Viewing archives for Teaching

Working with sacred texts in the Primary classroom can open up vistas of understanding for pupils. Teaching with sacred texts can support a multidisciplinary approach as we develop towards a religion and worldviews paradigm. Some of the ideas are inspired by Jenifer Jenkins’s excellent writing and CPD on hermeneutics – for links to Jennifer’s work see below.

I presented this as part of Norfolk SACRE’s 2022 conference. You can access this presentation below.

Sacred texts are beneficial for teachers of RE because they are an approved part of a religion’s “substantive knowledge”. Using sacred texts also facilitates a multi-disciplinary pedagogy, or the “ways of knowing” as Ofsted terms it (Research Review 2021, see link below). 

How do we use sacred texts in our lessons? How do we help children to read, understand and interpret these ancient words? As Primary teachers, approaching the reading and study of a sacred text can be daunting. However, what we are doing at its core is reading, and we all teach guided reading and English. Therefore, we can transfer those skills. 

Following the approach presented here involves reading the text three times, with a different viewpoint each time: the viewpoint of the writer, of the reader and then the believer. 

Reading as the writer

Approaching the text from the perspective of the writer involves an exploration of when and where the text was written, who the intended audience is and what is the purpose of the writing? 

Reading as a writer is quintessential guided reading. We think about the ideas that author is trying to communicate, what features have been used and how the writer draws the reader in. We might also consider the tone or emotion of the text. The aim is to make sense of what the writer is trying to communicate. 

Reading as a Reader

Reading as a Reader is to become aware of pupils’ (and teachers’) own reactions to the text, or what Ofsted terms the development of ‘personal knowledge’ (Ofsted Research Review 2021). 

You will recognise this approach from guided reading and there are further questions we can explore when Reading as a Reader. You might identify the genre, purpose or emotional tone of the sacred text, but as a way of more deliberately exploring readers’ own responses. For example, identifying the heroine and major plot points can pave the way for conversation about how readers interpret these structures. Does the pupil’s view of the situation colour their judgment; do they have further puzzling questions; do they feel for the heroine, and so on? 

Reading as a reader is to make explicit both how our own perspective influences our interpretation, but also how we can be changed when plunged into another world through reading. 

Reading as a Believer

In this last stage of reading, we step out of the text to consider it from the perspective of another reader: the believer. 

This is the transition from looking through a theological lens to a social sciences lens. You might repeat questions already considered but with a change of focus. These are questions that ask us to postulate and empathise. You might talk about what a believer would take from this story, what we can say about believers at the time the story was written or how might this story inform a believer today. 

Conclusion

Theology might be the lens through which we are used to viewing sacred texts, as we uncover a tradition’s beliefs, principles and values. As I have shown there are other lenses through which to view sacred texts, which add a richness and complexity to learning. These can be accessed by deliberately shifting the focus and purpose of reading. 

Read more about ‘Theologies of Reading’ and hermeneutics in the Primary classroom with the support of Jennifer Jenkins:  https://www.reonline.org.uk/teaching-resources/theologies-of-reading/ 

Presentation created to share this idea with colleagues

Check out Matt’s other writing and ideas on his website:  www.theteachinglane.co.uk 

OFSTED research review: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-review-series-religious-education/research-review-series-religious-education 

Dr Kate Gibson, Social historian of the eighteenth century

I am social historian of eighteenth century Britain and I was part of a team of researchers at the Universities of Manchester and Nottingham from 2018 to 2021. We spent three years going through dozens of archives and local record offices looking for diaries, letters and objects like pottery or needlework samplers which people would have displayed in their houses. We ended with over 200 case studies of families or individuals.

We aimed to uncover the experiences of a large range of people. We have items written or made by people of all ages, including young children, business owners who made fortunes in the cotton industry, grocers and shopkeepers, as well as people living in quite severe poverty. For example we found the diary of a man called John Burnthwaite from Cumbria. In the early 1830s he walked around the country selling religious pamphlets, partly because he had no settled home and very little money. For him, his religion was a source of comfort, so when he experienced bad weather or his boots fell apart he prayed to God for guidance, and then gave thanks to providence if he was able to sell enough pamphlets in a particular day. It is through examples such as John Burnthwaite that we can see both the changing economic and physical landscape, as well as deep roots of peoples’ Christian faith.

