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After finishing my undergraduate degree, I embarked on a distance learning Masters in Education. As a teacher I want to be as well-informed as I can be. My inspiration? When I was a school student myself, it was teachers who had a genuine passion for education and imparting knowledge that in turn fuelled my passion for their subjects. Although a Masters is not essential for enthusiastic teaching, it was the right thing for me. Indeed, earning my Maters has benefitted not only myself, but also colleagues and, most importantly, my students. I feel excited to try new approaches and better equipped to contribute to curriculum discussions. For me, being better-informed gives me confidence to contribute.

When I decided to apply for the Masters, I didn’t exactly shout it in the staff room during rush hour, but I did let a few colleagues know. While everyone thought it was a great idea, and some shared their own experiences of gaining additional qualifications, most queried whether it was the right time. I was about to start my ECT induction years and my colleagues’ concern was that the workload would become unmanageable. Were they proved correct? Although, of course a Masters requires time and attention, finding time after my working day to commit to my studies wasn’t as difficult as many first feared.

Partly this was due to the flexibility offered by a distance learning programme. This allowed me to juggle my professional and academic commitments in a way that suited my own context and time. I was very well-planned, a must, but the work was definitely manageable. My planning system was simple- I worked backwards from a submission deadline, breaking the final assignment into chunks, and breaking the chunks into smaller tasks, to complete in the time available.

It is strange being classed as a student outside work, and then walking into my classroom every day as a teacher. I do take advantage and claim a student discount every so often! However, this has been an invaluable opportunity for reflection on the experience of being a learner. I can relate to students so much more so when they talk to me about managing their workload- this has been especially relevant when talking to my sixth formers. I truly understand the pressures of juggling multiple demands they are experiencing.

Of my learning itself, this has been invaluable. I specialised in applied linguistics and teaching and learning. This provided me with broad experiences in conducting pupil voice, pedagogies to promote literacy and English language, which further improved my skills in my own area of interest; supporting disadvantaged learners. The academic development has had hugely positive impacts on my classroom practice.

As I near the end of my Masters, I look forwards to continued research through an Ed.D and other forms of CPD. Of course financial realities mean any further study will have to be completed alongside my professional role. However the experience of studying for a Masters whilst teaching has encouraged me further to nourish my own love of learning, as much as anything to develop my students’ love of learning.

If you’re considering applying for a Masters or any other CPD, I would say go for it! Of course it is a commitment, but remember that it was your love of learning that brought you to teaching in the first place. Moreover, investing in yourself is also an investment in your students. As a teacher, you are used to making the unmanageable manageable anyway!

I will talk about a new resource called ‘Mixing Lenses’, written for Primary teachers to explore the ways scientific language and religious language can overlap. For readers who are not Primary teachers, don’t be put off- there is lots here for Secondary- age students, and you may well be asking similar questions to myself. The aim of the resource is to support pupils in making sense of the world using language at the interface of science and Christianity.

I started with some significant questions; are there new ways to approach engagement with science and faith? Can the ways that we help children to explore both science and faith be mixed together? How can we show children a meaningful intertwining of the language of science and faith in the classroom? I have been concerned over the years when I see an ‘either/ or’ mentality applied to science and faith; as if pupils have to choose. Yet of course both modes of thinking offer meaning, and many people comfortably employ both.

This is nothing new – for many years we have tried to help young people understand that a believer of any faith can also be a scientist. This often involves myth- busting, for example, dispelling the myth that Genesis is read in the same way as a science book.

The Mixing Lenses resource for teachers has emerged from my work with Chester Cathedral Education Department. Workshops on science and faith were taken into schools, funded by a group called Scientists in Congregations.

Scientists in Congregations celebrates the scientists who are present in church congregations. The group seeks to understand and share ideas around science and faith, developing material for teaching and encouraging the creative and at times surprising thinking that arises from explorations in this area. Find out more on the ECLAS website.

You may have heard of God and the Big Bang, a project to provide space for school students to explore science and faith in creative ways. RE Today have produced a set of teaching resources following God and the Big Bang topics for Primary and Secondary.

As my own work was with Chester Cathedral I focused on Christian faith but the questions and information could be explored with any faith.

