Religious Education for non-specialists Linda Whitworth Middlesex University

Purpose & outcomes of the session Identify the needs of generalist primary teachers Identify our intentions, priorities and practice Develop guidelines for course length and content Consider RE in relation to cross-curricular /topic work Consider transferable pedagogies Recommend models of good practice to the Primary ITE community

Issues in Primary RE ITE in 2013 Primary RE ITE Lack of time in training Status of RE Student teacher knowledge & concerns Increasing use of TA provision in schools Fewer opportunities for student teachers to gain quality experience if teachers are not teaching RE

2013 Primary AULRE HEI Data (comparison REC,2007 ) BA courses: range hrs (3-40 hrs) Specialist routes up to 90 hrs PGCE courses: 2-18 hrs (2-24 hrs) Specialist routes up to 30hrs Average 6 hrs (11 hrs) Individual institutions report: RE specialism lost from BA & PGCE Reductions e.g. PGCE 12 hrs cut to 4 hrs Change from a course to a short focus Loss of RE specialist staff

Key components in courses Develop students’ knowledge of religions (TS3) Develop students’ attitudes and confidence in teaching RE (TS1,2,8,Pt 2) Understand the role and purpose of RE (TS1,5,8, Pt2) Develop pedagogical understanding (TS1,2,4,5,6,7) Provide planning and teaching opportunities (TS4,5,6) Give students experience of activities (TS3,4) Embed RE in cross-curricular approaches (TS3,4,8) ??

Ways Forward Change/Grow/ Both Primary Focused, pedagogically enriched Extend subject knowledge with Humanities/ others Encourage pupils to navigate the world (Chater & Erricker, 2013) EYFS influence dialogic/ co-constructive Investigative Values / SMSC Accessible /Inclusive Culturally responsive/ interculturally competent empowering