As part of this research project we have worked with Kate Christopher and graphic designer David Caunce to produce a range of free resources for schools. The lessons are based on the archive documents including maps, needlework samplers, letters and diaries.

Our aim has been to encourage pupils to ask what was it like to grow up, live and work in a growing industrial town. How did the upheavals affect daily life, how did it change how people thought about their place in the world, and did it change their Christian faith? These questions tie in with broader themes such as the economic and social impact of industrialisation, as well as the growing diversity of Christian belief in the eighteenth century.

The resources are designed for KS2 and 3 pupils and arranged around 7 lessons. Each lesson contains background notes and ideas for teaching. Resource packs are given with each lesson so they are ready to be taught. The themes in the lessons are flexible so Primary teachers could apply them across History, Geography and English as well as RE.

Dr Kate Christopher, Teacher and adviser

As a teacher this has been a wonderful opportunity to create resources based on new historical research. This allows teachers to experiment with looking through a historical lens and how it feels in the classroom. I have presented this project to several groups of Primary teachers who have all responded positively to the idea that children can think as historians in RE. They can look at the sources and make sense of them in their own way.

Through these resources pupils will engage with rich, sometimes complex ideas and sources. They gain a glimpse into a past age that illuminates the present. They hear different voices and listen to peoples’ hopes and fears and their daily lives. It is a fascinating glimpse into an era experiencing rapid technological, social and physical change.

These resources support a multidisciplinary approach to Religion and Worldviews in that they provide an excellent example of historical thinking.

Please access the resources through this link: https://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/rylands/research/projects/current/faith-in-the-town/

We would be very grateful for any feedback.

Check out the main website here, including blogs about the artefacts and sources for your wider interest: https://faithinthetown.wordpress.com/

Dr Kate Gibson is a researcher at the University of Manchester, specialising in the social history of eighteenth-century Britain.

Dr Kate Christopher teaches part-time in a secondary school in inner London, is an RE Advisor and is Culham St Gabriel’s Lead Consultant for Professional Development. Email: kate@cstg.org.uk

Did you know that people in West Africa had developed inoculation against smallpox long before people in America and Europe? In this blog, which you could share with pupils during Black History Month, you will find a podcast, some articles and suggestions for teaching (KS2 and KS3).

We find Cotton Mather, a Christian priest and slave owner in Boston, whose slave, a man from West Africa, was able to tell him about a technique to innoculate people against smallpox. However it took another 100 years for scientists in Europe and America to apply the technology. Why did it take so long? Have a look at this resource to find out and explore the worldviews that led to this situation.

Kate is a Secondary teacher and Saima is a Primary teacher. We both listened to a podcast called Cautionary Tales by Tim Hartford and found it extremely interesting. The episode that got us talking is called ‘How to end a pandemic’. We have created a padlet containing the episode and suggested teaching ideas, this is referenced at the end of the blog.

The episode opens in Boston Massachusetts where smallpox pandemics ravaged the population every 10 or 15 years between the 1600s and early 1700s. We are introduced to Cotton Mather, a priest and amateur scientist. Mather is also a slave owner, who received a slave from his church congregation as a gift. He named this man, originally from West Africa, ‘Onesimus’. 

Mather was anxious about the constant threat of a smallpox outbreak. He asked Onesimus if he had ever had smallpox in Africa. Onesimus described a strange procedure: a person with smallpox had a blister cut open; the skin of a heathy person was cut and some blister fluid was rubbed into the wound. The recipient fell ill after some days, but not fatally so. When they recovered they never contracted smallpox. Mather began to interview many other Africans in Boston and found that this practice was widespread in West Africa. 

The following year Mather read in the Royal Society’s scientific journal the report of a Greek doctor in Turkey documenting an almost identical procedure. 

As a modern listener it is fascinating to recognize the science of inoculation as a common practice in West Africa and Turkey long before Europe and North America. But what really grabbed our attention was the wall of indifference and outright disbelief with which Mather was received. As Hartford suggests, the white Bostonian, and wider American, scientific community simply could not believe that Africa or Turkey could teach America anything. Years passed before the benefits of inoculation could be brought to America and Europe, years in which many more people died. What this story reveals is the impact of a white view of the world. 