It occurred to me that both faith and science:

a.  have language in common.

b.  use both metaphor and analogy to aid understanding of concepts.

This got me thinking, and four questions emerged which have become the basis of my planning:

1. What are the concepts within the science and RE topics?
2. What is the vocabulary to be taught in Science and RE (in my case, Christianity)?
3. What activity can be planned to link the vocabulary between the subjects and so offer deeper understanding? What question could be asked to lead the activity?
4. What questions can be asked during the activity/discussion or on completion?

The resource established the parameters of this field of thinking for teachers using learning theories such as Piaget and Vygotsky. The resource then works through some practical examples. For example, the resource connects and explores the idea of circuits in science, and discipleship in Christianity. Circuits can break, and children can explore how to keep a circuit open and running. In a Christian life, sometimes events keep people from being disciples, their circuit has broken. Children can explore what might cause someone to stray away from their path, and the help and support they can receive the find it again. The resource makes many other connections in this way, such as the idea of a sound wave, and the idea of love travelling to reach people.

This resource is free for teachers. I hope it is useful. I am also interested to know if readers think there is mileage in developing this further, with other key stages and faiths. If anyone would like to pilot the material or offer suggestions, I would be delighted!

Contact: Canon Jane Brooke jane.brooke333@gmail.com

As we come to the end of 2023, I thought I’d reflect in a seasonal way on our last year….

On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me a CRM system created by Tracey

On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me four Board meetings, three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me five funding awards, four Board meetings, three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me six e-learning courses, five funding awards, four Board meetings, three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me seven conferences attended, six e-learning courses, five funding awards, four Board meetings, three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the eight day of Christmas my true love sent to me eight new connections and partnerships, seven conferences attended, six e-learning courses, five funding awards, four Board meetings, three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the nineth day of Christmas my true love sent to me nine (hundred) online meetings, eight new connections and partnerships, seven conferences attended, six e-learning courses, five funding awards, four Board meetings, three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me ten research of the months, nine (hundred) online meetings, eight new connections and partnerships, seven conferences attended, six e-learning courses, five funding awards, four Board meetings, three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me eleven masters and leadership scholars, ten research of the months, nine (hundred) online meetings, eight new connections and partnerships, seven conferences attended, six e-learning courses, five funding awards, four Board meetings, three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me twelve recommendations of the National Content Standard, eleven masters’ and leadership scholars, ten research of the months, nine (hundred) online meetings, eight new connections and partnerships, seven conferences attended, six e-learning courses, five funding awards, four Board meetings, three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

Have a great festive season, however and whatever you may be celebrating! We look forward to working with and supporting you in the New Year.

Kathryn Wright
CEO, CSTG

Please note: Numbers do not necessarily equate to reality except in some cases!!!!!!

I was intrigued by this project because it was an opportunity for me to learn about a topic I had never given any real thought to; how animals are farmed, and what are ethical ways of thinking about this. The project is CEFAW: Christian Ethics of Farmed Animals Welfare. The CEFAW project is an engaging and accessible way to educate pupils about farming practices and the ethical questions raised, such as responsible meat consumption. As a teacher, I was able to tailor the lesson plans and resources created through the project to enable pupils from all backgrounds to explore these ideas, contextualising what this means for Christians, the animals, farmers and for pupils as individuals – now and in the future.

I have always been mindful of what children put into their bodies and how this can impact their physical, emotional and mental wellbeing and consequently their ability to learn and be responsible members of society. I had been recently researching the impact hormone injected chickens can have on children and what some of the signs are of this impact.

For these reasons, when the opportunity to work alongside leading experts like David Clough and James Holt presented itself, I was excited to explore how a topic I am interested in personally, will develop through the RE lens.

I worked with two primary colleagues – Mel Gilbert and Stacey Cowell- which was a wonderful experience in itself. We shared ideas and experiences and provided each other with advice and support to refine our thoughts. Working with teachers from different parts of the country made certain that the resources were reflective of all pupils.

Furthermore, being provided with forums where I could share my research and experience from the project has facilitated me to continuously reflect on how the project can be utilised in the primary classroom and its potential long-term impact on the environment and young people’s health. For this I am grateful to Culham St Gabriel’s Trust!

