1. ‘Deep diving’ with the new Agreed Syllabus: Introducing the new RE syllabus for schools in Devon, Torbay and Plymouth (and possibly Cornwall?)
Katie Freeman – SLE for RE and SIAMS
@katiekates_84
Tatiana Wilson – Diocesan Education Adviser Exeter Diocese
@tattywilson

2. Individual religions studied before comparing Core concepts
Intent
Clear purpose and aims
Implementation:
Individual religions studied before comparing
Core concepts
Spiral curriculum
Teaching and learning model
Impact:
End-of-unit and end-of-phase
outcomes
Additional support
© RE Today Services 2019

3. Make sense of a range of beliefs… Understanding the impact…
Page 7
1. Curriculum intent: purpose and aims
Make sense of a range of beliefs…
Understanding the impact…
Make connections…
This principal aim is unpacked in the threefold aims below on p.6.
We want pupils to be able to make sense of a range of beliefs
We want them to understand their impact and significance
And to make connections between these ideas, beliefs, practices, their wider learning and their own lives.
Page 8
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4. A more pupil-friendly version?
RE explores big questions about life, to find out what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live.
RE helps pupils to make sense of religion and belief, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living.
How close is your RE to achieving this aim?
What changes might you need to make to your RE?
How would you communicate
this aim to your teachers,
pupils and parents?
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5. Page 12 Curriculum implementation: 2. Religions and beliefs
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6. Pages 16-17 Curriculum implementation:
3. Systematic units /thematic units
Pages 16-17
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7. Pages 16-17 Curriculum implementation:
4. Core concepts revisited – spiral curriculum
Pages 16-17
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8. Getting the bigger picture – making connections
Research
Spaced learning
e.g.
Organising Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning: A Practice Guide, IES, 2007
Getting the bigger picture – making connections
Why don’t students like school? Daniel Willingham, 2009
Understanding Christianity
Demographics
Policy
Knowledge
Assessment
Ofsted
Census 2011
© RE Today Services 2019

9. People of God Prophecy Wisdom Kingdom of God God Creation Fall
Incarnation
Gospel
Salvation
Kingdom of God
Creation/
Fall
People of God
God
Incarnation
Gospel
Salvation
People of God
Creation/Fall
Incarnation
/ God
Gospel
Kingdom of God
Salvation
God
Creation
Incarnation
Gospel
Salvation
Creation
Incarnation
Salvation
© RE Today Services 2019

10. Page 13/14 Curriculum implementation:
5. Teaching and learning approach
Page 13/14
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11. Individual religions studied before comparing Core concepts
Intent
Clear purpose and aims
Implementation:
Individual religions studied before comparing
Core concepts
Spiral curriculum
Teaching and learning model
Impact:
End-of-unit and end-of-phase
outcomes
Additional support
© RE Today Services 2019

12. Suggested unit content
Key question
Core concepts
7. Units of study
Principal aim
e.g. Page 65
Unit outcomes
Suggested unit content
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13. Planning great RE using the syllabus
e.g. Page 58
Five-step planning process
Clear aims and objectives in the form of assessment outcomes
Ensures progression, achieves principal aim
Using the planning process: theory and practice
In order to support schools in their planning for RE, we recommend using this simple planning process, designed to enable teachers to use the Programmes of study.
Let’s look at the KS2 planning process as an example. The same steps apply in KS1 and KS3.
Go through each step briefly.
We are going to give you three units of study, modelling this process, but we’re going to spend some time trying this process out first.   
The key is that by having clear aims and objectives, in the form of specific “I can...”/You can/Can you? assessment outcomes, teachers can devise suitable strategies for enabling children to achieve these outcomes. This ensures progression and enables teachers to achieve the principal aim of RE.
© RE Today Services 2019

14. Curriculum impact:
6. Outcomes
Page 18/19
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15. 1.6 Who is Muslim and how do they live? (Page 48) Principal aim
Example unit of work:
1.6 Who is Muslim and how do they live? (Page 48)
Principal aim
1: Key question
2: Use learning outcomes
3: Select specific content
4: Assessment: write specific pupil outcomes
5: Teaching and learning
NB – not expecting your planning to be as detailed as this – this is just to model the process, and to give you some ideas to support you in your planning.
© RE Today Services 2019

