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The Religion, Belief and Worldviews Hub has been created to address some key, relevant issues concerning religion. The first issue was ‘Religion and Belief’ in the Equality Act (2010). We were aware that OpenLearn had an excellent and award winning ‘Race and Ethnicity Hub’. We wanted to create another Hub which was useful to teachers and others in the public sector – for example, healthcare – and in professions such as law, in thinking through the implications of ‘Religion and belief’ as a protected characteristic in the law. The second issue we wanted to address was the growing importance of ‘Worldviews’ or a religion and worldviews approach in education. We wanted our hub to help people think through the implications of this development and support them in the classroom.

The Religion, Belief and Worldviews Hub is a platform which offers quality, free resources on religious and non-religious worldviews developed by academics at the Open University. You will find animations, videos, articles, short courses, and longer courses; for example, teachers will find resources for the classroom – from ’60 seconds in religion’ films (narrated by David Mitchell) to our 360 degree tours of London’s religious buildings. Teachers might want to start with our new animation called ‘Why Worldviews?’ to introduce our approach to the Hub. We also commissioned another animation, ‘Religion, Faith, Spirituality and Worldviews’ to explain what these different categories mean and why we use them.

We hope that this resource can help teachers of RE where there are gaps in teacher knowledge. The feedback we have had so far has been very encouraging. There must be close to 100 individual resources on the hub, addressing everything from individual festivals and events in the religious calendar, to key pedagogical issues such as decolonising religious studies. There is a rich range of materials here, which can highlight the sheer internal diversity of religious and non-religious worldviews. There is also much for continuing professional development, for example around teaching worldviews. We also have some highly innovative pedagogical resources, such as our Badged Open Course on making ‘Docutubes’ (short films) in the classroom about religious diversity, toleration and peace.

Teachers and those working in Higher Education (HE) need to learn to from each other. It should be a two-way conversation. The more we are talking to each other, aligning and making consistent  what and how we teach, the better the experience for students as they move through their education. The HE sector can also assist where there are issues of capacity in teaching RE in schools. We know about the lack of resourcing for RE in the UK, and that it is sometimes taught by teachers who might be excellent but are not necessarily experts in the area and may be time poor. Where the HE sector can help by providing relevant resources which help these teachers, I think it should do so.

There is some remarkable work going on now in our subject. The move towards a religion and worldviews approach is extremely positive and groups such as the Religious Education Council, Culham St Gabriel’s and others are doing important work developing this agenda. This approach is important because it allows students to ask a different set of critical questions about religious and non-religious worldviews. In this way, it aligns well with the ‘lived’ or ‘vernacular’ religion emphasis in Religious Studies. This moves us beyond the idea of homogenous traditions and sometimes unhelpful binaries like ‘religion’ and ‘secular’.

Teachers might want to check out our free course, which lives on the hub, ‘An education in Religion and Worldviews’, which goes into the religion and worldviews approach in greater depth.

Visit the Religion, Belief and Worldviews Hub

Previously I have written about how and why my department have moved towards using booklets in RS. Here I explain how we have implemented the use of booklets for GCSE RS classes, and what we will change for the next academic year.

Context

In my school, RS is compulsory. All students sit the full GCSE. Students have RS three hours a fortnight with student who have elected to take three sciences at GCSE, having RS only once a fortnight. Ultimately, there is a lot of time pressure on staff and students to complete the course.

As a result, efficiency matters. Booklets are a way of cutting down on wasted time (sticking sheets in, for instance) and student voice found that students did not find their books helpful for their revision as they were poorly organised and had ‘too many sheets’ and not enough ‘useful notes’.

1. Start with a house style

It might seem superficial, but the attractiveness and professional quality of the booklet matters. My view is that students are more likely to treat something with respect if it looks good.

Therefore, I spent time designing a ‘house style’ for each GCSE booklet.

• What will the front cover look like?
• What size will the font be?
• What will the font be?

Although this took time, it made the booklets recognisably ‘RS’, rather than any other booklet students receive during their school career. When staff plan lessons for me and make booklets from these lessons, they adhere to this style and this helps ensure consistency for all.

2. Explicitly teach students how to use booklets

Before booklets, I would print copies of the specification and lesson overviews and students would stick them in before starting the topic. However, unless you micromanage a 14 year to stick sheets to your exacting standards, these sheets invariably looked like they had been glued in by a child.

