Global terms: Blog Categories

Etymology of “Champing”

Mary Lou Byrne | 20 July, 2026

Last summer my main goal was to share my love of everything RE, history, and camping with my five-year-old little boy Percy. How else would I do this but book a camping trip with the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT)?! This was the beginning of our first ‘Champing’, camping in a church, adventure and the beginning of an idea…hopefully to blossom into something helpful for the RE community and our young people.

Inspiration

Browsing the visitor’s book, I read the comments left by other intrepid ‘Champers.’ It struck me that amongst the many comments about idyllic locations, comfortable camping beds, and beautiful walks, there were also many shared thoughts leaning more towards the spiritual. This didn’t surprise me but the more I reflected on it, the more intrigued I became. Not only were these historic churches (still consecrated with occasional services) being repurposed and perhaps almost marketed to a new (or existing) audience of tourists, but I wondered;

  • To what extent they were still offering visitors a space to dwell or briefly reflect upon spirituality and faith?
  • To what extent and how are these ‘Champing’ sites, or non-champing heritage sites revealing continuity in faith throughout time and what could they reveal about expressions of religious and non-religious worldviews in Britain today?

Current research and the CCT

This is of course an enormous area of research and there is such a wealth of high-quality literature and research to draw upon and learn from already. I would however, like to focus specifically on the Churches Conservation Trust heritage sites in the hope that my further research, and potential resource-building for the RE classroom might benefit those seeking to include local studies in their curriculum in a way that reflects the current shifts in RE. I have secured a helpful partnership with the Learning and Interpretation Officer at the Churches Conservation Trust, and she made an interesting point that there are many CCT sites, which are all free to access with some existing programmes for teachers.

Moving forwards, it is my hope that in partnership, we can incorporate fresh research into the historic and current use of the CCT sites, drawing on rich qualitative research methods to gain a deeper understanding of the motivations and experiences of those visiting the sites, in both ‘champing’ and non-champing CCT churches and heritage sites.

Pilgrimage and curriculum materials

Some of the CCT sites also have fascinating links to pilgrimage and I think they might be well-placed to help examine the ways in which pilgrims and tourists, both past and present, have used the churches. This will also allow reflection on what this might suggest about religious and non-religious worldviews in a local context today. I hope to  draw on existing literature, and develop some high-quality, research-based curriculum materials incorporating ways of knowing and local case studies, with a specific RE focus in CCT churches and historic sites. This will hopefully bring a welcome contribution to local units focusing on pilgrimage, the history of Christianity, and worldviews today.

Next steps

The second year of the CSTG Leadership Scholarship Programme will hold opportunities to undertake the required research before planning and creating a new programme of resources for young people and their teachers, focusing initially on North Yorkshire. After evaluating the pilot project, there will be the opportunity to extend this further.

From the summer where an idea took hold, to a summer where it’s coming together…I hope my journey will offer something helpful for the RE community and inspirational for our young people.

About

Mary Lou Byrne is a Director of Learning, Humanities, in a North Yorkshire secondary school. She leads RE and is an active member of her local SACRE. Mary Lou is currently in her first year of the Culham St Gabriel’s Leadership Scholarship Programme.

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Inspiration and Evolution: RE in Alternative Provision

Nish Sabur | 16 July, 2026

I work at a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) in Southwest Hertfordshire, collaborating with 15 secondary and 69 primary schools. Our dual focus is on preventative intervention and supporting students who have been permanently excluded from mainstream education, offering them a vital second chance at success.

I have always felt Religious Education (RE) could be a subject area that could bring so much interest and inspiration to my students in the PRU. As a history educator I have actively immersed myself in the local RE community in order to develop specialism in this subject area. I joined the Hertfordshire Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) to offer a unique perspective from the alternative provision sector, while simultaneously forging strong collaborative links with local Heads of RE.

While local networking and my work on SACRE gave me a solid regional overview, I applied for the Culham St Gabriel’s (CSTG) Leadership Programme to gain a broader national perspective and deepen my subject knowledge. Ultimately, I wanted to transition from feeling like an outsider to becoming a confident, informed advocate for the subject.

Discovering the Power of a Religion and Worldviews Approach

The initial phase of the leadership scholarship programme focused heavily on the paradigm shift to a religion and worldviews approach. Guided by my mentor and the excellent e-learning modules on the Culham St Gabriel e-learning website, I began planning a new curriculum using a trial class. As a History teacher, I love bringing the past to life, and as a Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE) teacher, I thrive on connecting topics to real-world issues. A Religion and Worldviews approach perfectly marries these two passions.

A religion and worldviews approach offered me the professional freedom to teach in a way that truly aligns with my instructional style. More importantly, it provided a powerful hook to re-engage the often disillusioned and vulnerable students I work with, making the subject matter deeply personal and relevant to them.

Bringing Religion and Worldviews to Life Through Malcolm X

In my history classes, Malcolm X was always a figure who captivated students; he was charismatic, flawed, deeply inspirational, and naturally polarising. By blending historical inquiry with RE, I created a scheme of work exploring Malcolm X’s complex spiritual journey against the backdrop of the turbulent American Civil Rights movement.