One of the many things that I have taken away from this project, is the effectiveness of using discursive questions to stimulate pupils to think critically, review their opinions and experiences considering what they are learning and researching in lessons as well as the wider implication of key concepts and ideas.

Regardless to say, participating in such projects has its own barriers. As a fulltime teacher in Year 6, I had to consider whether I would be able to manage the deadlines and workload. I couldn’t attend the residential as it clashed with SATs. Consequently, I didn’t have the first hand experience of being on a farm; a highlight of the project. Despite my own unfortunate diary clash, it is essential for teachers to take such opportunities, which prevents our teaching from becoming stale and invigorates our own thinking.

Every time I participate in classroom-based research, my class enjoys the benefits of learning something controversial, being able to ask difficult questions and appreciating it is not necessary that everyone agrees to everything.

When the CEFAW resources are available for distribution, I believe everyone should evaluate how their pupils can benefit and trial them.

Our pupils live in a complicated world where most of what they experience is through a screen – the CEFAW project teaches compassion for living things – it teaches to connect with what is happening around you.

This is the second part of a blog exploring effective assessment in Religion and Worldviews. If you have not read part 1, you can access it here Assessing Religion and Worldviews Part 1

In this blog I will consider the question, is there a correct method of assessment in Religion and Worldviews? I came to ask myself this through my Farmington research where I interviewed and observed both Primary and Secondary teachers. Nationally, RE is currently experiencing a cultural shift from the World Religions paradigm to the Religion and Worldviews approach. Those schools who have adopted or are working towards a Religion and Worldviews approach will be thinking about their assessment processes; do they need to change? I found through my interviews that teachers are reflecting on the purpose and of assessment, the best methods and at what point in the curriculum assessment should occur.

With regards to the timing of assessment, it seems there are various ‘end points’ where assessment is useful. These are:

• Once key concepts have been learned and pupils are starting to use the in their thinking, speaking and writing
• When substantive content has been framed in disciplinary questions, assessment can allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding

As noted in my first blog, a coherent, progression curriculum is essential, and assessment needs to be built into this from the start. This includes a capacity to revisit key concepts and substantive knowledge. Therefore curriculum design should include ‘end points’ where key concepts, substantive knowledge, disciplinary analysis and connections can be assessed. Pupil progress will be held against the smaller and wider aims of the curriculum.

In my department we were interested to explore how far the Religion and Worldviews approach requires a different approach to assessment. We see key concepts as the knowledge blocks, adding to pupils’ overall substantive knowledge development. These are embedded in each unit, and are partly what we asses, but not solely. We see the key concepts as enabling students’ demonstration of disciplinary knowledge and skills. Success criteria includes how students demonstrate knowledge of key concepts but more, how key concepts are used to evaluate, analyse and debate philosophical, theological and social scientific enquiry questions.

How do we assess students’ disciplinary thinking? Pupils’ disciplinary knowledge is developed through engaging with each unit’s enquiry question, which address a particular type of knowledge; philosophical, theological or the human and social sciences. Therefore, pupils are assessed through their engagement with different disciplinary questions. This allows for consistency across each key phase but also allows continuous assessment based on consistent concepts, knowledge and skills.

Through taking such a multi-disciplinary approach we recognise that substantive and disciplinary knowledge needs to be revisited over time to build up a rich understanding. Through this work we have found that assessment design also needs to follow this approach; an increasing critical engagement over time with rich disciplinary questions as pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the world grows.

Does assessment in Religion and Worldviews actually ‘assess’ students’ progress and understanding? Structured conversations with teachers through my Farmington Scholarship has shown me that there is currently no clear method of assessment in Religion and Worldviews, something I have been working towards. In the first part of two blogs, I will address the question, how does assessment show us the curriculum is effective in enabling students’ knowledge and understanding to grow?

I ask myself the question, ‘how do I know our RE curriculum is effective in enabling students’ knowledge and understanding to grow?’ I am looking for a ‘cumulatively sufficient’ (Ofsted, 2021) curriculum, with clear endpoints and goals, where students have an opportunity to bring together their knowledge, understanding and personal worldviews. Clear endpoints embedded throughout the curriculum allow teachers to assess the impact of their curriculum on students’ understanding.