Saima: 

On listening to this story, I was grabbed by the fact that a church congregation bought a slave for the priest. I knew that my year 6 class would be horrified that this happened. The social injustice would have stood out to them and made them question what they had just heard. In schools, we teach pupils about the Christian religion as peace-loving and caring: this part of the story would make children want to use a critical lens to examine the content of what they were hearing. The question to be explored being “What right did the Christians have to buy someone to be used as a slave?” Then, they would dig deeper to explore the racial injustice of white people buying black people. Why did the Christian, white people think they were doing the right thing by buying their priest a black slave?

Kate: 

I was particularly interested in the way white racism, or whiteness, was revealed by this story. A life-saving treatment was ignored for years not because of scientific limitations, but because of a negative view of non-white people. For me this provides a case study that reveals racialized thinking.  We usually look at its results, but not the structures of the thinking itself. If whiteness is a worldview it can be taught and students can be assisted to make sense of it.

Saima: 

With a view to planning for teaching around black history, I would certainly use this story in the classroom with my year 6 pupils. There’s nothing better that eleven year olds like than to get into a really ‘meaty’ subject matter. I know my pupils would want to talk about this discrimination and ask questions themselves. 

Kate: 

We agree that the wider context is crucial in exploring this sequence of events. Learning more about African innovation alone is not the whole story. It is some of the story, but not the whole story. The whole story includes context. The context is whiteness, or a white view of black people. It is the view that stopped men of science, desperate to protect their communities from this devastating disease, from seeing what was before their eyes. It is not so much about black achievement, as the blindness that stops the world appreciating black achievement. The blindness is what I am more interested in exploring. This seems to me to be the unlocking understanding.

Saima: 

Within the context of the Primary phase, we do already study positive black role models. However, we need to move on from there if we want change to happen. Why must we continue to see white people treat non-white people in such a discriminatory manner? We need to take a deep breath and explore whiteness itself. Our curriculum must reflect this need for change if our future generations are to end this cycle of hate and inequality. It’s time to step up and move forward. We must stop being ‘non-racist’ and become anti-racist instead. 

Access the padlet to find the podcast episode plus teaching suggestions and resources: https://padlet.com/REth1nk/dx3b2iou5otywfsk 

Dr Kate Christopher teaches part-time in a secondary school in inner London, is an RE Advisor and is Culham St Gabriel’s Lead Consultant for Professional Development.

Saima Saleh is RE SLE, Year 6 teacher and member of the NATRE Executive.

Karen Longden, RE Lead at St Barnabas CE Primary School in  Warrington, received grant funding from Culham St Gabriel’s to improve children’s’ literacy and develop Religion and Worldviews in the curriculum. In this blog Karen sets out the process and outcomes of this inspiring project.

At St Barnabas CE Primary School our vision is to give our children the knowledge, skills, self-belief and love of learning to ‘let their light shine’. We prioritise the teaching of religion, worldviews and values because we feel it promotes a curiosity within our pupils, about themselves, their peers, their local community and the global community. 

We applied for Culham St Gabriel’s grant funding to connect literacy to Religion and Worldviews. Literacy is a core part of our school vision because it enables all pupils to flourish by developing essential communication skills. Evidence indicates that success in literacy relies on the secure development of language, and that these skills are amongst the best predictors of educational success and economic wellbeing. As a school we are always investigating innovative approaches which will support our pupils. We recognised that a project bringing together literacy and Religion and Worldviews both support pupils’ skills development while broadening their knowledge and understanding.

We arrived at the idea of a ‘Story Tent’ for Early Years, involving both pupils, their carers and local faith representatives. Our aim is to develop language and communication through play sessions and workshops. In connecting literacy with Religion and Worldviews we are developing the ‘whole child’. Through these experiences children and carers have been able to discover the views and beliefs of others in a safe, fun and memorable way.