Testing the Approach: Staff Engagement and Professional Learning

Before introducing the resources to students, I trialled them with staff during CPD. I wanted both teaching and non-teaching staff to appreciate the vital role of religion in modern society and to experience a religion and worldviews approach first-hand.

I admit I was apprehensive; I worried a 1-hour-and-45-minute session on religion might face a room of unenthusiastic faces. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The staff were utterly spellbound by the narrative. Questions poured in, and we actually ran out of time! In 21 years of delivering CPD, I have never experienced such an overwhelming wave of positive emails and hallway conversations in the days that followed.

When Students Don’t Want the Lesson to End

Armed with staff approval, the next step was the classroom. I introduced Malcolm X to a group of students who had never heard of him. In doing so, I accidentally created a wonderful problem for myself: our lessons are strictly 40 minutes long, but when the bell rang, the students refused to move. They actively demanded that we skip their next lesson so they could find out what happened next!

I am currently mapping out our Key Stage 3 and 4 curricula alongside other non-specialists in my department, collaboratively planning and upskilling them to deliver these lessons. Looking ahead, we are researching how to interweave broader humanities themes; such as geography, sociology, and politics to create a truly multidisciplinary religion and worldviews curriculum.

What Has Worked in Alternative Provision

For students in Alternative Provision I have found the ideas below to be useful

  • Engage through relevance: A religion and worldviews approach connects with students’ lived experiences and supports re-engagement.
  • Use powerful narratives: Story-led enquiries, such as Malcolm X, draw students in through character and real-world context.
  • Stay flexible: Adapting content and pedagogy helps meet diverse needs in alternative provision.
  • Think across subjects: Linking RE with history, PSHE and humanities deepens understanding and relevance.
  • Build staff confidence: CPD and collaboration are vital where non-specialists teach RE.
  • Share the perspective: Alternative provision offers valuable insights into inclusive and innovative RE.

Becoming a Leader of RE

While I have held leadership roles for some time, this first year of the programme has helped me embrace my identity specifically as a leader of RE. It has been a powerful reminder that no matter how experienced you are, true leadership requires continuous learning and daily experimentation. Moving forward, the network of peers I have met on this programme; with whom I regularly collaborate, debate, and share resources—will continue to be a vital sounding board, driving my practice forward.

About

Nish Sabur is the Centre Lead for Humanities and Personal Development at Chessbrook ESC in Watford. A passionate advocate for inclusive, high-quality education, Nish sits on the Hertfordshire SACRE, where he expertly advises schools on how to deliver meaningful Religious Education (RE) within alternative provision (AP) and Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) settings. Nish has completed Year 1 of the CSTG Leadership Scholarship Programme and next year is working on an alternative provision project with CSTG.

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The Power of Pupil Voice in RE

Liz Manning | 07 July, 2026

With so much current focus on oracy development in schools, my school, like many others, has been implementing approaches to strengthen speaking and listening. While this is not new, the renewed emphasis has sharpened how we help pupils to:

  • Speak well
  • Share their thoughts and opinions clearly
  • Listen to others more intently
  • Agree and disagree well
  • Consider the opinions of others

Since working with the national charity Voice 21, we have embedded oracy strategies that support these skills. Alongside improved communication, pupils are developing wider, transferable skills for life beyond the classroom. These include learning from others, deepening understanding, building relationships and speaking appropriately in different contexts. So, whilst the development of speaking and listening has always been prominent in my school, the focus on techniques and shared practices enhancing oracy development, is making a positive impact on pupils.

Through professional development and reading, I have become increasingly aware of how well oracy aligns with the RE curriculum, particularly with the development of personal knowledge. The film Nobody Stands Nowhere highlights how everyone has a worldview shaped by their experiences. Pupils enter the classroom with their own perspectives, formed through family, community, religion, and education.

Creating Space for Pupil Voice

In RE lessons and across the curriculum, pupils’ personal knowledge often emerges through structured talk. I now plan explicitly for:

  • Debates
  • Discussions
  • Speaking and listening activities

Providing regular opportunities to practise these skills helps pupils develop confidence over time. More importantly, it supports them in understanding both themselves and others. When oracy and personal knowledge work together, pupils are better equipped to engage with diverse viewpoints and live well in a plural society.

Context Matters

I work in a culturally diverse Church of England school, where most pupils come from Islamic backgrounds. We also have pupils identifying as Christian, some from Hindu Dharma traditions, and an increasing number with no religious affiliation. This diversity means pupils bring a rich range of knowledge and perspectives into the classroom. Thoughtful planning is essential to ensure all voices are heard and valued.

Oracy in Practice

In a Year 1 unit on sacred places, oracy and personal knowledge are embedded throughout.