A well-balanced Religion and Worldviews curriculum allows students to progress in their knowledge and understanding as they engage with more complex information. A progression curriculum deliberately builds on students’ substantive knowledge and skills in order for connections to be made and understanding to grow. Therefore, assessment of a Religion and Worldviews curriculum needs to check in with students’ knowledge and ability to make connections as they engage with successive building blocks of knowledge. This process also shows teachers what is working and what needs a rethink.

How do you know your students know more, understand more, and can do more? Becoming aware of our students metacognitive thought processes, in other words, how students think about their learning, as well as the substantive content they are learning, can give teachers valuable insights when it comes to assessment. An example of this is when students become aware of connections, they are making from previous learning topics, or when students can consider what is being asked of them and decide the right tools for the task in hand for themselves. Observing this process of growing autonomy not only supports teachers’ evaluation of what is effective in the way the curriculum is being planned and taught, but also what activities, resources and questions are effective in allowing students to unlock and explore their learning at a deeper level.

An example of a connection students can make in our curriculum is found in Year 7 and 8 where we return to the Christian creation story. We ask different questions, focusing on Theology in Year 7 and Philosophy on Year 8, but students are able to revisit the significance of creation in Christian belief and consider how far their ideas have developed.

For students to develop as independent learners we offer choices of tasks at increasing challenge. Students work independently to apply, analyse and evaluate the substantive knowledge they have learned. We encourage students to continually review and revisit their learning. Tasks range from giving 3 reasons ‘why’, to evaluating an argument. We prepare students through well-designed active learning tasks so when they come to choose their challenge, they have a good grasp of the substantive content. In asking students to choose their challenge, we are asking them to think about how they will further their learning and show their results.

Overall, through using assessment to check with students’ understanding of substantive and their ability to make connections, as well as asking students to think about how they analyse and evaluate for themselves, we are developing a coherent structure for assessing understanding in Religion and Worldviews.

Read Assessing Religion and Worldviews Part 2 of this blog, to see what happened!

References

Ofsted (2021) Research Review Series: Religious Education (12th May 2021)

Each year in November the Interfaith Network for the UK (IFN) convenes and coordinates Interfaith Week. For IFN, Interfaith Week is an opportunity to raise awareness about the UK’s different and distinct faith communities, and to celebrate the contribution which their members make to their neighbourhoods and wider society. In doing so, Interfaith Week creates opportunities to increase understanding between people of different religious and non-religious beliefs. However, for this to occur, IFN notes that there needs to be a foundation of understanding, awareness and respect.

To many people in the Religious Education world, these themes will be extremely familiar. Many educators will recognise that when supporting learning about complex and sensitive issues such as those relating to religion and belief, that there is a need to establish safe and nurturing learning environments which promote respect. Moreover, and with that open and inclusive learning environment established, religion and worldviews classrooms by definition must explore different and distinct religion and belief communities.

Religious Literacy: A tool for better interfaith relations

IFN talks about these kinds of activities as promoting greater religious literacy. Religious literacy is understood as a suite of skills for interpretation and interaction grounded in an understanding of one’s own faith or belief, and the faith or belief of those with whom they are interacting. For IFN this literacy is vital in a diverse society; it is one important factor which increases the likelihood of positive and respectful coexistence. Indeed, this aligns with findings from Culham’s 2022 Religion and Worldviews Parent survey which found that 66% of parents believe that religious education lessons prepare their children effectively for life in multi-religious, multi-secular Britain.

Interfaith Week: A tool for enhancing the teaching of religions in schools

There are many ways in which teachers can use Interfaith Week as an opportunity to dig into issues which align with many religious education syllabuses. For instance, IFN have seen how some schools use Interfaith Week as an opportunity to explore aspects of living together well in religiously diverse societies and the values that underpin them. Other schools have used Interfaith Week to deliver lessons focussing on a particular religion or religious festivals (particularly those which happen around the time of Interfaith Week). In these cases, schools often reach out to their local Interfaith Forum, or local places of worship, to explore how they can add greater richness to the planned activities such as sourcing speakers for assemblies. Where there are schools with different religious ethos’ physically close to one another, Interfaith Week has been an opportunity to do linking activities, which have brought children of different faith traditions together to learn from one another. Where distance might prevent this, some schools have found that they can use video-conferencing to facilitate exchanges between schools.

