Making a Difference? Kathryn Wright RE Adviser

The Picture in Primary Schools RE valued and seen as important by leadership and governors Many teachers of RE accessing CPD opportunities

but… 60% RE not good enough- in terms of quality of teaching and learning Superficial nature of pupils’ learning Questions over assessment Governors and SLT not monitoring or evaluating RE effectively Confusion over the relationship between RE and the Christian Ethos CPD not impacting on classroom practice

The picture in secondary schools 70% RE was good or better Subject expertise was good and lessons well planned RE was generally challenging students to think and discuss Weaknesses over the quality of curriculum Not enough time allocated for GCSE Governors not involved in monitoring Little access to CPD and concern over assessment

What is the purpose of RE? The ‘ball and socket’ analogy!

Understanding our purpose The primary aim of religious education is religious literacy. We want (and need) our children and young people to be religiously literate SMSC, personal development, and values education are important…BUT…they are not the primary function of the subject.

PurposePurpose Curriculum Design PedagogyPedagogyAssessmentAssessment

Working with schools to ensure their long term plans are coherent and progressive An ‘architects’ view Focus on key concepts and beliefs, and how these are expressed today

Pedagogy- the ‘art of theological enquiry’ It means: going beyond the mere collecting of information about religion and belief enabling children and young people to encounter and wrestle with fundamental questions about God engaging children and young people with the core beliefs and ideas in the Christian faith e.g. salvation, incarnation, creation involving children and young people in exploring inner meanings and interpretation of ‘texts’

The Art of Theological Enquiry in Our Diocese Engage with a key enquiry question which focuses on theology Allow for genuine enquiry- engage the students with the question Explore the concept in depth. ‘How deep can we go?!’ Evaluate the concept and its impact on the lives of believers. What difference does this belief/practice make? Ensure the students express an understanding of the enquiry question! It should be focused on knowledge and understanding, not values or SMSC development!!!

Assessment Assessment focused on knowledge and understanding of CORE concepts, beliefs and practices Linking assessment clearly to the enquiry process Ensuring RE is not ‘left alone’ but is integrated with other subjects in school in terms of assessment

Next steps… Continued development work around these three areas: curriculum, pedagogy, assessment Development of research informed classroom practice through new approaches to CPD RE Quality Mark Support for NQTs Development of a local leaders network The Christianity Project Subject Knowledge support

In terms of RE, what might your priorities be for the coming year?

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