  • Pupils begin by sorting familiar and unfamiliar artefacts linked to places of worship between hoops. They discuss what they recognise, what they know, what might be important and what they want to find out. They are encouraged to notice similarities and differences. It is interesting to hear pupils share their prior knowledge with their peers Careful use of oracy strategies ensures a wide range of voices are heard respectfully.
  • In a later lesson, after pupils had been to visit both a mosque and a church, the What happens in…?  resource from RE Today is used to raise discussions. Large cutaway drawings of both places of worship are looked at and, working in small groups initially using sentence stems, pupils share how they know the picture represents a mosque or a church. During this part of the activity, it is interesting to see how pupil knowledge has developed within the unit.

One pupil explained:

“I do not think this is a mosque because look at their feet. They haven’t taken their shoes off! It is important to take your shoes off in a mosque but you can keep them on in a church.” 

This 5 year old pupil was able to use his prior and developed personal knowledge to deduce his response and articulate this clearly to his peers.

Practical Strategies

My top tips for using oracy and personal knowledge to enable effective learning:

  • Structured time is prioritised for pupils to share prior understanding, hear the views of others and compose responses.
  • Pupils are purposefully grouped to enable more effective discussions.
  • Roles are delegated to ensure all pupils are involved in discussions.
  • Scaffolds such as stem sentences are available to support discussions that build on the ideas of others.
  • Teacher modelling and open question prompts support the learning throughout the lesson.
  • Through teacher direction, the lesson is divided into smaller parts to promote purposeful discussions.
  • Misconceptions are addressed and further learning opportunities are utilised throughout the lesson.

Why It Matters

Planned opportunities for oracy are essential in RE. They ensure that all pupils can participate, particularly when learning is carefully scaffolded. In a busy curriculum, it is vital to make time for pupils to explore their own thinking and respond to others.

When used well, oracy becomes a powerful tool for developing pupil voice. It allows pupils to express their ideas, reflect on their beliefs and engage meaningfully with different worldviews. In doing so, it unlocks the full potential of RE as a subject that supports both knowledge and personal development.

I would be interested to hear how you build pupils’ personal knowledge through oracy in your setting. How do you prioritise time, structure opportunities and scaffold learning to support every pupil to contribute?

About

Liz Manning is a KS1 teacher and the Faith, RE and Community Lead at St Michael’s Church of England Primary School in Bolton. She is currently a member of the NATRE Executive and Steering Group. Liz serves on Bolton SACRE as the RE Lead and Vice Chair. As part of her work for Bolton SACRE, she is a Leading Teacher for RE. In this role, she jointly supports primary RE Leads in the local area. Liz is both a passionate teacher and RE Lead. Believing strongly in the benefits of excellent religion and worldview learning in education, she enjoys supporting schools and RE Leads across Bolton. Alongside the team of Leading Teachers, she has recently taken on the role as a NATRE Local Group leader.

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Culham St Gabriel’s Trust Welcomes Sector-Wide Consensus for a New RE National Curriculum

Dr Kathryn Wright | 03 July, 2026

Dr Kathryn Wright, CEO, and Dr Linda Whitworth, Chair of Trustees, today welcomed the Secretary of State for Education’s announcement that the sector has reached consensus, allowing religious education programmes of study for the national curriculum to move forward to consultation. They described the proposed reform as a “once‑in‑a‑generation opportunity to ensure high‑quality RE for every child in every school”.

Kathryn Wright, CEO, stressed the importance of this moment:

“This consensus is a historic moment for the subject. The proposed national curriculum for RE is a commitment to equity, coherence, and opportunity for all young people. It ensures every child, regardless of geography or school type, receives the high‑quality RE they are entitled to.”

Consensus achieved across the sector

The Trust highlighted the substantial progress made over the last few years within the sector, including the publication of the National Content Standard for RE (2023), which has helped professionalise and strengthen curriculum design.

Leaders across the education community – teachers, CEOs, diocesan directors, academics, advisory bodies, and pupils -have increasingly recognised the fragility of the current system and the need for reform. Polling, media coverage, and responses from schools show a clear appetite for a coherent, fair, and future‑proofed national approach.

Linda Whitworth, Chair of Trustees, said:

“Consensus is not about everyone thinking the same way; it’s about a shared commitment to doing what is right for children. A proposed national curriculum creates the secure foundation we need for diversity in RE to thrive in every school”.

Nansi Ellis, Vice Chair of Trustees, said:

“This is a significant step forward for the system as a whole. A shared national curriculum for RE will bring much-needed coherence and clarity, while still enabling professional judgement and local responsiveness. It reflects the kind of collaborative, evidence-informed policy-making the sector has been working towards for many years”.

Consensus achieved across the sector

The Trust views this moment as rare and significant. The proposed reform offers the possibility of finally overcoming decades of fragmentation while strengthening RE for future generations.

The Trust calls on teachers, school leaders, policymakers, parents, and supporters of high‑quality education to celebrate this sector wide consensus and to stand behind this landmark opportunity. This is a pivotal moment for Religious Education and a significant step forward for the common good.

Press and Media enquiries to: hannah@cstg.org.uk

Culham St Gabriel’s is a endowed charitable foundation championing religion and worldviews education. www.cstg.org.uk

About

Dr Kathryn Wright is CEO of Culham St Gabriel's Trust

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A decade on: What has changed in teaching about humanism?