If you are interested in using Interfaith Week as a way into creative religious education learning opportunities, this report by IFN is a great place to start. Many local interfaith groups will be particularly active during Interfaith Week and receptive to enquiries and requests for help. For that reason, it is a great opportunity for schools to build up links with local faith communities and interfaith activists.

The first series of Holy Cribs was made over a decade ago. These remain extremely popular with teachers, but there is no doubt they are looking dated. We at TrueTube have re-made the films to keep them relevant, and so that teachers will keep using for another ten years!

The Holy Cribs films are popular because they are useful. We have kept all the information and vocabulary that teachers need to impart, and added a little more visual flair with improved production values.

The original idea was a tribute to MTV Cribs, where a celebrity shows the audience around their home. Our presenters are young members of the religious communities which gives the films a wonderful authenticity. The audience is welcomed in and shown around, not talked down to.

For most of the young presenters, the filming was a first- time experience. They all gave us a brilliant performance. For anyone who hasn’t done any filming before, even for a short film with a very small crew, the pace can feel frustratingly slow. There’s a lot of waiting around while a shot is set up, then the presenters have to come on camera all smiles and energy, and then they’re waiting around again. The filming day was long and tiring for our young presenters, but they all enjoyed themselves and felt that they had learned something by the end of it. At least two of them now want a career in TV!

There were some unexpected issues to address. Worshippers came in and out of the Vihara, Gurdwara and Mandir all day, so we had to strike a balance between not getting in their way, and getting the shots we needed. We were expertly guided by our young presenters, but we needn’t have worried – most people were welcoming and accommodating and very glad that our films would educating young people about their faiths.

It is always a privilege to film in places that you probably wouldn’t otherwise visit, and often to get treated like an honoured guest. The food is always superb – the langar at the Gurdwara was especially good! It was an odd experience to be on the roof of East London Mosque in thick snow, getting a shot of the dome and minaret. It felt so peaceful, despite the loud sound of traffic on Whitechapel Road below us.

One member of the crew had never visited any holy building other than a church, and he undertook something of a spiritual journey. The filming gave him a fantastic introduction to other faiths.

Although the beliefs and practices of the various religions have not changed since we made the original Holy Cribs films, we feel it is important to present a more current version of people and places. The older fashions and spoken expressions can – perhaps strangely – be more of a barrier to learning than the unfamiliar beliefs and practices of a religion. The visual language of filmmaking has also changed: the way shots are composed and edited has evolved with better technology, video effects that looked cutting edge a decade ago now look rather dated.

Learning through films does offer something unique. The Holy Cribs films “show” instead of “tell”. They give young people an opportunity to see inside a building they might not be able to visit, and to hear about the beliefs and experiences of someone they might not ever meet. The films also provide engaging content for a lesson that – increasingly – might not be taught by an RE specialist. Our film can be the expert in the room.

Most of our films on TrueTube are made because teachers request them. The TrueTube team have their own ideas for topics that are on the curriculum or social media, but it’s always better when the people who are using the site – the teachers – get in touch to tell us what they need. We can’t fulfil every request, but themes often emerge in the requests we get. It’s why we updated the Holy Cribs films – we had a lot of teachers saying, “These films are great, but…”. Keep the ideas coming!

Check out our videos below. You will find links to the 6 Holy Cribs films. Look out for ‘extras’ on the website.

Holy Cribs Christianity – Anglican Church
Holy Cribs Islam – Mosque
Holy Cribs Judaism – Synagogue
Holy Cribs Buddhism – Vihara
Holy Cribs Sikhism – Gurdwara
Holy Cribs Hinduism – Mandir

Moving to Lincolnshire from a diverse area, things seemed much more monocultural than what I was used to. However, I came to appreciate that diversity is there, just not as visibly. I also came to see that this impression of lack of diversity was having a negative impact on RE teaching. Teachers felt worried about teaching religious worldviews because of strongly negative feeling within the local community. Our REConnecting Lincolnshire project was a response; seeking to bring people together through sharing stories from Christianity and Islam.

