


Key stage 1 stayed at the Open Centre and had a taster of what it was like to attend a Jewish Synagogue. Our visit to the Open Centre had been a great success and one which the children will remember for a long time to come.

The Hajj workshop also consisted of a dressing up session in which the children took great delight – learning first-hand about the clothing males and females wear when on pilgrimage to Mecca.Īll too soon it was time to leave. We were interested to find out that Nahida has been on Hajj seven times and her familiarity and enthusiasm brought the experience to life for us making it easier for the children to appreciate and understand how important it is for Muslims to carry out this important religious duty. The children were fascinated by the washrooms.Īfter an interesting and fascinating hour in the Mosque we returned to the Open Centre looking forward to lunch and our Hajj workshop. We learned about wudu – the Islamic ritual of purification before praying. A Muslim prays five times a day and the children were keen to ask many questions about the practicalities of this which Nahida was only too pleased to answer. We sat down and listened to Nahida as she proceeded to tell us about the Islamic practise of prayer (Salah) which is the second pillar of Islam. The floor is luxuriously covered in red carpet and the room, although empty of furniture, felt welcoming and warm. Our first impressions were of awe due to the size of the prayer space. She met us at the Open Centre and after introductions KS2 re-boarded the coach for the short journey to the mosque.Īs a mark of respect we covered our heads and removed our shoes before entering the main prayer hall in the mosque. Our Guide and teacher for the day was Nahida. We were keen to explore the Derby Jamia Mosque and find out more about the Islamic way of life and also to find out about the fifth Pillar of Islam in the Hajj workshop. On Tuesday 12th March the whole school visited the Open Centre at Derby this was to spring board our KS2 RE topic – What can be learned from the Muslim way of life? Curriculum, Assessment, Health & Safety policies.
