Global terms: Blog Categories

Leading an RE Hub: My Journey, Challenges, and Triumphs

Rosie Simons | 14 July, 2025

One of the things I appreciate most about the RE community is the culture of sharing resources and expertise. Teaching is hard, especially in a non-National Curriculum subject where curricula and schemes of work vary so significantly across the country. The generosity of teachers and advisers across the RE community is incredible and one of the most noticeable ways is through the existence of RE hubs. I have been a member of an RE hub for my entire teaching career, the same hub I now am leading. Across the England and Wales, RE-Hubs.uk lists 182 different hub groups supporting local RE communities, some are specialist primary or secondary groups, and some are cross-phase or even specifically A level focused. Many of these are affiliated to the National Association of teachers of RE (NATRE) who started growing and supporting local groups in the 1990’s! Each offers a rich variety of opportunities for teachers and the wider RE community.

I took over an RE hub in 2024, wanting to offer opportunities for local RE teachers to network, share good practice and support one another, but the journey has not been easy or straightforward.

Challenges

When? Our time is precious. Many of us have full teaching loads, families, lives outside of the classroom and giving up precious minutes after school to attend another meeting is not something everyone is able to commit to, before we even factor in the range of parent’s evenings, open evenings and staff meetings that may clash. Equally, not all schools have the time or budget to allow staff to attend during school hours.

Where? The choice between online, in person or hybrid meetings is difficult. Face-to-face meetings are great, there are so many more networking opportunities and conversations possible and the lure of tea and biscuits is always tempting, but the logistics of travel sometimes prohibit people from attending, especially true of my Lincolnshire hub. Online is potentially more accessible to some, but less enjoyable for others and limits some of the activities that can be undertaken.

What? Then the challenge arises as to what to offer in a meeting. The best hub sessions I have attended have offered tangible information or resources. They are fantastic opportunities to invite in speakers from different schools, from faith communities or experts in the RE community. A particularly memorable example was a session run by Birmingham RE Hub and Dr Rachel Jackson-Royal who had invited Dr Ian Jamison to speak on Hindu Dharma and the complexities of teaching the difference between ‘exam Hinduism’ and the realities of the lived religion.

So, what have a learned?

Attendance – will anyone actually turn up? Despite the imposter syndrome and anxiety kicking in, people have amazingly turned up to the meetings I’ve had. The key is to have things that people want to learn about or discuss. I surveyed my hub contact list for information about what they would like and what would benefit them as a starting point and also if they would be prepared to share a project or expertise they had to contribute to a future meeting.

Ask others – I resisted organising my first meeting for ages because I was so daunted by the idea of leading the hub and feeling underqualified to do so. I attended some training offered by NATRE, which I would definitely recommend. I spoke to a number of more experienced hub leads and found the difficulties I was experiencing were not unique to my area. I also attended some online hub meetings to get some advice and ideas. The one thing I quickly realised was that I didn’t have to do this all on my own. Many of the sessions I have attended included external speakers, members of faith communities, and lecturers and academics from universities. I surveyed the hub group and other colleagues and got plenty of offers for contributions to future meetings. Also showcase resources, articles and opportunities that already exist, don’t assume everyone knows about or has seen them.

Be organised – Plan with plenty of time ahead (I should really heed my own advice on that one!). Book the dates in early and get a plan for each session. Advertise widely – I have attended lots of sessions from other local groups across the country which have been fantastic. I inherited a mailing list, but response is often mixed. It’s worth advertising more widely and welcoming speakers from other hub groups.

Looking for a local hub to join or thinking of setting up your own? Have a look here: https://www.re-hubs.uk/ and https://www.natre.org.uk/about-natre/re-in-your-region/

About

Rosie Simons is a teacher of Religious Studies at William Farr School in Lincolnshire and leads the Lincolnshire RE Hub. Rosie is in her first year of the Culham St Gabriel's Leadership Scholarship Programme.

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Introducing Culham St Gabriel’s Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) course

Josh Cass | 07 July, 2025

“What would it feel like if someone restricted how I chose to celebrate my favourite religious festival?”

“How has the faith and belief make-up of my local area changed over time? Why?”

“Can I work to make my school community more welcoming to people who have a different faith or belief to me? What about the area where I live?”

