Bishop of Hertford, Dr Michael Beasley, got hands-on as well as chatting to the children when he visited a St Albans school.

The Bishop was invited to the Samuel Ryder Academy (SRA) in Drakes Drive in connection with his visit to the parish of St Luke’s Church in which the school is situated.

He dropped in on both primary and secondary RE classes, helping the younger children in particular with their drawing and writing.

Although SRA is a community school and not a Church of England school, the visit marked the strong connections between schools and their parish.

As well as sitting down with the younger children, Bishop Michael spoke about the work of the churches in their communities and whether he could prove that God exists.

He responded: “I spent a lot of my working life as a scientist and I am fascinated by how we know things. A lot of things you can prove by scientific method but some things you can’t prove like that. I don’t think God is amenable to being proved using a scientific method. God has to be known in other ways. I know God by my experience, by how people who claim to follow God behave in the world and from history.”

Commenting about the visit, the Bishop said: “The great relationship between parish and school is really evident here and I have been warmly received by all. I’d like to encourage parishes and schools to get to know one another and deepen their contact.”

SRA headteacher, Matt Gauthier, added; “We are very pleased that the Bishop was able to visit us. The Samuel Ryder Academy is a school at the very heart of its community and our links with the Church and other local organisations enable us to provide our pupils with a very rich learning experience.”