Luke Donnellan | 30 June, 2026

I can remember my first Strictly RE conference in 2016. We had a stall and a banner, but the Understanding Humanism website hadn’t even launched. Teachers approached to ask ‘Who are you?’ and ‘What is humanism?’ Not everyone. Some teachers were familiar, but general subject knowledge wasn’t strong and many teachers lacked the confidence to teach about non-religious worldviews.

Understanding humanism recently celebrated its 10th birthday and a decade on things feel very different. At Strictly we’re now much more likely to hear ‘We use your resources in our school,’ and ‘Our students love learning about humanism.’

There has been a real sea change in inclusion of non-religious worldviews. NATRE’s survey in 2024 revealed 71% of primary schools were teaching about non-religious worldviews such as humanism, up from 36% in 2016. Secondary schools have moved slower, perhaps as GCSE remains focused on teaching about two religions. However there has still been growth and NATRE’s 2023 survey said ‘Non-religious worldviews, usually Humanism is now taught as commonly and, in some cases, more commonly than some of the religious worldviews at key stage 3.’

Since we launched, the resources on the Understanding Humanism website have been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times; we’ve trained over 3000 teachers, supporting them with their subject knowledge and providing practical ideas for the classroom; and our school speakers have spoken to half a million young people, answering their many insightful questions. (Our speakers say that, however hard they prepare, young people will always surprise them!) We now speak to ten times more young people every year than we did when we started.

We’ve launched over 500 resources for primary and secondary schools, from Early Years to sixth form, including popular animations (such as One life, live it well, with Alice Roberts, and our recent short film What is secularism?), resources to support students taking their religious studies GCSE, our Humanist Heritage website, and our online courses, taken by over 20,000 people. Humanists now sit on 160 of the 170 SACRES across England and Wales, and humanism is referenced on nearly every locally agreed syllabus.

One significant shift in the quality of teaching about the non-religious has been an increased focus on what they do believe in, rather than what they don’t. No longer can an investigation into some of the flaws in the ontological argument for the existence of a god constitute enough to say one has covered non-religious worldviews. Good classroom practice focuses on the ways humanists describe their humanism, the values and goals they hold, the way they live their lives (it’s about much more than atheism). We’ve provided quotes, case studies, and interviews to help illustrate the humanist approach to life.

We’ve also sought to support teaching and learning through models that connect humanist beliefs and values: for example, through the humanist understanding of human nature, our capacities, and our potential. More about this model and our accompanying animation can be found here. I’d love to hear more about what is happening in classrooms. What is working for you? What challenges do you face? Get in touch and let me know.

Much of the positive change has happened not because of changes from the top but because of the good work of teachers on the ground, recognising the need for teaching about religion and worldview that reflects the young people in their classrooms and the world they live in.

There is still, however, a long way to go. Many young people still don’t encounter humanism at school or have the opportunity to hear about non-religious perspectives on life’s big questions. Sometimes teachers still don’t feel confident they have the subject knowledge. There is still a lot of confusion about what is and isn’t a non-religious worldview.

My hope is that we’ll soon see religion and worldviews on the National Curriculum and a subject that will explicitly include the requirement for all young people to learn about humanism – a subject fit for purpose in 21st century Britain. Whatever happens, Understanding Humanism will be here to help teachers with their needs.

About

Luke Donnellan is the Director of Understanding Humanism at Humanists UK where he manages Humanists UK’s school speakers programme, teacher CPD, and the production of educational resources. He is the co-author of Understanding Humanism (Routledge, 2023) and a former primary school teacher.

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The Knotty Problem of Buddhism within Religious Education in England and the possibility of a National Curriculum

Romana Meereis | 25 June, 2026

Romana Meereis recently shared her research at the June 2026 Association of University Lecturers of Religion and Education (AULRE)/Association of Religious Education Inspectors, Advisers and Consultants (AREIAC) conference.

Why focus on Buddhism in RE?

Before I started my PhD, I tutored Buddhism at GCSE and A-Level and heard from lots of pupils that were they struggling with the material and said that their teachers were too. So, I decided to make the focus of my doctorate on Buddhism in English Religious Education, with the aim of helping the pupils and teachers I had heard from. Three years later and I’ve realised what realistic and feasible change is, and that the curricula we have today is based on fifty-years of compromise, with many people trying their best and continuously advocating for the best Religious Education possible. So, if widespread change is not yet secured (and if it is, it won’t be very quick!) what elements could be amended to improve the Buddhism syllabus in England?