When children listen to, create or talk about stories their imaginations are fired up and they are fully engaged. These sessions provide an effective model for carers to promote language and literacy skills. Involving carers adds an additional layer of complexity but evidence has proven it has the potential to improve children’s communication, language, and literacy. I am delighted to report we have parents, grandparents and siblings attending. Carers who have experienced high-quality storytelling, questioning and discussion techniques have seen the clear impact of the use of children’s language use and comprehension. 

Additionally, we have involved local faith representatives so children have been introduced to a wide range of traditional tales and faith stories. This provides our families with extra relevance and interest. We wanted to offer memorable experiences, to enhance the impact of children’s learning. This part of the project is developing well. We are fortunate that staff, governors and those in the local community are happy to share their experiences. Liverpool Community Spirit, which offer ‘faith encounter’ workshops have supported us with practical help and resources. 

The group has now developed into a regular weekly session with numbers increasing. We try to create a relaxed social atmosphere so everyone feels welcome, despite reservations they may have. As a school it has enabled us to support families and introduce them to other agencies if necessary, and our parents are forming new friendships and joining new social groups.

Covid has not held us back. As well as the weekly storytelling sessions we have designed whole-school Story Tent events across the summer term, exploring a range of religions. We also have been approached by local primary schools asking if they can be involved.

To other teachers thinking of applying for grant funding, I would say go for it! Culham St.Gabriel’s have been supportive at every stage of the grant process. The funding has helped not only pupils but the wider community, providing learning opportunities and first- hand experiences to help support our children and their families.

More information on the project can be found here

Link to Liverpool Community Spirit: Liverpool Community Spirit 

Last October I jumped at the invitation from Angela Rundle of Wandsworth SACRE to pilot a faith trail in Wimbledon. Not least because during the covid pandemic, real school, let alone school trips had become rare pleasures. As RE coordinator, I was able to prepare Year 6 for the trip with some discussion about expectations and answer some questions. I was wondering if any parents would want to know more details, but perhaps because we had previously been in the habit of visiting a different place of worship each year, there were no concerns.

We started at the white, red and gold Buddhapadipa temple. We are immensely fortunate to have such a fabulous temple close by. After removing their shoes, the children were immediately captivated by the colourful paintings covering the interior walls and ceiling. They were able to see scenes from the Buddha’s life and spot some well-known characters besides. These, plus the dramatically drawn eyes of Mara at the temple door, raised their interest. Seated on the red carpet, a talk from the Venerable Piyobhaso gave a succinct yet detailed overview of the Buddhist faith and how the Thai monks in Wimbledon live.  A walk through the garden with a bridge across the lake imbued all with a profound sense of peace.

Next came Wimbledon Synagogue where we were welcomed by Sharon and Tony. A contrast in building style was immediately apparent. A modern structure with few external clues of what lay within, although the sharp-eyed noticed a tiny mezuzah at the entrance. Inside, a large hall with stylish stained glass windows revealed more evidence of stories of creation and prophets. As we took our seats in chairs, we were all given jewel-bright kippahs to cover our heads. Sharon and Tony invited children to take out the precious Torah scrolls from the ark and display them to us all.

Finally we walked to the Roman Catholic church of Our Lady and St Peter, where the children inspected the stations of the cross and the confessional booths. The priest demonstrated the Eucharist and Angela gave a rousing performance on the organ.

As a non-denominational school with one or two families from each of the six major faiths, each of these holy places was a source of wonder. Visiting three in one day heightened our ability to compare what we’d experienced. The children noticed the similar ways that respect was shown and were also able to reflect on how this resonated or differed from either their own faith’s place of worship or those previously visited with school. A Muslim pupil observed that she felt most connection with the synagogue where similar stories and the lack of visual images felt more familiar to her.

It takes significant organisation to line up three visits and as two schools were involved, everything has to run to time to avoid congestion. However, the outcome is even greater than the sum of its parts, so well worth the effort to arrange it if possible.

When I encountered the new Norfolk Agreed Syllabus, which brings Theology, Philosophy and the social sciences to the classroom, I experienced trepidation mixed with excitement. However, I could immediately see links with other curriculum subjects and clear opportunities for enhanced learning. For example, the new ‘Philosophy’ strand gives children ‘permission’ to ask deep and searching questions. Change is something we might be tempted to avoid, with all the new work and uncertainty it brings, but it also brings positive new opportunities.