These are the kinds of questions which children have come up with and explored as part of our Primary Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Project which now includes an e-Learning course.

Over the last three years, we have been working with RE teachers to think about how learning about FoRB can enrich the teaching of RE.

Speaking as a non-teacher, it was fascinating working with the talented teachers, who we supported to test out approaches in their classrooms to help their children engage with this unfamiliar topic. As part of that process, we produced two reports which you can read here and here and which have formed the basis of the new e-Learning course.

Importantly, teachers found that with some support and using the tools which we produced, that they could develop what we call a ‘FoRB lens’. This lens could then be applied to existing units of work. In other words, it was not necessary to develop whole new units and lesson plans. Rather, using the learning outcomes documents which we developed, they could generate stimulus questions for their children to generate classroom discussion and learning.

We have now turned the learning from those reports into an free, e-Learning course which you can find here. The course provides an introduction to FoRB, and how one might teach this concept in lessons for primary age pupils. Through the course, you learners consider what is meant by FoRB, some principles and recommendations for teaching FoRB in RE and what this might look like in the classroom using the experiences of other primary teachers. Learners will also look at learning outcomes for pupils.
Fundamentally, using a ‘FoRB Lens’ is not about adding lots of new content but instead taking opportunities to look at existing content in RE through a different lens.

We really hope that you enjoy using this course and that you let us know how you get on! It would be fantastic to hear about how you embed the lessons and approaches in your teaching and would love to see the kinds of approaches which you come up with!

About

Josh is Lead Consultant: Advocacy for Culham St Gabriel's

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How Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE) Opens Minds and Hearts in the Primary Classroom

Carrie Richards | 24 May, 2025

‘Mrs Richards! We’ve been exploring the big questions today in our class, It’s so much fun,’ a pupil calls out excitedly in the corridor.

‘I’ve been thinking about how God made the world,’ says another.

‘I emailed you my PowerPoint about Humanism, I can’t wait for the next RVE lesson!’

Moments like these remind me why I love teaching Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE). When it’s delivered with passion and creativity, it sparks curiosity and joy in pupils. It gives them the confidence to explore life’s big questions and connect with diverse worldviews. There’s nothing better than hearing, ‘This is my favourite subject,’ or ‘When is our next RVE lesson?’

So how do we bring that spark into every classroom?

I believe it starts with creating a safe and welcoming environment. Pupils need to feel comfortable enough to speak honestly, ask questions, and listen deeply. A respectful environment ensures that everyone’s voice is heard and valued, regardless of background, abilities, or opinions. Differences are embraced and appreciated. This sense of safety encourages pupils to reflect on who they are, what they believe, and how they relate to the world. Learning to respect the right for others to have their own worldview is key, as it helps pupils understand that not everyone sees the world in the same way, and that’s okay. In RVE, this respect for differing worldviews is essential.

One tool I introduced in my school to encourage open dialogue is the ‘Big Question Voting Board.’ This interactive activity presents pupils with a thought-provoking question, and they place a marker under ‘Yes,’ ‘Not sure,’ or ‘No’ to show their stance. This visual representation allows pupils to see a range of opinions, helping them understand that their own views are respected, and that differences are to be expected. It is the starting point for deep discussions and encourages active participation. Pupils also know they can change their marker if their view changes, empowering them to reflect on new information or perspectives.
The Welsh Curriculum places great emphasis on Cynefin-a Welsh word that directly translates as “habitat,” but carries a much deeper meaning. It describes the place where we feel we belong, shaped by our culture, community, environment, and relationships. This concept is embedded throughout the entire curriculum, helping learners reflect on the personal and societal influences that shape their worldviews.

In RVE, Cynefin is explored by helping pupils understand how religion and worldviews influence both personal identity and the communities around them. To bring this to life, schools can invite visitors from diverse religious and non-religious backgrounds, as well as members of the local community, to share their perspectives on the big questions. Visits to religious buildings such as mosques, churches, and mandirs can also be organised, allowing pupils to see how beliefs are not just abstract ideas but lived experiences that shape how people act and interact with the world. These authentic encounters help pupils connect with real people, break down stereotypes, build empathy, and recognise that despite differing worldviews, we all share common hopes, values, and connections. I’ll never forget a pupil, who shared months after a visitor came in, how that conversation had profoundly impacted his thoughts and behaviour for the better, leaving a lasting impression on his daily life.