Therefore, each booklet has a copy of the specification as well as a host of other useful things: links to previous learning, links to other subjects and QR codes with links to online resources to help with revision. This is explained to students at the start of the lesson. Students are also remined not to ‘race ahead’ and try to complete the booklet without teacher guidance.

Although this might seem like I am penalising proactive students, the rationale is that the teacher many go above and beyond the contents of the booklet, they may even not complete sections and therefore students need to listen.

At the start of each topic, students are explicitly reminded about how to use their booklets, that they are there to help with their studies and why what is on the specification is important. This might seem obvious, but we can sometimes assume students know this when they don’t.

3. Booklets, not book less

Each lesson ends with some form of exam practice. This year, students completed this exam practice in their booklets. However, on reflection, students often did not complete as much as if they were writing in their usual exercise books. For next year we are moving to a booklets, not book less approach. Here students will complete their ‘do now’ and exam practice in their exercise books and everything else in their booklets. It also gives teachers more flexibility to adapt lessons as they see fit: the booklet is a pedagogical tool, not a tool to confine teachers.

Overall, our department and students find booklets useful. They are not a replacement for great teaching, high student attendance, revision etc, but I have found them very helpful in the context in which I teach. Naturally, our department are frequently reflecting on how we use booklets, making adaptions to lessons, and will continue to make changes in the future. The key elements I have found to be important when implementing booklets at GCSE have been:

1.  A house style
2. Explicitly teach students how to use booklets
3. Booklets, not book less

Booklets are like marmite; you love them or hate them.

My own view on booklets had been a high- minded scepticism. I knew of teachers, entire schools and even academy trusts that implemented a ‘booklet-based curriculum’. My view was ‘you do you’, but not for me. I viewed booklets as all the things I did not want teaching to be; reductive, inflexible and uninspiring.

However as Subject Lead I agreed to give them a try, persuaded by others in my team who have had a positive experience. And so, inevitably, came my Damascene conversion.

This was both pragmatic as well as pedagogical. Practically, no precious RS time was taken up with ‘Sir, I don’t have a glue stick!’. Moreover, I spent no more time fixing a jammed photocopier, something we have become so adept at, it should be on Teacher’s Standards.

Pedagogically, I found booklets were not a barrier to the sort of curriculum we are working towards, that is, ambitious and academic. Such a curriculum needs to be coherent and well-sequenced, which booklets allow. I realised booklets at the appropriate level of challenge provided clarity and consistency for the team as well as students. Expectations are clear, and high.

My first booklet was for Year 9 about the existence of God. As a booklet novice I provided every explanation, every keyword, every activity. For some students, this was helpful, for others it was stultifying. For teachers, it was a straitjacket. I had created exactly the type of booklet I did not want.

I completely changed my approach. Out went activities and in came the ‘non-negotiables’ such as reading a high-quality text, well thought-out explanations and questions which teachers could choose how they deliver. For instance, a lesson may feature reading a text and completing a table. This new approach shows what the main focus of the lesson should be, the non-negotiable, but gives plenty of time and space for exploration and discussion.

Students certainly needed time to learn how to use the booklets so they were a springboard and source of support, but not a prison. Teachers are free to go beyond the booklets in conversation, and we tried to avoid the sense that the booklet just needs to be finished as fast as possible.

We as a teaching team have had to adapt. Some booklet- based lessons have been great and others have bombed; whether too long or too short, or suitable for one class and not at all for another. I now bring a spare booklet to each class and scrawl notes at the end of a lesson. The adaptation process has provided some extremely helpful professional conversations. The booklets have been helpful for our non-specialists in supporting them to grasp the trajectory of a scheme of work and give high quality explanations, but they do not replace the conversations we have had as a team, addressing misconceptions and identifying improvements.

When it comes to graphic design, I am about as talented as someone on the Apprentice. However, a clear and attractive design is important. We include lines and extra lines for writing, in response to student feedback.

Despite my reluctance, booklets have transformed my practice. In the next blog, I explain exactly how we structure our booklets to help students prepare for GCSE study.

My top tips:

1. Non-negotiables, not activities
2. Teach students to use the booklets
3. Be prepared to adapt
4. Present clearly and attractively

Want to know more? Read my next blog Booklets, not book less: Implementing booklets in GCSE Religious Studies.