After some reflection and time spent with the Norfolk Agreed Syllabus, a multidisciplinary syllabus, we alighted on knowledge organisers as the best way to meet several goals. We wanted to support non-specialists with planning and resourcing as well as cement good practice throughout schools, to enhance all teaching and provide consistency. We hoped that we would be developing a more effective and exciting way of teaching RE that would engage learners.

We predicted that increased challenge and opportunity for complex and reflective thinking would lead to a higher level of achievement in RE. This is certainly something we have seen in practice. We can see that our children are able to articulate complex ideas, as well as express themselves with confidence. We can also see that the children enjoy exploring the religions and worldviews in their local area. We wanted to build an awareness of worldviews in the world around us, as well as develop scholarly thinking in pupils.

Covid presented somewhat of a barrier. We had lost the face-to-face connection and immediacy of learning and conversation in the classroom, which made it hard to assess the effectiveness of our planning. Usually new teaching evolves over time through trial and evaluation. We embarked on this project before Covid hit and assumed we would have this time to assess the foundations of the new syllabus. Due to Covid, we have had to rethink what might need repeating, and building on, to ensure children have secure understanding. We have put a lot of emphasis on the Enquiry Cycle for this reason and we feel this has had a very positive impact on children’s confidence and understanding.

Through translating the Agreed Syllabus into knowledge organisers we have gained new understanding of our own. We love the idea that everyone has a worldview. It is our job to enable the children to critically engage with worldviews in a complicated and ever-changing world. We also find the multidisciplinary approach very helpful for the balance it provides. Theology builds knowledge and information, philosophy enables the children to ask questions and think freely and the human and social sciences give them the opportunity to see the impact a worldview can have in a person’s life and in a society. So far we feel the results have been positive. We are seeing inquisitive learners who want to know more, ask more, to be able to explore and experience more of the world around them.

Other teaching staff across Norfolk have also reacted positively. The syllabus offers a clear intent and steps of progression, which is welcomed. Moreover, questions that engage learners are clear to see. Overall, I am excited about the impact and opportunity to change the presumption that RE is a boring and dead subject. To anyone thinking of embarking on your own project, I would say go for it! Unlock your potential. Be part of change.

Knowledge organisers:

https://www.dioceseofnorwich.org/schools/siams-re-collective-worship/religious-education/curriculum-planning/

‘RE in a Broad and Balanced Curriculum’. This practical panning tool provides essential background thinking for developing a multidisciplinary Religion and worldviews curriculum: RE in a broad and balanced curriculum: A practical tool – RE:ONLINE (reonline.org.uk)

Jane Brooke and I started the REQM in 2012. We realised that while there were quality marks for other curriculum areas such as art, geography and science, religious education would benefit from a similar scheme to recognise and celebrate high quality provision in the subject.

We wanted to create an award that would showcase the best work being done in religious education across the country. What was distinctive about the REQM is that we started with pupil voice – what were their experiences of the subject? Only then did we consider the evidence provided by the subject leader.

Jane and I were closely involved for about five years, before handing over to the brilliant Linda Rudge. At the beginning, we were fortunate to receive seed funding from Culham St Gabriel’s. This allowed us to do the original scoping work with RE colleagues on the criteria, as well as recruit and train assessors and set up the website. We were very lucky to have Sharon Artley on board, as an assessor, website manager and wise sounding- board. After about a year, we arranged for the REQM to be under the auspices of the RE Council. This brought a level of accountability which we needed.

When I look back over 10 years of the REQM, I reflect on how exciting it was to start something from scratch. While we took inspiration from the other quality marks, we ensured that the REQM was distinctive, not least in making sure that evidence required to secure an award was light touch. We had a wonderful launch in the House of Lords, invited pupils and their teachers along with the great and the good, including Stephen Lloyd MP founder of the chair of the APPG for RE.

I very much think the REQM still has value in the RE world. In fact, the ‘quality of education judgement’ in Ofsted’s Education Inspection Framework has increased the focus on high quality provision in all subjects, not just the core subjects. Achieving the REQM is solid evidence that a school is taking the subject seriously and that pupils are getting a good deal.