To create rich experiences, a variety of interactive tools can be used in the classroom, such as storytelling, music, role play, exploring artefacts, and digital tools like Kahoot. Pupils become like detectives, investigating different religious and non-religious worldviews, piecing together information to understand them better. These hands-on activities make learning enjoyable, and when pupils enjoy what they’re learning, it stays with them, sparking a desire to explore more and think even deeper about the world around them.

RVE taps into pupils’ natural curiosity, offering them the space to explore new perspectives and understand themselves and others better. Through empathy, exploration, and reflection, pupils can develop a deeper connection to the world around them. When they realise their thoughts and the thoughts of others matter, true learning begins. By ensuring every pupil feels seen and heard, curiosity is ignited, helping them appreciate and respect diverse worldviews.

About

Carrie has been a Primary school teacher in South Wales for twenty years. She is the Religion, Values, and Ethics Lead at Gwyrosydd Primary School in Swansea. She is an active member of Swansea Sacre and is currently in her first year of the Culham St Gabriel's Leadership Scholarship programme.

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A View From Primary ITE: From Deep Dives to Aim Highs

Ellen Coefield | 23 May, 2025

Ellen is both a teacher of 5-7 year old pupils and an associate lecturer in Primary RE at Sheffield Hallam University
RE is one of my favourite things to teach. It is a subject that some children will know lots about but for others it will be a window into an undiscovered world. However, recent years have seen changes in primary RE from it being covered, in some schools, only during focus days and, quite inappropriately, within assemblies, to when OFSTED introduced subject ‘deep dives’ in England which has led to clearer curriculum planning and higher expectations in primary schools that did not previously take the subject seriously.

I have been teaching for 20 years in primary and infant schools both with and without a religious character. Alongside this, for the last 8 years, I have also worked as an associate lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University preparing ITE students for the rich tapestry that is RE in the primary classroom. This has been an eye-opening journey.

I start the majority of my PGCE and undergraduate sessions with the question “what RE have you already seen in school?” Back in 2018 this was often met with a sea of blank faces – now the room is a little more alive. However, when I ask students about their own experiences of RE, the blank faces remain. The reality is in many schools without a religious character RE is not a high-profile subject, it’s not the one the inspectors want to look at and I’m regularly told “the Teaching Assistant teaches it in my non-contact time”. As a result, many of the trainees I teach know as little if not less than my current Year Twos! For many of our young trainees RE is (by their own admission) the subject they know the least about or worry the most about teaching, and when asked why the answer time and time again is “because I don’t want to get it wrong”.

However, all is not lost! Through our revised Initial Teacher Education (ITE) RE curriculum at Sheffield Hallam the mood is shifting. The students are now working through a clear programme of detailed and relevant subject knowledge, encountering creative, engaging resources and lesson ideas whist having the opportunities to ask questions and look at how stories both religious and secular can be the foundation for high quality RE teaching.

For example, sharing the story of the Good Samaritan with students and allowing them to unpick what they knew before we introduced the parable and what they know now and why they think Jesus thought his listeners need to hear the story helps them to see how they would talk to a key stage 2 class about the same story. Sharing with them images of classical artwork which depict the story and then looking at and planning how an image can be used is vital in enabling students to see what RE can be in their classroom

A big part of teaching the teachers has been not only improving their own subject knowledge but also their understanding of what good RE looks like and sharing with them key resources such as the SHAP audio glossary to help them overcome their fear of mispronouncing key vocabulary. We spend time signposting and discussing what makes a reliable resource – for example the BBC series My Life, My Religion can be key to engaging the children with previously unknown faiths. This also comes with the caveat that while film resources can be excellent, chose your resources carefully. The cartoon of the baptism of the white, blue-eyed Jesus is likely not the one you should be using. However, the clip that uses the words of scripture in a way children can access whilst portraying Jesus as a man who looks like a person from the Middle East is what you should be looking for.

RE is not a bit like circle time or drawing a picture of the story, it is a subject where expectations are high, vocabulary is key and introducing new learning is vital. This is a very long way from the days when the Vicar might come and deliver an assembly or children take part in an Easter Bonnet Parade or the focus day where every class takes part in a Diwali dance workshop. Our students are leaving us ready to challenge these tired and outdated methods of teaching if they find them and so begin shaping more well-rounded citizens of the world.

