The Board of Deputies of British Jews has advertised for a Muslim schools adviser to develop links between Jewish, Muslim and other minority faith schools, amid concerns about social cohesion among children educated separately.

Among secular groups there is puzzlement and annoyance that government continues to 'pander' to weakened churches. This is because, says Jonathan Bartley, they have not grasped the mutual interests involved. These are as much a threat to the churches as an advantage.

Hard-line Christian groups who say mild-mannered Harry Potter is an occult conspiracy are unlikely to be reassured by news that one of its key characters is gay - even though JK Rowling has confirmed the series is based on Christian themes.

In June 2007 the Christian think-tank Ekklesia and the British Humanist Association wrote to the new Schools, Children and Families minister, Ed Balls MP, urging him to make progress on combating creationism in British schools. The government has subsequently issued its promised guidelines.

The UK-based international development agency Christian Aid intends to double the number of volunteer teachers it recruits over the next two years to help share stories about the work of its 700 partner organisations in 50 developing countries.

Despite a significant overall fall-off over the past 30 years, more than 171,000 GCSE students are opening envelopes to reveal their grades in Religious Education today, an increase of 7.2 per cent in those taking the full course since 2006.

African children are the future of the continent. Their education is key to future economic growth and lasting democracy, leading to greater stability and improved standards of living. The current state of education in Africa, however, is plagued by a lack of funds, teachers, textbooks, and equipment. Click here for Oxfam charity gifts

Churches in Romania have denounced calls from an anti-discrimination body for a French-style ban on religious symbols from schools in order to protect the state's secular character and ensure "freedom of conscience" for pupils - Jonathan Luxmoore for Ecumenical News International.