Well applying for a new job after working for 15 years for somewhere that you love surprised me. Here are a few reflections on that change…

I don’t know if the summer seems dim and distant to you but I had a couple of exciting holidays, both with family and a large number of friends (in one case over 30 friends that I have known many of since my late teens). From Scotland to Switzerland we swam, walked, water-skied, kayaked and chatted, sometimes attempting German or French. Knowing I was leaving one job and joining another gave me a chance to regale them with the amazing world of religious education but also had me thinking about change.

On our journey back four of us stopped off in Reims in northern France. We wandered into the centre to be tourists and of course explore the Cathedral. We soon realised it was quiet because it was a bank holiday, August 15th, unbeknownst to us it was a significant day in religious terms too. My daughter and I went into the Cathedral where a service was taking place. We found a place at the back and were handed an order of service, unsurprisingly in French, and tried to work where we were within the service and what the service was marking.

Despite my learning in French finishing at O level my understanding of what happens in a church service helped me through. Identifying the servers bringing bread and wine for mass and the familiar words of the Lord’s prayer/Our Father.

As I transition from working with NATRE and RE Today to working with Culham St Gabriel’s Trust it is clear that I’m in a different context, just as I was in Notre Dame Cathedral in Reims. There is the familiar, the joy of working with the Leadership Scholarship Programme that I have been involved in for the last 4 years. There are also things like working with RExChange and on E- learning, familiar to my previous work training teachers around the country but subtly different as I learn more about E- learning. Perhaps like the Lord’s prayer/Our Father in a Catholic service, remembering not to say

‘For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever.’ Or depending on how good your French is
‘car c’est à toi qu’appartiennent le règne,
la puissance et la gloire, aux siècles des siècles.’

There will also be the new but very exciting aspects such as working directly with Masters and Doctoral scholars. A little like working out the service was marking the Solennité de L’Assomption or Feast of the Assumption celebrating the death of Mary and her ‘assumption’ into heaven.

I hope I have lots to bring from my work with NATRE/RE Today and particularly my role getting research and teacher research disseminated more widely into the classroom.

As we joined in the parade behind Mary, something entirely new but moving nevertheless, I saw a community united behind something intensely significant to them. Similarities to the world of RE/REV/RME/Religion and worldviews?

I maybe ridiculously stretching an analogy here but as I sat in the service, in a foreign language, I saw these connections to starting a new role. Some of you have started new roles this summer, maybe this resonates?

In my research of the month, I talk about a hospitable approach to religion and worldviews, and a pedagogy of embrace. Someone pointed out to me this week that in many ways this was ‘lived out’ recently when photos emerged of Muslims embracing protesters outside UK’s oldest mosque in Liverpool.

Creating space, encountering others and listening for wisdom lie at the heart of what I propose as a hospitable approach to religion and worldviews education. I use the analogy of an embrace to capture the heart of what this means not only in terms of pedagogy, but in terms of what it means ontologically for those enacting the embrace. It seems to me this approach is needed more than ever before.

I was on holiday in Portugal when the horrifying scenes in many cities across the UK emerged on my social media feed. On Culham St Gabriel’s social media feed, we got behind the Faith and Belief Policy Collective Statement which so clearly articulated how many of us feel in the charity sector and faith and belief space. We held on to and continue to hold onto hope and love amidst the displays of hate.

At Culham St Gabriel’s our vision is for a well-informed, respectful and open society.

In a recent board meeting, prior to the recent riots, trustees agreed to make the following a key focus area for future grant making in 2024-25.

• interfaith/belief dialogue and promoting warmer community relations in schools and communities, including consideration of ‘the common good’

Do you or your organisation have a project which you need funding for to bring communities together? Do you have a grassroots project that needs some funding to get off the ground?

We are currently supporting several projects which aim to foster warmer community relations, religion and belief literacy, as well as researching where religion and worldviews education takes place beyond schools. These include work led by Theos Think Tank, Queen’s University Belfast, Faith and Belief Forum, The Religion and Belief Literacy partnership and the Open University. These varying projects are engaging with children and young people, faith and belief community groups, parents, the civil service and public sector employees. We will continue to support initiatives which aim to provide a positive narrative in terms of dialogue and interfaith and belief engagement.

Next weekend we are hosting a stand at the Greenbelt Festival. The festival organisers say:

Our history is firmly rooted within a Christian tradition which is world-affirming, politically and culturally engaged. Ours is a belief that embraces instead of excludes. And, as such, the festival is an inter-generational celebration, inclusive and accepting of all, regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexuality, background or belief.

This vision seems more appropriate than ever before. Our team will be there welcoming and accepting all.