What the research reveals

More recently I have been looking specifically at Buddhism for 11–14-year-olds in England, so these points come directly from that;

  • The use of canonical languages: oftentimes two of the Buddhist canonical languages are used alongside each other, without an explanation of their differences. Sometimes it could make sense, using Sanksrit karma instead of Pali kamma, because karma is already a familiar word in English. But when we get to longer words like dependant origination – Pratītyasamutpāda (Sanskrit) or Paticcasamuppāda (Pali) – things become more difficult and the lack of clarity could do nothing but cause confusion!
  • References and pictures: textbooks for 11–14-year-olds seem to be quite formulaic and want every page to have at least one-two pictures. This can lead to tangentially related pictures being included, some with vague captions, and only provided with references for pictures insofar as their copyright. These factors all together make it more difficult to do any further research, if there’s a photograph of a Buddha statue, the caption only says that it’s a statue, and the reference credits the photographer how can you dig any deeper into the where, when, and how of the statue?
  • Activities: Some activities portray Buddhism as a very-strict monolith in a way that is “unrecognisable” to Buddhists (Fujiwara, 2019). The activity in question (abbreviated), “a man gets a job he needs to support his family, but it would be as a butcher. As a Buddhist, what should he do?” I think they’re looking for an answer around the conflict of not wanting to cause any harm but also needing to earn money.

Rethinking curriculum and resources: possible approaches

Let’s say that we can only change one aspect of RE, below are a few thoughts I’ve had about how this may look in practice, but I would be interested to hear how you would feel about them, or how you would navigate these changes in your classroom:

Scenario 1: The “ideal” textbook

Whilst browsing you have found a new textbook written by specialist academics and it is aimed at A-Level to first-year undergraduates. You buy the textbook, love and use it in your lessons, and then find that lots of the content within goes much further than what is specified in the A-Level syllabus.

Or

You find a new textbook written by academics specifically for the A-Level syllabus but every page has some caveats in it. The academics who wrote the textbook have kept to the syllabus, but as they believe it only demonstrates a fraction of the wide Buddhist traditions, they have honoured that feeling by adding lots of further knowledge, despite understanding that it is not strictly necessary or recognised by the exam boards.

Scenario 2: Curriculum Guidance and exam alignment

A new Locally Agreed Syllabus has been introduced in your Local area and is being implemented in your school. They have overhauled the syllabus, and it now has really detailed section dedicated to Buddhism, with a glossary and lots of additional resources. You teach this to your students and know that they will be taking a GCSE Buddhism option, but lots of what they will be learning is (as above) not strictly necessary or recognised by the exam boards.

Or

The exam boards rewrite their syllabuses to become more detailed and reflect the breadth of Buddhist traditions worldwide. They provide some resources, but haven’t yet released a textbook as they’re unsure if it will be commercially viable.

  • How would you feel if any of these options became a reality?
  • Which would you choose?

Towards a more coherent future for RE

The issues I’m trying to highlight are the knotty problems that arise when different areas of the curriculum change out-of-step with each other. Resources or updated curricula are great, but they can add to a workload if they aren’t supported by other areas. There is a possible resolution to these issues, although it certainly won’t be a perfect one-size-fits-all solution, it could help to streamline processes and allow for more widespread change, with (hopefully) new resources to go along with it – RE being made a part of the national curriculum in England. We’re currently in limbo waiting to find outwhether or not RE will be placed in the National Curriculum, but I’m hopeful, I know that it won’t fix everything, but I believe it will be a good step to creating a curriculum which is more representative across a number of religious and non-religious worldviews, and hopefully will come with good quality specialist-approved resources to remove the burden of finding or making resources from teachers.

Please reach out to me to discuss your thoughts, at romana.meereis@education.ox.ac.uk, or at Linkedin.

About

Romana Meereis is a final year DPhil (PhD) student at the University of Oxford, researching Buddhism within Religion and Worldviews in secondary education. She is currently working with Culham St Gabriel’s Trust and the RE Council supporting work on Buddhism and RE resources. She is passionate about lived religion and improving access to high-quality, inclusive materials for the classroom.

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Book Review: Secondary Religious Education in Action

Dee Cowan | 22 May, 2026

Joe Kinnaird

Hachette Learning

Joe Kinnaird’s Secondary Religious Education in Action offers a clear and practical guide to teaching Religious Education (RE) in modern schools. While much of the book explains curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment, one unusual and thought-provoking idea stands out: the claim that the name of the subject “RE” is misleading and limiting.

Kinnaird argues that debates about whether the subject should be called “Religious Education”, “Religious Studies”, or “Religion and Worldviews” are a “red herring” (a distraction). Instead, he believes teachers should concentrate on the purpose of the subject, curriculum design, and classroom thinking. This is unusual because many educators strongly believe that the name of a subject shapes how it is understood and valued.

This idea links to wider debates in education. For example, the Commission on Religious Education (2018) recommended changing the subject name to “Religion and Worldviews” to better reflect diversity and modern society. This suggests that names do matter, as they influence how inclusive and relevant a subject feel (CoRE, 2018). However, Kinnaird challenges this by suggesting that practice matters more than labels.

There is strength in Kinnaird’s argument. In many schools, RE suffers from low status, limited time, and inconsistent delivery. The book highlights that many schools do not even meet their legal duty to teach RE properly. In this context, changing the name alone may not solve deeper problems. Kinnaird is right to push teachers to focus on high-quality teaching, rich knowledge, and meaningful discussion. As Ofsted (2021) argues, the quality of curriculum and teaching has a far greater impact on learning than superficial changes.

