Primary Initial Teacher Education Resources

Primary Initial Teacher Education Resources

On this page we will be sharing documents that have been produced by a group focusing on supporting those leading Primary Initial Teacher Education in Religious Education in a variety of contexts. The group has been convened by Culham St Gabriels. The group is made up of Helen Sheehan from Sheffield Hallam University , Rhiannon Love from the University of Winchester, Imran Mogra from  Birmingham City University, Ruth Flanagan from the University of Exeter, Lizzie Yeomans from Liverpool John Moores, Paul Smalley and Fiona Moss.

Documents will be added to this page during 2025-2026.

Supporting Primary Religious Education: Planning, Observation and Target Setting for Beginning Teachers

Lead: Helen Sheehan, Sheffield Hallam University

This resource has been developed to support mentors and teacher educators working with beginning teachers in primary Religious Education. Drawing on current expectations within Initial Teacher Education and the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework, it offers practical prompts to guide planning discussions, lesson observations, and target-setting conversations. Rather than acting as a checklist, the document is intended to support focused professional dialogue about subject knowledge, pedagogy, and effective RE practice. It aims to help mentors provide meaningful, RE-specific feedback that supports beginning teachers in developing confidence, expertise, and reflective practice in the teaching of Religious Education.

Useful Websites for Primary Beginner Teachers and Trainees

Lead: Helen Sheehan and Lizzie Yeomans

This resource brings together a wide range of organisations, websites, publications, classroom materials and professional learning opportunities to support beginning teachers of primary Religious Education. Designed as a practical starting point, it signposts trusted sources for subject knowledge, curriculum planning, teaching approaches, visits and visitors, classroom resources, professional networks and academic reading. Whether developing confidence in teaching RE, deepening understanding of religious and non-religious worldviews, or seeking inspiration for lessons, this guide provides accessible routes into the rich range of support available for primary teachers and trainees.

What do we mean by Ways Of Knowing in primary RE?

What do we mean by “ways of knowing” in religion and worldviews education? This short animation introduces the idea of disciplinary knowledge in RE/RME/RVE and explores how pupils can deepen their understanding of religion and worldviews through different lenses, including theology, philosophy, and the human and social sciences. Using examples from Judaism and Buddhism, the film shows how pupils can gain different insights by engaging with stories, artefacts, lived experience, questioning, and observation. Part of Ways of Knowing Focus Week, this resource is designed to support teachers, leaders and anyone interested in developing a more scholarly approach to RE.

The Three Forms of Knowledge in Primary RE for Beginner Teachers

This short film introduces the three types of knowledge that underpin high-quality Religious Education: substantive knowledge, disciplinary knowledge (or ways of knowing), and personal knowledge. Designed for mentors, ITE tutors and beginning teachers, it explores how these interconnected forms of knowledge help structure progression in RE and support pupils in developing understanding of religious and non-religious worldviews. The film explains each knowledge type, illustrates its role in classroom practice, and highlights how they work together to enable meaningful, reflective and academically rigorous RE.