Kathryn Wright

CEO, Culham St Gabriel’s

Further reading

Kathryn’s research of there month: https://www.reonline.org.uk/research/research-of-the-month/

BBC News article: Mosque leaders find moments of hope after violent disorder: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c84jjv7kp1wo

Faith and Belief Policy Collective Statement: https://faithbeliefforum.org/working-to-quench-the-flames-of-hatred/)

Greenbelt website: https://www.greenbelt.org.uk/

Earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to tick off a bucket list destination – I went on holiday to Tokyo. I knew I wanted to do two things: eat as much ramen as I could possibly stomach and cram in as much culture as I possibly could. I’m happy to confirm that I achieved both.

One of my highlights was when I visited the city’s oldest temple, Sensō-ji (浅草寺), and the neighbouring shrines. If you have ever googled pictures of Japan, chances are you’ll have come across Senso-ji Temple located in Asakusa, it’s very red and very big and very crowded! Upon arrival in Tokyo, I soon realised that the famous Buddhist Temple was just a short walk away from my hotel. As I made my way over, I remember being taken aback by its grandeur. Seeing a temple nestled in amongst a booming metropolis was like nothing I had ever seen before.

Religion in Japan is a mix of Shinto and Buddhism that have been harmoniously blending for hundreds of years. Shinto is Japan’s original religion and carries the philosophy that everything in the universe has a spirit, which can influence their lives. Then there’s Buddhism, which came from Korea and China in the 6th century. It brought new ideas and traditions that were seen as a welcome addition to Shinto.

Whilst exploring Sensō-ji, I was particularly fascinated by the cultural importance of wishes, luck, and karma. In Japan, these concepts reflect how people see life and the universe. A popular tradition that links to this is Omikuji; random fortunes written on strips of paper at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Omikuji has been used for centuries; originally it would decide who should govern the country, who one should marry or who should be [his] successor, but now they contain information on aspects such as love, health and studies. I decided to test my luck…

I paid my voluntary offering and picked up the metal box containing various sticks. I shook the box a few times, (silently wishing for a good fortune!), and, once satisfied, turned the metal container over so that my stick would fall out. The number on said stick matched a drawer where my fortune was waiting – the moment of truth. A good fortune is kept, however if you receive a bad one, you must tie your slip to a tree branch in the temple grounds; leaving the slip at the temple should improve your luck. Fortunately, mine was good… phew!!

Taking part in this small tradition allowed me to me personally reflect on the idea of religion in Japan, which to me, appeared to be very open and flexible, compared to the West. People are more focused on achieving well-being and worldly benefits as opposed to following doctrines or beliefs – omikuji has been used as an instrument to unify communities without complications, making spiritual practices a seamless part of daily life. It’s truly a unique and beautiful aspect of Japanese culture!

I decided before I went to Iceland that I’d write a blog about its interesting religious and spiritual history rich in Norse tradition of Asatru (which is notably on the rise again) as well as over 1000 years of Christian traditions and heritage. As we travelled around for 10 days there was no doubt that the number of church buildings per head is very high. The countryside is dotted with small largely Protestant Lutheran churches often serving one small farming community. There were also some stunningly unusual structures some of which had rainbow roads as a sign of acceptance leading up to them.

However, top of the list of things we wanted to do as a family was whales watching. On land/online there are numerous companies to choose from, all wanting you to take a tour with them, all offering something unique or special. We had pre-booked online. However, when out at sea they all work together. They are on radios to each other, they let each other know of sightings, they all want their customers to have the best experience. The competitive drive disappears once out at sea. Alongside this the companies have collaborated in the town of Husavik to advocate for a ban on whaling.

This reminded me of how the religion and worldviews community, which sometimes seems diverse and divergent, and perhaps even a little competitive at times, has come together on numerous occasions over the last year to provide the best professional development possible for teachers and promote the importance of the subject. I’m sure I’ll forget some things, but the following particularly come to mind:

• The Open Letter to the previous secretary of state calling for return of a bursary for beginner teachers of RE in England as well as other recruitment and retention intiatives throughout the year
• The National Content Standard for RE in England being recommended by multiple organisations and school providers
• The highly successful joint AREIAC-AULRE Conference last month, and plans for another in 2025
• Various steering groups drawing on many of the RE organisations which support RE Hubs, RExChange, Culham St Gabriel’s Leadership Programme
• Using joint social media assets across the RE community prior to the election to set out our asks from the new government

This collaboration and fostering of partnerships is a huge strength of the religion and worldviews community. We should celebrate it!