16. L2.8 What does it mean to be a Hindu in Britain today? (Page 68)
Example unit of work:
L2.8 What does it mean to be a Hindu in Britain today? (Page 68)
Principal aim
1: Key question
2: Use learning outcomes
3: Select specific content
4: Assessment: write specific pupil outcomes
5: Teaching and learning
NB – not expecting your planning to be as detailed as this – this is just to model the process, and to give you some ideas to support you in your planning.
Visual learning in RE
© RE Today Services 2019

17. Key issues Legal position p.9 Academies p.10 Time p.11
RE and SEND p.119
5. Key issues
a) Legal position
The requirement to teach RE to all pupils throughout the school remains.
b) Academies
The requirement to teach RE to all pupils throughout the school remains. This is repeatedly stated by DfE. Academies do not need to follow the agreed syllabus, but the requirement for an agreed syllabus is the same as that for an academy (quote a curriculum which reflects that the religious traditions in Great Britain are, in the main Christian, while taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain.)
Given that this is the requirement upon which the Kingston Agreed Syllabus is built, we suggest that much of the difficult thinking has been done for you and recommend that you make use of the ideas and resources on offer.
c) Time
We cannot stipulate time required for RE except to say that in order to deliver the agreed syllabus in a satisfactory way, ensuring continuity and progression for pupils, sufficient time must be given. The timings here are seen as a minimum entitlement. Remember that there is considerable flexibility in how the curriculum is delivered (see appendices).
© RE Today Services 2019

18. What might a unit look like?

19. Benchmarking Knowledge…

20. Benchmark Assessment

21. Working Walls Promoting the use of technical vocabulary.
Helping children to sequence their learning.
Child friendly reference point for future learning.

22. Key Stage One
Example Unit

23. Creation How do we create awe and wonder?
How do we use scripture and make our lessons engaging?

24. Outside learning How do children experience being the creator?
How do we make text relevant to them?
Comparing the Beginner’s Bible to the NIV.

25. Creating awe and wonder…
Big questions, what do they want to know?
Encouraging children to lead their own learning.
Going outside and giving the children time to ‘drink in their surroundings.
How did everything get there?

26. Reading…
Genesis 1:26-31New International Version (NIV) 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

27. Do you have any big questions about the text?

28. What do we do with these big questions?

29. What does it mean?
Discuss time times God uses ‘good’ or ‘very good’ to describe his creation. Why does he do this?
Children to think about a time when they have created something. How would they have described it?

30. Being the Creator…

31. Stewardship
Read the text again, how would a Christian feel about creation looking like this?
Why do they feel that stewardship is important?
What could they do about it?

32. Key Stage Two
Example Unit

33. Teaching the concept of ‘Creation’
Year 5

34. Science and religion, conflicting or complimentary?

37. Unpicking the text

40. Jennifer Wiseman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjj81La1wH0

41. Looking at different Christian theories…
The Reconstruction Theory – according to this theory, the days of creation are actually the days of reconstruction after creation suffered a terrible catastrophe which needed to be recreated. Look at the ‘gap’ in meaning between verses 1 and 2 in Genesis 1.
The Concordist Interpretation – This is the idea that the days in Genesis represent the different periods of time that science speaks of.
The Literal Interpretation – The idea that everything happened just as it is recorded in Genesis.
The Literary Interpretation – This interpretation suggests that the story in Genesis is not supposed to be taken literally but that it draws out themes to help us to understand what did happen.

42. Genesis explores why the universe and life exists
Genesis explores why the universe and life exists. Science explores how the universe works in the way it does.

43. Asking big questions to deepen knowledge

44. Some other things to try…

45. Using artefact sheets…

46. Using ‘wordless’ to show understanding…

47. Investigating Artefacts

48. Investigating the mosque…
Thinking of big questions
Looking for signs and symbol
Using RE Online to ask a believer

49. Nativity Storytelling…

50. Individual religions studied before comparing Core concepts
Intent
Clear purpose and aims
Implementation:
Individual religions studied before comparing
Core concepts
Spiral curriculum
Teaching and learning model
Impact:
End-of-unit and end-of-phase
outcomes
Additional support
© RE Today Services 2019