About

Ellen Coefield has been teaching for 20 years in primary and infant schools both with and without a religious character. She worked for many years as an RE lead teacher in the Hallam Diocese delivering support and training across South Yorkshire Catholic schools. Alongside this, for the last 8 years, she has also worked as an associate lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University preparing ITE students for the rich tapestry that is RE in the primary classroom.

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Opening a Gateway to the World – The Role of Governing Boards as Champions of Religious Education

Sam Henson | 22 May, 2025

Governing boards find themselves at a critical crossroads as they seek to reflect the demands of the modern world through their ambition for the next generation of history makers and society shapers. One thing most boards agree on is that simply maintaining the status quo isn’t enough – the responsibility of supporting young people to step out on their own into a world exhausted by in the pace of change is immense. What school and trust decision makers decide to invest time and resources on, is not straightforward.

The late John Hull, an Emeritus Professor of Religious Education at the University of Birmingham, pointed to Religious Education (RE) as being something that could effectively address the universal need of “understanding the richness of human experience and the profound questions of meaning and purpose.” RE is often misunderstood as indoctrination, and some parents and stakeholders can be nervous about a ‘hidden agenda’. But in reality, RE provides a vital opening into wider societal understanding of what motivates billions of people across the globe. It isn’t just sociological or theological voices that promote the value of RE in a syllabus of learning, but also great scientific minds, perhaps most famously reflected in Albert Einstein’s stated belief that “science without religion is lame”.

Despite this, the quality of RE across the English education sector is inconsistent, bitty and hard to measure. While the upcoming curriculum review, described as a “once in a generation opportunity” may address some of these inconsistencies alongside foundational issues with the curriculum, and the introduction of the RE national standards, perhaps we need to address why governing boards should be thinking about where RE sits in their offering, asking themselves ‘are we advocates or opponents, or simply indifferent to this subject’s place in a child’s learning journey?’

Not another statutory obligation

When budgets tighten and timetables become crowded, it’s easy to allow the strategic parameters of governance to prevent board engagement in subject specific discussions. Perhaps slightly ironically, RE often faces marginalisation as a meaningful part of ‘mission-based’ conversations, despite its statutory status. Now more than ever, in a world where polarised views are becoming a disturbing norm, delivering on the ‘mission’ of equitable education opportunities through preparing pupils for the realities of society is 100% a strategic priority.

Recent research from University College London (UCL)* shows a correlation between “epistemic haves and have-nots” and broader social inequities. When schools fail to deliver robust RE, they inadvertently contribute to educational inequity, particularly affecting disadvantaged pupils in the development of a worldview that is so vital to mobility. So again, boards need to be seeing this not just about a conversation about a particular ‘subject’, but validity of the curriculum in equipping pupils with what is needed to live their lives.

A unique window on the world

Quality RE offers primary pupils something uniquely valuable: structured exploration of life’s biggest questions. For those governing primary schools, this means asking big questions:

  1. Is RE approached as part of an ambitious learning journey or simply a compliance matter?
  2. Do some pupils receive rich opportunities to develop critical thinking about diverse worldviews while others receive virtually none?

As strategic leaders, governing boards should:

  1. Champion RE’s place in a broad and balanced curriculum by asking informed questions about curriculum time, teacher expertise, and resource allocation.
  2. Monitor implementation, ensuring RE isn’t treated as an afterthought.
  3. Challenge misunderstandings about the subject’s purpose – RE is not simply about “respecting other religions” but developing worldviews.
  4. Connect RE to whole-school priorities like social cohesion and critical thinking.

As governors and trustees, we have the opportunity to advocate for a more coherent approach. When we champion RE, we stand for a future where all pupils have the ‘balanced’ window on the world they deserve.

About

Sam Henson is the Deputy Chief Executive of NGA. He oversees NGA's policy, communications and research service, ensuring it adds to the learning of the organisation. He supports NGA in achieving positive change in the policy of school governance

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Beyond Tolerance: Active Allyship in Religious Diversity

Amy Clarke | 21 May, 2025

“Miss it’s so cool that our school community is anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-everything really … I mean anti everything bad of course!! “

I reflect on these words with profound appreciation, noting a recent conversation during a pupil voice feedback session in my school in the North-East. This dialogue exemplifies the significant progress our school community has made, particularly in how eloquently our pupils now articulate our shared values and institutional identity.