However, there are also weaknesses in this view. Ignoring the importance of language may underestimate how powerful words can be. The term “Religious Education” can suggest a focus on religion alone, which may exclude non-religious worldviews. In a society where 37% of people identify as having “no religion”, this could make the subject feel outdated or irrelevant. A name like “Religion and Worldviews” may help students see the subject as broader and more inclusive.

In addition, names shape identity. Subjects like “science” or “history” are taken seriously partly because their names are clear and widely understood. If RE has multiple names across schools, this can cause confusion and reduce its status.

Overall, Kinnaird’s argument is valuable because it shifts attention to what really happens in the classroom. His focus on student thinking, critical enquiry, and understanding human experience reflects the deeper purpose of RE. However, his dismissal of the importance of naming may be too simple. Both language and practice matter.

In conclusion, Secondary Religious Education in Action is a useful and engaging book. Its most unusual idea; that the subject’s name does not matter—encourages readers to think critically about what RE is really for. Even if one disagrees, it opens an important debate about the future of the subject.

An illuminating book-vital reading for all involved in secondary Religious Education.

About

Dee Cowan is a secondary school Religious Education teacher and ECT1 in a school in Surrey, developing my practice through classroom experience and educational research.  I have a strong interest in the academic study if religion and l am enjoying teaching Old Testament Hebrew and New Testament Greek to deepen understanding of sacred texts. Dee is part of the Culham St Gabriels Masters Scholarship programme.

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How We Use ‘Ways of Knowing’ in Our New Trust RE Curriculum

Natalie Parkin | 22 May, 2026

During the last academic year I have been in the fortunate position of having the opportunity to design from scratch our Trust-wide curriculum. As part of this I wanted greater clarity about the kinds of knowledge students encounter in Religious Education.

Not just what they learn—but how that knowledge is constructed.

RE draws on multiple disciplines: theology, philosophy, sociology, history, psychology to name just a few. But too often, these are blurred together. Students learn content, but not how that knowledge is shaped, interpreted, or contested. But we also need to recognise the starting point of our students, introducing such terms too early risks disengaging pupils.

Therefore in our curriculum, I’ve taken a slightly different approach: build the thinking first—then name it.

Year 7: building knowledge through multiple lenses

Our Y7 programme is grounded in substantive knowledge and comparison.

Students explore both Dharmic and Abrahamic traditions, building breadth before moving into greater depth within the Abrahamic faiths. Along the way, they begin to encounter different ways of knowing—without these being explicitly labelled.

  • They work with religious texts, exploring what these might mean and how they shape lived religion.
  • They act as “data detectives”, using sources such as census data to explore patterns of belief and belonging.
  • They study the history of religion in the UK, considering how religious traditions have shaped—and been shaped by—historical events.

By the time students reach our unit on the person and nature of Jesus, they are beginning to bring these strands together. Here, the lens is primarily theological and historical:

  • What do Biblical and non-Biblical sources say about Jesus?
  • How have these accounts been interpreted?
  • How has his life and teaching influenced belief and practice over time?

Students are not just learning about Jesus—they are beginning to engage with questions of interpretation, influence, and meaning. But at this stage, we are not labelling these approaches. We are simply ensuring students are doing them.

Year 8: making ways of knowing explicit

At the start of Year 8, we make the shift visible.

Students encounter an explicit unit asking: What does it mean to study religion academically? Here, we introduce lenses such as theology, sociology, psychology, and history.

We explore ideas of bias, perspective, and interpretation. Students begin to see that different disciplines ask different questions—and may reach different conclusions.

The aim here is for a moment of clarity – what they experienced in Year 7 is now named and organised. They have prior knowledge and experience onto which to connect this new learning.

Following this, students apply these lenses to the study of lived religion across Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, and Muslim traditions. They explore not just beliefs, but how these are lived out—and how they have developed over time. The historical lens remains important here: religion is not static, you cannot understand the current manifestation of a faith without understanding its history.

Year 9: thinking more critically

By Year 9, students are ready to engage more explicitly and critically.

They begin to think as philosophers—exploring questions of morality, truth, and meaning. They evaluate arguments, compare traditions with greater precision, and recognise complexity within and between religions.

Because the groundwork has been laid, this feels like a natural progression rather than a leap.

It is important to note that this is the first year of implementation of this curriculum. While it has been carefully planned as a three-year journey, we have not yet seen a full cohort move from Year 7 into Year 8 and into Year 9, encountering the explicit teaching of these disciplinary lenses. What we are seeing so far is promising, but this is work in progress. The real test will be how successfully students make those connections over time.

Why this matters

Across our Trust, RE is taught for one hour per week at Key Stage 3, often by non-specialists. Our curriculum needed to be clear, coherent, and teachable, while still maintaining academic depth.

Focusing on ways of knowing has helped us achieve that balance.

It gives structure to the subject, supports teachers in understanding what kind of thinking is required, and helps students move beyond surface-level answers.

Perhaps most importantly, it shifts RE away from being seen as a subject of “opinions” and towards one rooted in structured, academic thinking.

