawing to speaking, a visual timetable to an open-ended activity, or a quiet prayer station to a whole-group performance. Avoid making public confession or personal disclosure compulsory. Reflection can be offered as an invitation, with alternative tasks that meet the same learning goal.

A Practical Resource Toolkit

A manageable Lent and Easter programme usually combines a small number of consistent elements rather than a crowded calendar. Staff can select resources according to age, timetable and school priorities, then revisit key symbols across lessons and worship. The following building blocks can help teachers create a coherent sequence:

The Australian market makes simple, low-cost preparation especially practical. Cardboard, recycled jars, seed packets, fabric scraps and washable paints are easy to source from Officeworks, school resource suppliers or local shops. Schools do not need elaborate displays or expensive activity packs. A shared display can grow through the season as classes add words, images and examples of kindness.

A second group of resources can support family and community engagement without placing pressure on households:

In Australia, communication should recognise that families may be travelling during the Easter break, observing other faith traditions or managing shift work. Digital copies, translated notes and brief messages through the school’s usual platform can make participation more accessible. If a school holds a community breakfast or Easter event, it should also consider allergy information, sun protection, food handling and inclusive access.

Moving From Reflection To Action

The strongest seasonal planning connects learning with visible action. A class studying forgiveness might develop restorative language for resolving playground conflict. A group considering generosity could organise a collection of pantry staples after checking what a local food relief organisation actually needs. Students examining hope might create encouragement cards for residents of an aged-care home, subject to consent and privacy requirements.

Older students can take greater responsibility for planning worship, researching the Gospel narratives and leading a service project. They might compare the four Gospel accounts, examine how art and music communicate resurrection hope, or debate how churches respond to poverty and exclusion. Younger children can retell the Easter story through sequencing, movement, sensory objects and collaborative artwork. Both approaches support theological understanding when the activity remains connected to a clear Christian idea.

Staff can draw on the Board’s latest Board news for seasonal updates, training information and wider education developments. It is useful to review resources together in a staff meeting, asking whether each activity is biblically grounded, age-appropriate, inclusive and realistic within the school calendar. A short evaluation after Easter can record what engaged students and what should be simplified next year.

A simple review checklist can keep the focus on educational purpose:

The season can finish with a celebration that holds joy and seriousness together. Easter assemblies might include music, Scripture, student artwork, a retelling of the story and a clear message of hope. Schools may choose a church service, classroom celebration or online contribution, depending on their setting. The form matters less than giving students a meaningful opportunity to understand why Easter remains central to Christian faith.

Explore the Leicester Diocesan Board of Education’s seasonal guidance, news and wider resources, then select the materials that suit your school community. With thoughtful adaptation, Lent and Easter can become a sustained period of learning, worship, service and renewal for children, young people and the adults who support them.