In today’s diverse society being an ally to those with differing religious and non-religious worldviews requires more than just passive acceptance. As research such as that of Trevor Cooling* shows, simply bringing people together without intentional engagement doesn’t automatically destroy stereotypes or develop friendly attitudes.

True allyship in the context of religious and worldview differences requires several key principles and RE is a platform that can be used to promote this. It is a respectful window into them becoming advocates.

A well designed and balanced RE curriculum can promote modelled respectfulness, diversity of opinion. and how to disagree respectfully.
This all leads into developing pupils’ ‘personal” knowledge’.

Key principles in promoting active ally-ship

  • Create Equal Space
  • Ensure everyone has equal value in conversations and interactions
  • Foster an environment where all perspectives can be shared safely and respectfully
  • Promote Meaningful Dialogue
  • Move beyond superficial conversations to explore authentic experiences
  • Listen to diverse voices and encourage honest discussions about differences

When the RE platform is used well, the children themselves can them become advocates for each other. One effective approach is to actively engage with different interpretations and perspectives within religious traditions. For example, inviting people from different branches of the same faith tradition to share their unique viewpoints can help break down stereotypical portrayals and reveal the rich complexity of religious experience.
Most importantly, as the religion and worldviews approach promotes, we need to remember that being an ally starts with people, not abstract concepts. Each person’s worldview is shaped by their time, place, language, and cultural context. By approaching allyship through this human-centred lens, we can better understand and support those whose beliefs and practices differ from our own.

Children can become a beacon of hope by being an authentic voice in representing their own personal worldviews as well as engaging with and understanding the diverse views of others. Our future will be shaped by the young people we teach today therefore developing a culture of respect and an open dialogue of curiosity rather than hostility is essential. By doing this we will continue as adults to be astounded by our young people’s allyship and respect of others, in a world that can feed on exploiting extremes.

* Trevor Cooling (2025) Knowledge in a religion and worldviews approach in English schools, British Journal of Religious Education, 47:2, 130-139, DOI: 10.1080/01416200.2024.2304693

https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2024.2304693

About

Amy Clarke has been leading RE in schools for around ten years and is the current chair of her local SACRE. Amy is in her first year of the Culham St Gabriel's Leadership Scholarship Programme.

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Acceptance, Bridge Building, Critical Thinking, Deference, Empathy – Why Primary RE is Invaluable

Charlotte Hockin | 20 May, 2025

Becoming a parent of a primary school pupil has been an amazing learning experience for me so far! It has provided a scaffold for so many crucial parenting conversations. Things like personal safety, managing emotions and friendships and even online safety. I wouldn’t have known where to start. For all the issues there are in our current education system, there is much to be thankful for.

RE for example…

When I attended my son’s recent parent consultation, I was able to look at his books, he was particularly excited to show me his RE book as we have been having more and more conversations about faith at home. As a teacher of Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 English, I was absolutely astounded by the standard of the work being set. I read two comparative essays that compared Christian figures from the bible; tasks that had clearly been set to test skills and knowledge after detailed study of the stories. Previously, I valued RE in Jacob’s curriculum in the same way as I valued other subjects that I am not an expert in.

I imagined that in RE he would learn about other faiths and festivals that I didn’t know much about but reading that work, I saw that RE offers far more than that! It was abundantly clear to me that the subject has amazing cross-curricular implications, connecting to History, English, Geography and Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE). In one essay, Jacob showed that through RE, he was also learning about the world, people, history, and at the same time, was practising pretty high-level reading and writing skills. The label ‘Religious Education’ doesn’t really do justice to the subject.

However, the value of RE extends beyond its academic worth. It also provides children like my son (and hopefully my daughter when she gets to school) with a toolkit for navigating the rich, multicultural society that we are blessed to live in. It celebrates diversity by teaching about the differences between religious festivals and practices, which is vital as Jacob is surrounded by peers and teachers of different religious and non-religious worldviews. He shared with me recently that he believed he saw a member of school staff praying on a mat during the school day; he was able to link this experience with his studies of Islam in his RE lessons. In the same way that learning about physics has helped him to understand cooking in greater depth, learning about religious and non-religious worldviews has helped him to understand the people around him better.