So much I have encountered over the years has delighted me, but I do remember visiting two special schools and seeing the stunning provision and the delight expressed by pupils in the encounters with and experience of appropriately developed provision: no dumbing down there! It has also been interesting working with teachers in school to note how keen they are to share what they are providing for pupils. This becomes a space for reflection, evaluation and to think about next steps.

To teachers today I would say that the REQM represents excellent professional development. You focus on your headline work and achievements for an external, supportive audience. There are also great networking opportunities. To heads and school leaders I would say that pupils and colleagues deserve to have their hard work recognised.

In another 10 years I hope the REQM is still supporting, still challenging and still celebrating brilliant work in religious education in schools.

We are a small, Norfolk Primary school and I am delighted to say that we were awarded a Gold REQM. We decided to go for the REQM to celebrate the completion of our Religion & Worldviews curriculum. We had been told that it was an innovative way of designing a curriculum, so this was a great opportunity and method for having our work and ideas externally validated. What happened next was surprising and very encouraging.

When we were making the application we actually discovered that the teaching of RE in our school was of a much higher standard than we had realised. We had hoped to achieve Bronze, maybe Silver, yet working through the assessment grids and checking with advisors from our Diocese showed that we are at the Gold standard. As a primary school, there are few ways to check how you are performing against neighbours or nationally. Therefore, REQM helped us see how we compared in a subject that does not normally produce performance data at KS1 or KS2.

The process hugely improved our confidence as a team and mine as subject lead. When discussing our curriculum before we went through this process, there was the ever-present feeling of impostor syndrome. While we knew our RE was helping our children learn and grow, we had little idea as to how I compared to other high performing schools. With an REQM, you have the badge, but also a sense of a national standard.

Since achieving the award, I have been invited to speak at conferences and schools have made contact asking for advice. As a subject leader, earning the REQM has certainly improved my profile!

The experience of being assessed was surprisingly pleasant! Our assessment was in 2021, so we spoke via video calls and submitted evidence electronically. It was very much a professional discussion with the assessor doing their best to help us show off our RE. The student voice activities were very insightful and ones we will be repeating in 2022.

We received the support we needed from our leadership team and this is essential. Our leadership liked the idea of external accreditation to showcase our RE, especially as a church school. The REQM process provided validation to the previous 18-month process of curriculum improvement that the whole school, including the leadership, had firmly supported. The REQM is an opportunity for each school to highlight their unique contribution to education at a local and national level.

Our pupils were very involved in the process and this was particularly pleasing. They hugely enjoyed the pupil voice interviews: at times I couldn’t get away! They were proud to share their work as part of our assessment information. Giving pupils the sense that the adult world cares about their progress is so important.

Achieving a Gold award was my professional highlight of 2021, showing that the hundreds of hours spent developing our curriculum was well worth it. I would really encourage teaches to jump in- the process is friendly and professional, and aids teachers in the critical reflection of their practice that is so essential for growth and development.

I have been an REQM Assessor since 2014, with the privilege of an REQM visit on average once a term.  I was on the REQM Review Group in 2018-19 and am currently on the REQM Advisory Group. I was asked several times if I would apply to be an REQM Assessor- and so on the third time of asking- I did! I haven’t looked back since! It is a very enjoyable role.

I have seen the award change over time. I have greatly enjoyed being part of the journey since REQM’s conception with Mary Myatt and Jane Brooke, and now under Linda’s guidance, we have made great leaps forward. Currently we are making online visits to schools, so no travel is involved! We also meet online every term for valuable CPD and to share good practice.

When I look back over 10 years of the REQM I remember when I first started assessing, one of my colleagues saying to me that you will recognise a Gold school when you meet it, as it will shine out! How true that is! I am very excited about the way forward with REQM, which has always been about raising the profile and celebrating good practice in RE. During lockdown I think RE subject leaders were so creative, filming short cameo videos to showcase their school RE. The current REQM evidence form is crisp, focussed and helps to engage schools.