By the time students encounter terms like theology or sociology, they have already experienced them in action. The language doesn’t introduce something new—it gives shape to something familiar.

If there is one principle underpinning our approach, it is this: build the thinking first, name it later.

About

Natalie Parkin is the Strategic Lead for Religious Studies and Personal Development at a large Multi-Academy Trust in the North of England. She supports 28 secondary schools in curriculum development, alongside teaching A Level Religious Studies, and has a passion for ensuring every student receives high-quality RE, regardless of postcode or staffing. Currently Natalie is coming to the end of her second year of the Culham St Gabriel's Leadership Scholarship Programme

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From “What Do They Believe?” to “Does It Make Sense?”: Using Philosophical Tools in Secondary RE

Greg Parekh | 21 May, 2026

In all I do I always start with vision. What do I want great RE to look like and what is best for the pupils in front of me?

If we are preparing students to navigate an increasingly complex, multi-faceted and diverse world, they need more than knowledge. They need to think well. That’s why I am convinced a multi-disciplinary, academically rigorous and engaging RE curriculum is the way forward.

I often think of this through the image of a stained-glass window.

  • The glass is the substantive knowledge: beliefs, texts, practices.
  • The lead is the disciplinary knowledge: theology, philosophy, social sciences.
  • The light is the student: their worldview, questions and reflections.

Without the structure, the glass is just fragments. Without the light, it has no meaning. High-quality RE brings all three together.

A disciplinary approach matters because it moves us beyond learning about religion into thinking with it. It gives students access to how scholars make sense of the world; through interpretation, reasoning and evaluation.

One of the most powerful ways to do this is through a philosophical lens.

What does a philosophical lens mean?

Using a philosophical lens means treating RE as a space for big questions, careful reasoning and conceptual precision.

It shifts us from:

  • What do people believe?

to

  • Does this idea make sense?
  • What follows if it’s true?
  • How convincing is this argument?

In my classroom, this centres on three things:

  • Clarifying concepts
  • Constructing arguments
  • Engaging with disagreement

Importantly, this doesn’t make RE more abstract—it makes thinking more visible.

What does this look like in practice?

For 11-14 year olds, this fits naturally within the Cornwall Agreed Syllabus, which we follow. The key is not to bolt philosophy on, but to draw it out of the enquiry questions already there.

Start with a big question

Instead of beginning with content, begin with a puzzle. For example, in some of the units of work we teach:

  • “How do Sikhs put ideas of equality and service into practice?”

 “Can people ever treat everyone equally?”

This opens up debate before exploring sewa and equality in Sikhi

  • “What is so radical about Jesus?”

“What makes an idea or person truly radical?”

Students can then test Jesus’ teachings against their own criteria

  • “The Buddha: how and why do his experiences and teachings have meaning for people today?”

“Can suffering ever be a good thing?”

Creates a strong philosophical bridge into the Four Noble Truths

  • “How far does it make a difference if you believe in life after death?” – “Would you live differently if you knew what happens after death?”. Sets up the entire evaluative focus of the unit

Use thought experiments

When teaching Buddhism, I use the Ship of Theseus to explore identity. I begin with a philosophical problem:

If something changes completely over time, is it still the same thing?

Students then apply this to themselves:

  • If your body changes, are you still the same person?
  • If your memories change, what makes you you?

I probe their thinking:

  • “What makes you think that?”
  • “Could someone disagree?”

Students begin to:

  • clarify what they mean by “self”
  • give reasons
  • recognise alternative views

Only then do I introduce the Buddha’s teaching of anatta (no fixed self). At this point, it isn’t just new information—it’s a response to a question they already care about.

We then evaluate:

  • Does this idea make sense?
  • What are its strengths?
  • What might challenge it?

The thought experiment isn’t just a hook—it structures the lesson. Students are thinking philosophically, not just learning content.

Teach the language of argument

If we want students to write academically, they need to be able to think and to talk like philosophers and therefore we must teach them how to build arguments.

In the unit “Should Christians be greener than everyone else?”, I begin with a question:

Do Christians have a greater responsibility to care for the environment than others?

I model a reasoned argument:

  • “One reason for this is that Christians believe the world is God’s creation…”
  • “However, this might be challenged because people of any worldview can care for the environment.”

Students then practise:

  • “One reason for this is…”
  • “This might be challenged because…”

I probe their thinking:

  • “Why is that a strong reason?”

Only then do we introduce stewardship and dominion. Students evaluate these ideas, not just learn them.

The result? Students move from “I think” to structured reasoning—in both discussion and writing.

In summary

Using philosophical tools doesn’t require a complete overhaul.

The most important shifts are small:

  • Start with better questions
  • Build in thinking time
  • Insist on reasons
  • Normalise disagreement

When these become routine, the impact is clear. Students speak with more confidence, write with more precision, and engage more deeply. We are moving through a sphere of good knowledge and understanding towards deep thinking and philosophical discussion.