We all exist within a belief system, whether we are members of a recognised religion or not – my household is both Christian and Atheist and that can be a challenge but it is also an amazing opportunity to model how different beliefs can co-exist. Where difference has the potential to divide, RE shows how the most important values underpin every faith; there is far more that unites us than divides us.

The idea that children may leave primary school with no formal religious education is frankly scary. Even in the unlikely event that children don’t encounter people of a variety of religious and non-religious worldviews in their communities, the news and media is saturated with complex and challenging presentations of religions and their histories. We must equip our children with the social and academic skills and knowledge to be able to engage with, interrogate and learn from these encounters.

As a minimum, RE will provide invaluable context for and knowledge of, different faiths but at its best, RE could galvanise our children to make stronger, deeper connections with those around them; motivate them to explore their own spiritual potential and ultimately build a more tolerant, outward-looking and compassionate world.

I’m not sure RE has ever been more relevant to our children than it is now.

About

Charlotte Hockin is a teacher of Secondary English and a mother of a three-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son.

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Empowering Primary RE Leaders: Why Expertise Matters in Curriculum Design and Leadership

Katie Freeman | 19 May, 2025

As a primary teacher who has taught in schools for nearly twenty years, I have had many opportunities to get involved in the wider world of education and leadership. I remember that at the start of my teaching career, my headteacher asked me if I had a plan and I told her that I just wanted to teach. This is something that has remained with me throughout my career. I firmly believe that to support other teachers and train the teachers of the future, we must be firmly rooted in our own classroom practice.

At the end of my NQT year (yes I am that old), I remember being asked to lead RE. I was aware that this role was a ‘beginning of the teaching career’ leadership role, one that would be mine for a bit and that I would then pass on as I became more experienced (but this was not true for me!). Over the last few years, I have increasingly wondered why this is something that is expected by the teaching profession when our subject with its complicated legal position, intricate pedagogy and sensitive nature, which by definition need a careful, experienced and well-trained hand.

The constant changes in primary schools can often leave RE leaders feeling lost, seeking support from curriculum models. Since Ofsted’s inspection framework review, discussions about curriculum have increased, including in RE. We have all learnt to research deeply, take holiday trips to places linked to the themes that we are due to teach and have many areas of ‘geeky’ level knowledge. As subject leaders in primary schools, we have had to deepen our understanding and knowledge of subjects that may not have been the ones that we studied at degree level but in all of this primary teachers work hard and do an incredible job.

Recently, multi-academy trusts have been handing over curriculum design to secondary colleagues, frustrating many primary RE specialists. Comments like “I’m designing the primary curriculum so I know what I’ll get in Year 7” or ‘I have primary aged children at home so I know what they can do’ are common and infuriating. Like the rest of my primary colleagues, I trained for four years to do my job, I have taken part in RE CPD, I lead RE CPD and I aim to inspire primary RE leaders of the future so that curriculums can be designed with primary specific pedagogy in mind. Primary curriculums should be designed and led by those trained in primary pedagogy.

This trend is causing talented primary RE leaders to leave the field. I have been deeply saddened to see many talented primary RE leaders leave national RE communities and discussions to head towards other leadership areas because the doors are closed to them because they teach in primary rather than secondary. As the first primary National Association of Teachers of RE (NATRE) chair in 28 years, I sometimes worry about being taken seriously because I teach younger children. The assumption that secondary teachers can plan for primary but not vice versa is flawed.

I’m fortunate to work in a school that values RE and supports my leadership. This should be the norm. Primary RE leaders spend all week with their pupils, understanding their needs and are able to carefully consider the pedagogy and steps to learning that their children will need in order to tackle tricky concepts and ideas within the RE classroom.. We must consider the whole child’s educational journey in RE.

Dr. Richard Kueh’s tree analogy at Strictly RE highlights the importance of phase-specific care. He explained that a child’s journey through RE starts at the roots (Foundation stage), moves through the trunk (Key Stage One and Two) and branches out in secondary schools. This image has stuck with me, we need cross-phase discussions but must respect each other’s roles.

I call on schools, trusts and other organisations to remember the importance of valuing leadership that is firmly rooted in experience, training and pedagogy that is phase specific.