I am absolutely clear that the REQM still has value. Gold award schools can share their expertise and best practice with others and help to firmly put RE on the map. The maturity of pupil comments and their obvious enjoyment of RE is always delightful to encounter. RE clearly drives the curriculum in many schools, and for some pupils this extends to composing music in RE lessons as well as being fully integrated in their learning. So too, are hard-working, committed staff, passionate about RE. Many of the RE subject leaders are leading by example, and some have had articles published in national journals or have taken part in NATRE videos. Parent voice has praised the championing of RE in schools.

I enjoy working with teachers in schools. It is so wonderful to meet such extremely enthusiastic staff, enabling high quality learning and excellent achievement. It has been lovely to talk with staff and see the wealth of evidence they bring to the table, demonstrating the richness of RE.  It has been especially good to meet pupils in person as we gather the all- important pupil voice.

For any readers considering applying for an REQM, I would encourage you. For church schools, the perfect time to apply is in between SIAMS inspections. For all schools, an REQM award is a great accolade. You won’t regret applying and putting your case together so the RE world can celebrate with you all the good and great things you do, and will continue to do.  The REQM questionnaires can provide a valuable part of your monitoring and evaluation in RE, even if you not apply for an REQM award.

In 20 years I am sure we will be moving onwards and upwards! Hopefully, we will see the RE map has grown. Above all, I am sure we will remain clear that RE remains the Queen of the school curriculum, helping to drive forward school improvement.

In November 2021 my team at South Bromsgrove High School were delighted to achieve a Gold RE Quality Mark award.

We decided to go for it after using the REQM Evidence form to complete a 360-degree assessment of the department. We realised we met much of the criteria. We found the form invaluable to guide us, particularly focussing on the 4 main strands of learning, teaching, curriculum, and leadership.

A pleasant surprise was discovering we could apply for a Westhill grant that made the process financially possible. There are actually lots of trusts and organisations that offer funding, see link to article at the end of this blog.

For me personally the award has given me the confidence to assure other RE teachers that they are not alone, as well as increase the presence of RE in my school. As an RE team the process helped to identify leadership strengths and areas to develop from a more objective perspective, particularly in preparation for a forthcoming OFSTED.

The experience of being assessed wasn’t too painful! The professionalism of the assessor was noteworthy, causing us to really think more objectively about how we can be more creative in our learning, develop more opportunities for project work, trips, and visitors in lessons. My Senior Leadership Team were supportive of the process and I was thankful to the assessor who really made the SLT stand to account on the provision of core RE at KS5. Since receiving the award we feel proud of the department. Seeing the students being interviewed and celebrating high quality teaching and learning in the department are my highlights.

We wanted our pupils to be at the heart of the process, from being interviewed to sharing their reflections through student questionnaires. A choice comment from a Year 9 student:  “We have studied worldviews I never knew about before Confucianism, Daoism and Jainism” A Year 10 student noted “I love the struggle part in RS, the teachers really challenge your thinking.”

I would encourage others to give it a go. An REQM can raise the profile and presence of RE across the school and wider community. Celebrate your hard work! If you want to ‘sell’ the idea to your leadership team, talk about how the REQM develops links within the community, with visitors to school, charities, and projects. It helped us to produce new schemes of work for our GCSE course, and of course allowed our students to share their views.

Our curriculum design plans are continuing, we feel that we are on the right path. We are also focusing on RE-related careers. Receiving the award has helped develop staff confidence and help identify further CPD aims of leadership across different Key Stages.

I will finish this piece with the words of a Year 12 student ambassador for RS: “RS at South Bromsgrove has really opened my mind to leadership opportunities, attending meetings with staff and completing the VITA coaching programme so I can support other students in the lower school. The teachers are committed to helping everyone do their best, this has helped not only in developing my knowledge, but my approach to writing, and opened up new career options for me personally.”

Follow this link to find out about other organisations that offer funding and support:

How to develop partnerships and obtain funding: https://teachers-talk.natre.org.uk/how-to-develop-partnerships-and-obtain-funding/

Want to find out more about enhancing the status of RE? Check out this blog:

How to increase the presence of RE in your school: https://teachers-talk.natre.org.uk/how-to-increase-the-presence-of-re-in-your-school/