Oh… and yes… we did get to see some whales!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Kathryn Wright, CEO Culham St Gabriel’s

I was out taking the dog for a walk around the village the other day when I noticed that one of the oak trees on the back lane was tagged. It was only a small metal disk nailed to the tree’s trunk, but it was there to show that it was a protected tree subject to a preservation order.

When I thought about the tree later that evening, I began to think about our role as teaching practitioners in protecting and preserving our subject in the face of the challenges education can throw at us. How can we effectively achieve this?

We need to “shout” about how important our subject is and it’s role in the school curriculum. It is not just the senior leadership team that need to hear the message but so should the school governors, the pupils and their parents. I’m not suggesting that it’s easy or that it does not need some careful planning and thought but there are some good starting points.

Firstly, make sure your RE curriculum is both progressive, engaging and stretches pupils’ learning. This is important to ensure long term pupil engagement. Help to develop the pupil voice in RE by providing ample opportunities for discussions and debates; not every lesson needs to include written work. Consider using visual evidence of pupil engagement, photographs can say a lot more than books filled with worksheets. Talking of visuals, a good way to demonstrate RE’s importance is to carry out a human mind map. This something I have used regularly at the start of each academic year. I have an A4 visual for each of the subjects on the school curriculum and I ask for a volunteer at the start explaining that the role requires someone who is very strong; I give this pupil the visual for RE. Another pupil holds up one of the subjects and the group discuss any links they can think of, once they have suggested two or three links then a string is held between them linking them together. The discussions continue in this way until all the subjects have been linked to RE. Videoing the activity with an iPad helps with the summing up at the end. Some subjects are easier to link than others; for example, history can be linked to RE because historical facts play an important role in religions. Other subjects are harder for example, physical education but with a little prompting pupils suggest things such as the issue of athletes wearing hijabs.

Some of you might think I’ve gone slightly mad, but it is a good idea to volunteer a lesson during the next round of lesson observations. As well as making sure that the lesson has plenty of evidence that meets any lesson observation briefing but include opportunities to address common misunderstandings and misconceptions. Let the pupils show that they are making links in their learning and don’t be afraid if the observer wants to talk to them. You already know that they are fully engaged and committed to their learning in your lessons. The observer will leave your lesson feeling very positive about RE and will share their thoughts with other colleagues.

Invite school governors to join one of your lessons or to observe a whole school RE activity. In my experience both as a teacher and a school governor, governors like to take advantage of opportunities to observe and learn about what goes on in our lessons. If this is not possible then volunteer to talk to the governor’s curriculum sub committee about the RE curriculum and how it strengthens the other subjects. If you can get the pupil voice and their positive thoughts on RE then so much the better. Make sure governors understand the non- academic role of RE in helping to develop pupil’s understanding and tolerance towards other peoples beliefs and how this helps them to develop their ability to be effective members of the community.

If there is a local RE Hub in your area, then make sure you join it. They are a wealth of knowledge, experience and ideas. My own local hub is called the “Pathways RE Hub,” the founding members came up with the name early and it simply stands for the “Pinch and tweak hub,” where ideas are shared and tweaked to an individual school’s need. Hubs also offer fantastic opportunities for networking and informal CPD. My other suggestion linked to hubs is to offer to host a meeting within your own school. Don’t forget to invite senior leadership and a governor or two!

As a final thought, if you are new to leading RE then in addition to joining your local hub, consider the RE Quality Mark. It can offer an excellent and effective framework for you to develop your leadership of the subject against. When you gain the quality mark whether it is bronze, silver or gold then you will have a very visual acknowledgement of how effective your RE faculty is, in the form of the certificate which can be displayed prominently for all to see.

As Head of Department in a Secondary School, I had heard the idea of ‘worldviews’ and disciplinary knowledge and was keen to understand more. From talking to others and attending conferences it soon became apparent that while this move is potentially very positive for our curriculum, it is not straightforward. Mentioning ‘worldviews’ occasionally would not be sufficient.

I started with Making Every RE Lesson Count by Louise Hutton and Dawn Cox. This offers a clear summary of the concept of worldviews and disciplinary knowledge, which gave me confidence in understanding the shift in thinking in the RE world. I also gained some idea of how this could be implemented in the classroom.