  • Primary RE curriculum and leadership requires primary expertise
  • Value and champion Primary RE leaders, providing them with opportunities and invest in primary specific CPD. The teaching community should champion primary RE leaders, acknowledging their hard work and dedication, and ensuring that primary leadership roles are valued and supported.
  • Cross phase collaboration is essential it’s crucial to respect the roles and expertise of primary and secondary educators, ensuring that primary RE leaders have a voice in curriculum design.
    Primary RE teachers, you are amazing. Thank you for your dedication and hard work. Let’s champion primary RE leaders and ensure we don’t wait another 28 years for a primary NATRE chair.

About

Katie is the Chair of the National Association of Teachers of RE (NATRE) and RE leader at Bickleigh Down CofE Primary School in Devon. She has led the Plymouth RE hub for over ten years and is part of the LTLRE area one team. Katie serves on Plymouth SACRE as Vice Chair, is a member of the RE Policy Unit and is part of the Church of England's working party for RE.

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A Subject for our Time: Socio-Emotional Learning in Dialogic RE

Emily Shortland | 13 March, 2025

The NEU’s Daniel Kebede’s call for philosophy to be embedded in the school curriculum to help pupils engage with difficult topics such as the war in Gaza advocates a dialogic approach. Literature on how to teach challenging material posits discursive pedagogy (Hand & Levinson, 2012; Rudduck, 1986; Solomon, 1990) in which the teacher is a true collaborator and co-convenor, not a status symbol with privileged knowledge. Certainly, RE is conducive to the dialogic approach (Vrikki et al., 2019) that is much addressed at the University of Cambridge; for example, the ‘exploratory talk’ of Mercer and Littleton (2007) and the co-construction of the essential ‘dialogic gap’ (Wegerif, 2011).

In RE, we ignore the socio-emotional dimension of dialogic pedagogy at the peril of our ‘dialogically safe’ (Ucan et al., 2023) classrooms. I suggest a cardinal feature of the pedagogical complexity in addressing conflicting views is the teacher’s navigation of the moral emotion aroused in the room. This requires of its teachers a willingness – and perhaps a professional courage – to receive, acknowledge and make sense of the inevitable emotional biproducts of dialogue on difficult and sometimes controversial topics. The function of the RE teacher here is reflective of Bion’s concept of ‘container-contained’ (1961/1989), that may be understood as a metaphor for the receiving, thinking about and returning in a ‘desaturated’ (Vermote, 2019) or digested state the emotional information we are handed. We see this being applied to the teacher-pupil relationship (Bibby, 2011; Garrett, 2020; Price, 2002; Salzberger-Wittenburg, 1983/2018; Youell, 2006/2018) and it has particular potency for socio-emotional development in a dialogic RE classroom.

The ‘safe spaces’ of RE classrooms will never be devoid of emotion, nor should they be. With our RS PGCE Students, we explore this containing function that allows for thoughts to be turned into thinking (Bion, 1961/1989) and for the group to learn to mirror this function for its members. This is contributive to the learners’ development, allowing exploration of the deeper questions of identity (Waddell, 2018) which are part of the day-to-day of RE teaching and learning. The teacher acts as a container for the moral emotion and hands it back to the pupil in a thought-about state, the process often needing repeating several times. This might be, for example, an emotionally laden statement in an ethics lesson, or perhaps a visceral silence or reluctance to dialogue due to fearfulness, anxiety or even moral certitude.

RE teachers are in a prime position to address the lack of confidence Kebede refers to among teachers addressing difficult topics. Our pedagogy can provide a containing space, attentive to the emotional biproducts of dialogic work: sometimes fearfulness or anger at social injustice that need making sense of, and sometimes compassion, hope and desire for action that need harnessing. This is fertile ground for the deeper learning the subject must require of our pupils.