You can find out about REConnecting Lincolnshire here.

The Empowering Voices project is a development of this wider work, particularly in aiming to represent lived, authentic worldviews.

We decided on podcasts as the medium for Empowering Voices inspired by Hans Urs von Balthasar’s Explorations in Theology (1961). He notes the significance of hearing to build understanding of the world. We cannot but hear what is spoken, even if it places us in a space of discomfort. This struck me quite deeply: our evaluation of the initial phase of REConnecting Lincolnshire had shown that although we had had a significant impact on challenging misconceptions and prejudice, there were some who chose not to engage and whose misconceptions consequently remained unchallenged. We were inspired by von Balthasar to pursue an audio medium for this piece of work to see if this widened engagement and therefore increased impact.

We were lucky enough to work with a fabulous team of creative professionals; David Lambert (Cultural Solutions UK) and Leanne Taylor (Taylor Made Arts) and Emily Bignell (Artistic Director of Shooting Fish Theatre Company). It was a fantastic opportunity for pupils involved to develop creative and digital skills.

We began by considering what worldviews might alight tensions in local communities if they were included in the Primary or Secondary curriculum. We started with people: we went to local communities to find inspiration for the stories at the heart of each podcast. Through education packs we support teachers to move from the particular to a bigger, often global, picture.

Finding time to bring people together in a busy school day was tricky. However, a bigger challenge was taking the time to ensure that everyone felt that their voices and concerns were heard. Just as challenging was the need to unpick some assumptions and misconceptions we encountered.

However, it was a real joy to watch new relationships forming and flourishing. We know that several schools have connected through this process and now regularly working together. It has been brilliant to find the ‘hidden voices’ in worldview communities and provide a platform for them.

Explore the full Empowering Voices resource here, and see what topics and voices are coming up.

Reference
Hans Urs von Balthasar, Explorations in Theology II: Spouse of the Word (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, first edition, 1961, this edition 1991), 475-6

I am currently in my 21st year of teaching in a Secondary Catholic school in the Northwest of England. I have been curriculum leader for Religious Education for over 10 years. I am the chair of St Helens SACRE and have recently become a NASACRE executive member. I have completed both stages of the Culham St Gabriel’s Leadership programme and this case study is from my research project for the second stage.

To build on the data from the Culham St Gabriel’s public perception and parental survey (see below), I sent a survey to parents and carers of 2 secondary schools in the Northwest. It was a specific set of statements to agree or disagree with. Over 300 parents and carers responded and the percentages in the table below are those agreeing with the relevant statement.

1 https://www.cstg.org.uk/campaigns/public-perception/
2 Parent Survey – Culham St Gabriel’s (cstg.org.uk)
3 Parent Survey – Culham St Gabriel’s (cstg.org.uk)

Average results of the two schools compared to the Culham St Gabriel’s survey shows that the majority of results are comparable and positive. The biggest difference is question 1 – the importance for young people to understand the beliefs of others. The school average was 90% which is 17% higher than the national survey.

Another difference between the school data and the Culham St Gabriel’s data appears to be in relation to questions 2 and 3, though on question 2, the school average is still only 2% lower than the Culham St Gabriel’s figure.

In relation to Question 3, it was interesting that School 1 had an 80% agreement on the subject helping young people to understand their own beliefs, but in School 2 this was only 61%. The difference between the two schools might be due to the Roman Catholic nature of school 1. However, further research would be needed to establish a reason why.

There was also an additional question which asked parents and carers for comments on how Religious Education could reflect changes in society and develop further in the future. The vast majority of comments where positive which reflects the importance of the subject and the support from parents from both schools. Comments included that the subject should be optional, replaced with PSHE or personal development, others stated that all religions and worldviews should be taught.

In conclusion, the findings of the survey are extremely positive- both the percentages and the additional comments. The number of returns to the survey is also positive. It is clear that the parents surveyed value an education in Religion and Worldviews. The survey data shows a strong support for children to develop an awareness of their own beliefs and an understanding those of others as well as the importance of discussing the ultimate questions in life for example, how the world was created and what happens when we die. It is therefore crucial that we continue to embrace this positivity and support from parents as we strive to ensure Religious Education is a valued and important subject in a child’s education.