About

Greg Parekh is a Head of RE and T&L lead. He is on the NATRE exec, and is a professional consultant to Cornwall SACRE. He is currently participating in the Culham St Gabriel's Leadership Scholarship Programme.

See all posts by Greg Parekh

Why Do You Think That? Using Philosophy to Deepen Learning in Primary RE

John Semmens | 21 May, 2026

In this RE:Online focus week ‘Ways of Knowing: Diving into Different Disciplines’ we asked several teachers to share how they use a particular discipline in their classroom. John Semmens is a primary school teacher and philosophy expert. He shares one way of introducing the tools of philosophy into the classroom.

Philosophy, meaning love of wisdom, is an ancient field of study that encompasses huge swathes of human enquiry. Philosophy concerns itself with questions like:

What is real?

How do we know?

How should we live?

What is the point of life?

These Big Questions can take your classroom enquiry to encounter many exciting places and ideas. However, it is difficult to pin down exactly what philosophy is and how it might be used in the RE classroom. As there is a philosophy of almost everything it can be a wishy-washy subject. It can also be a deeply elitist subject full of obscurantism and excessive verbiage. It has a ‘canon’ which can obscure its global and historical diversity and can easily be taught without leaving Europe at all. But it is a universal subject, found in everywhere from Africa, to China, to Baghdad, to Greece and throughout British history. If you are looking to get closer to authentic voices from other cultures then philosophy can help.

Why?

For anyone who has spent any time around small children they will have been asked this question, sometimes hundreds of times a day. In the classroom this question comes up often, and it is good practice to turn the question round and ask, ‘Why do you think?’  This invites children to call upon their own knowledge and understanding, using whatever wisdom they might have to construct a hypothesis. Why not introduce the Socratic Method to class discussions?  You might find that you teach like Socrates already by eliciting understanding from the child rather than simply topping up their heads with knowledge as if they were empty vases. Questioning the world, testing ideas and thinking about your thinking makes for stronger thinkers, after all.

Who?

Who to study is a complex question. I have a philosophy timeline on my wall that ranges all over the world and begins in Ancient Egypt with Ptahhotep and ends with Phillipa Foot, Peter Singer and Prof. Olúfẹ̣́mi Táíwò. It’s important to know at least a little about the people on the timeline so you can link children’s thoughts to the great thinkers of the past. Over the years children have contributed their own philosophers, if they’ve felt someone was missing, and each has struck a chord with that child for a particular reason. As many different cultures, religions and worldviews are present on the wall, the children can see that philosophy is something that all people do. It is part of their heritage, whatever that heritage may be.

How?

A great place to start is to look at a ‘Big Question’, perhaps it’s been raised in conjunction with another study – such as ‘the nature of God’. When looking into something like this, exploring deities from the monotheism of the Abrahamic faiths to the polytheism of Paganism, children might ask how much power does a/the God have? Exploring this question can take you to all sorts of interesting places and philosophy can be one of them. You can take a logical approach: If God is all powerful and all knowing (you could always trace where this idea comes from), does He know what I am going to do before I do it? Does that mean it’s ‘pre-decided’? Thinking about predestination can bring in thinkers from all over the world: Augustine of Hippo, Al‑Ghazālī of Persia, Śaṅkara of India, Chrysippus of Greece or John Calvin of France.  To forge a strong oracy focus you can indulge in wonderful class wide or small group discussions based on thought experiments[1] about actions and their causes, thinking about huge concepts like: Free Will and Fate, the Problem of Evil and Determinism. You can then challenge these classroom ideas with the words of great thinkers, simplified if needs be.

It is a good idea to set out some kind of structure for your class when bringing in philosophy. They aren’t just learning about philosophers, they are philosophers. So, thinking about thinking is the best place to start. Try something like:

In philosophy we:

  • Ask Big Questions – these cannot simply be ‘Googled’
  • Listen carefully – hear and even repeat back what someone else has said to make sure you’ve understood
  • Give reasons – ‘I think this because…’ as a way of ensuring children reason out their thoughts
  • Respect differences – understand that reasoning can lead to alternative conclusions
  • Change our minds when we need to – I tell my class that ‘you are not married to your ideas and can change your mind if necessary’.

As you can tell from this brief structure you are inviting children to think carefully, this is metacognition at its base and can be complex for some learners. The reasoning aspect is perhaps most important and encourages children to know what they think and why they think it. It is this examination[2] of ‘knowledge’ that makes for the most interesting use of philosophy.

Philosophy can be an articulated orally, it can also be written or expressed artistically. Importantly, it can be a lens to view fundamental questions where all the children in your class can join a conversation that has been raging through history since the dawn of language.

[1] For more on this: How I… teach Phillipa Foot’s Trolley problem to 9-year olds – RE:ONLINE

[2] For more on this: https://www.philosophyinks2.co.uk/post/philosophy-is-about-thinking-sedimentary-my-dear-watson

About

John is the new chair of Norfolk SACRE, blogs about philosophy and teaches in Norwich. Follow him on Twitter @philosophyinKS2 or read his blog at www.philosophyinks2.co.uk

See all posts by John Semmens