RE – an Ofsted perspective Meeting of the APPG on Religious Education Alan Brine HMI National Adviser for RE 16 January 2013

The evidence base ( )  90 primary and 91 secondary schools/academies (including 6 special schools)  230 primary and 429 secondary RE lessons observed  No VA schools or faith academies  Telephone survey of 30 schools/academies with no GCSE entries in 2011 PROTECT - DEPARTMENTAL | 2

Teacher supply and support 1  Access to, and impact of, training/support was good or better in only a third of schools AND inadequate in a further third  Schools find increasing difficulty accessing support and training  Primary HTs report significant lack of confidence amongst staff about teaching RE  Primary NQTs and RQTs frequently report very limited initial training in RE Add presentation title to master slide | 3

Teacher supply and support 2  In over 50% of primary schools all/some RE taught in PPA time by someone other than class teacher  Subject leadership ‘less than good’ in nearly 50% of primary schools  Primary subject leadership often lacks rigour and focus  RE very rarely the focus of staff training Add presentation title to master slide | 4

Teacher supply and support 3 Secondary  Staffing resources - very variable  Continued routine use of non-specialists with negative impact in around 1/3 rd of schools  Sense of isolation and high pupil contact ratios  Emerging evidence of reduction in specialist staffing - but too early to determine a trend Add presentation title to master slide | 5

Key findings  Pupils leaving school with low levels of ‘religious literacy’  Teaching not good enough in 60% of provision across Key Stages 1-3  Teaching is better at Key Stage 4 (60% good+) but wider concerns about the quality of GCSE provision PROTECT - DEPARTMENTAL | 6

Low standards mean…… Pupils are not developing:  A coherent understanding of specific religions  An ability to discuss issues related to the truth, meaning or value of religion  A grasp of the diversity of religion  An understanding of the ‘language of religion’  An ability to understand and evaluate ultimate questions PROTECT - DEPARTMENTAL | 7

This limits the contribution of RE to:  The development of pupils’ wider learning and literacy skills  The ability of pupils to develop the skills of civilised debate and reasoned argument  Pupils’ broader spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding  The promotion of social cohesion PROTECT - DEPARTMENTAL | 8

Areas of concern ‘behind the scene’  Serious and growing inconsistencies in quality of local arrangements – SACREs, agreed syllabuses, guidance etc  Impact of education policy on RE – academies, LA budgets, EBacc, changes in rules for short courses  Loss of any clear locus for subject development work – exclusion from NC review etc PROTECT - DEPARTMENTAL | 9