References

Bion, W. (1989). Experiences in Groups. East Sussex: Routledge. (Original work published 1961)
Hand, M. & Levinson, R. (2012). Discussing Controversial issues in the Classroom. Education Philosophy and Theory, Vol. 44, No. 6, pp.614-629
Mercer, N. & Littleton, K. (2007). Dialogue and the Development of Children’s Thinking: A Sociocultural approach. Routledge.
Solomon, J. (1990). Discussion of Social issues in the Science Classroom. Studies in Science Education, Vol. 18 (1), p.105-126
Ucan, S., Kılıç Özme.n Z., & Taşkın Serbest, M. (2023). Understanding the cognitive and socio-emotional dimensions of dialogic teaching and learning approach. International Journal of Curriculum and Instructional Studies, 13(1), 158-175. https://doi.org/10.31704/ijocis.2023.007
Vermote, R. (2019) Reading Bion. Routledge
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About

Emily Shortland is a Subject Lecturer on the RS PGCE at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, a Farmington scholar and an RE and Philosophy teacher and mentor who has held a number of academic and pastoral positions in secondary schools. She also supervises on the Transforming Practice MEd at Cambridge. Her particular interests include initial teacher education, psychoanalytic thinking for the RE classroom and group theory among school and HE learners.

See all posts by Emily Shortland

It’s Good to Talk (In RE lessons)

Julie Childs | 10 March, 2025

Until the summer Julie Childs was working in a primary school in Lincolnshire, and previously was a member of the CSTG Leadership programme. I can still remember seeing a clip of pupils aged 4-7 in her school doing triple coding. Read on to find out about that and much more…

There has been a lot of buzz around oracy recently. Is it a new thing? Is it something we need to be finding time for? Should we do it in every lesson?

The Oracy Commission agreed that oracy can be best defined as:

“Articulating ideas, developing understanding and engaging with others through speaking, listening and communication”.

It also describes it as learning to, through, and about talk, listening, and communication. But what might that look like in the primary RE/RVE/RME classroom? Well, the big secret is….we have been doing oracy in RE for years, and we are really rather good at it. We just don’t always know – or share it. It is time to shout (or talk) about it! Here are some of the ways in which I have used oracy in my primary RE practice.

Vocabulary

It is important that pupils know, remember and understand tier 3 vocabulary (low frequency, domain specific words) and understand core concepts in RE/RVE/RME. One of the most successful strategies I have used is what I call ‘triple coding’.

It builds on the concept of ‘dual coding’, where a simple image is paired with a spoken word to facilitate understanding and recall. I adapted this by adding in a physical mime or hand action as a mnemonic for each of the tier 3 words I taught, alongside a simple image. I focused on selected vocabulary linked to core concepts within the unit of work.

Once the word, image and mime had been introduced, a simple phrase to go alongside it to explain the concept was introduced. E.g. salvation-saving. Sharia-straight path. This strategy can be used across all year groups. It works best when vocabulary, images and hand-mimes are codified across the school, so pupils can continue using the triple codes consistently as they build on prior learning in other year groups.

Stem sentences

I have found that giving pupils scaffolded sentence stems has enabled them to explain their thinking and knowledge in greater depth. This has then had a positive impact on their verbal reasoning and in their written responses. As with all strategies, it needs modelling and the opportunity to practice. By making stems progressively more challenging, verbal reasoning in RE can be developed. Examples are:

‘I liked it because…” in EYFS for stating preferences
“This song / story / poem makes me wonder… because…” for reflection in KS1,
“Due to the fact that…I think that…will happen” for explaining something based on known facts in Lower Key Stage 2

Dialogue/debate

“Dialogue can make a significant contribution to RE; but for dialogue to be possible, pupils need to hear and respond to the first-person voice of the other (person), and to attend to their response.” Castelli (2019)

RE is the ideal place for high quality and rich dialogue where pupils are encouraged to explore ‘big questions’. They will need support not just to put their point across articulately but to listen to that of others and respond. I have had great success using NATRE’s Anti-racist RE resources, which have generated rich dialogue and discussion.

As RE is often discussion based, it can be the ideal opportunity to develop and embed oracy. Especially now that oracy is being viewed as being as important as literacy, maybe RE is one of oracy’s best kept secrets!

References:

Castelli, M “Principles and procedures for classroom dialogue” (2018 We need to talk about Religious Education Edited by Castelli, M and Chater, M p143-154

Anti-racist RE: https://www.natre.org.uk/about-natre/projects/anti-racist-re/

Oracy Education Commission, We Need To Talk. The report of the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England October 2024
https://oracyeducationcommission.co.uk/oec-report/

About

Julie Childs is a National RE advisor for RE Today. She was formerly a primary school teacher, experienced RE lead and RE network lead for a large MAT.

See all posts by Julie Childs