I am lucky to have the opportunity to work with Jennifer Jenkins on the REC’s Curriculum Handbook; a project to bring to life religion and worldviews curriculum frameworks. I also benefitted from a Farmington Scholarship which hugely expanded my understanding. My contribution has been to connect worldviews thinking and disciplinary knowledge, in order to support teachers across the Key Stages, in their understanding and practical approaches.

Two ‘stand out’ moments had a big influence on my thinking. Firstly, encountering Tim Hutchings and Celine Benoit’s research with teachers and worldviews opened my eyes. Their research shows that a grasp of ‘worldviews’ is varied and inconsistent in the RE world. This led me to ask how teachers can reach a consensus on what is meant by worldviews?

The second ‘stand out’ moment was aligning the Warwickshire Agreed Syllabus and worldviews thinking with Jennifer Jenkins and Alice Thomas. We imagined a curriculum where progression and connections in knowledge were embedded throughout. We realised we were talking about a complete change of approach and vision, not just the addition of some worldviews to what we already had. This was an exciting, and scary, realisation!

This journey started over two years ago. My thinking is certainly in a very different place. Although I feel more secure in my understanding of the religion and worldviews approach, I would not claim expertise, as we are all still learning. I think one of the most important aspects of my work was to network and talk to many different people about the changes. The aim of the work is to support teachers with the new approach. There are a wealth of CPD opportunities out there for RE teachers, I feel that supporting others to access guidance and support has been a key part of my contribution.

When I look back to the start of this journey, I can see my understanding has grown and changed. A religion and worldviews approach does not describe stand-alone lessons at the start of each year, where pupils reflect on their own worldview. For the new approach to be effective and meaningful it must be embedded through single lessons, medium and long-term plans, with careful consideration of progression and sequencing. It is important for pupils to encounter a wide range of different worldviews, covering individual, community and global worldviews. This endows the breadth and depth of understanding needed if pupils are to reflect on and explore their own worldviews. Disciplinary questions used to frame the subject knowledge helps to ensure a breadth and depth of exploration. This could be achieved by analysing data, personal stories or art to offer a rich and connected understanding of worldviews in all their forms. When I look back at my experiences, learning and understanding, it is clear there is a way to go, but I feel positive and hopeful as to the value of this shift within the subject.

Dawn Cox and Louise Hutton (2021) Making Every RE Lesson Count: Six Principles to Support Religious Education Teaching, Crown House Publishing

It seems wonderful to be able to purchase a scheme of work that enables your school to teach excellent RE, equipped with PowerPoints, lesson plans, assessment tools, and so on. However, the expense may not just be to your school budget but may also be at the expense of teachers’ understanding and pupils’ learning.

This dilemma is not just found in RE but resounds throughout the curriculum.  In recent research on primary maths, Marks, Barclay and Barnes (2023) noted schools curating of curriculum materials from a range of sources but highlighted concerns about the quality of these curriculum resources and textbooks. They found resources of dubious quality, with a particular concern about the limited cognitive demand of resources. Many resources focus on the pupils’ tasks, rather than the underpinning mathematical concepts. A similar research audit has not been conducted in RE but from enabling trainee teachers to teach RE in any school anywhere in the world with any syllabus I have had to examine many schemes and resources.  I offer up a simple guide or checklist for you to assist with any consideration of purchasing a scheme.

The key areas to consider are conceptual understanding, knowledge and progression. Often schemes focus on subject knowledge but you need to ask questions about conceptual understanding and progression as well.

Conceptual Understanding

Does the scheme have a strong conceptual basis in the subject?

Does it enable teachers and pupils to develop that understanding?

Are you and your teachers confident about what the key concepts are in RE?

Anyone who has been involved in education for more than a few years knows that key terms and ‘buzz words’ change rapidly. Schemes need not just to pay lip service to these but to engage with conceptual understanding.

Progression

Is there clear progression through year groups and key stages?

Are skills repeated over the years or engaged with at greater depth?

Is progression in the scheme just a case of more subject knowledge added each year or is there a clear development of understanding in religions and non-religious worldviews.

Within RE, a further cautionary note is on whether the scheme conflates RE and collective worship. These are two separate and distinct entities with different purposes and nature so do avoid any attempt to marry the two.

This questioning process will take you a little extra time but will be worth it in the long run as you enable your pupils and teachers to teach excellent RE. There are many examples of excellent and exceptional RE in schools across the UK. Let’s seek out exceptional RE resources but let’s be clear about what that looks like.