Religious Education in a Diocese of Norwich Church School
As a foundation governor or member of the clergy Ten Things you need to know 1. The purpose of RE in Church of England Schools is to develop religious literacy. This means that we promote an approach to learning called Theological Enquiry which is based on the Norfolk Agreed Syllabus 2012. This approach is about robust and challenging learning about religion and beliefs, and understanding its impact on the world. The diagram shows the relationship between RE, SMSC and the Christian ethos of the school. We hope that you will support your school in fulfilling this purpose of RE by supporting them in the ways outlined below. 2. The purpose of RE is supported by The National Society have produced a Statement of Entitlement for RE in all church schools. This outlines clearly the aims of RE in a church school and expected outcomes in the broadest terms. You will see that these aims are linked to the idea of children becoming religiously literate. This is available to download on the Church of England website. See http://www.churchofengland.org/media/ 1359721/statement%20of%20entitlement%20(2).pdf 3. Our vision in the Diocese of Norwich is that RE will be at the heart of every church school. This means that RE takes a lead, and has an impact on everything the school does. You might develop whole school initiatives which seek to place RE at the heart e.g. healthy schools, Eco award, use of outdoor space, review of school values You can support your school by highlighting these initiatives and where appropriate your expertise. 4. Our aim is for every school an RE Quality Mark school. The Diocese supports schools with grant funding to apply for the RE Quality Mark. This enables schools to focus on their RE and its wider impact on whole school improvement. The role of governors and links with local places of worship and members of faith are key elements in the success criteria for this award. 5. We expect the importance of RE to be demonstrated through the amount of curriculum time given to the subject, and through resourcing and budgeting i.e. 5% minimum curriculum time, appropriate texts/books, artefacts for a range of religions, prominent displays in the school, use of extra RE days to particularly support the teaching of Christianity. 6. We encourage schools to commit to ensuring all their staff and governors are effectively equipped to provide effective RE through appropriate professional development. We encourage all schools and academies to enable all their staff and governors to attend some form of RE training at least every 3 years. This might be a bespoke session at school, or a session provided centrally by the Diocese. 7. We encourage you to work with your school to support RE e.g. visiting the local church, inviting in local clergy and visitors, children making presentations at coffee mornings, taking part in cathedral days, Lent projects, global perspectives. The list is endless Use your own gifts and expertise to support the subject. 8. The effectiveness of RE should be well monitored and evaluated including by Foundation Governors in a VA School. This is an extremely important part of the role of Foundation Governors. We provide training and support on how to do this effectively. In addition, pupil voice is important in gaging the effectiveness and impact of the subject,
and conversations between governors/clergy and the children about their RE experience will support self evaluation. 9. If your school is a VA school (or an academy that was previously VA), RE will be inspected as part of your Section 48 (SIAMS) inspection. If you are VC, then RE will be looked at as part of the ethos, but will not usually be inspected separately. You will probably be invited in to talk with the SIAMS inspector, so it is important to have a good understanding of RE as well as other aspects of the church school inspection framework. 10. We are here to support you Kathryn sends out regular newsletters and information relating to RE. If you would like to receive this please email her. She is available to provide in school support as well as courses and training for clusters or groups of schools. She can come and give a presentation at a governors meeting, and can also work with groups of governors on specific issues. Please do contact her to discuss you RE professional development requirements. kathryn.wright@dioceseofnorwich.org or 01954 261457.
The Purpose of RE in Diocese of Norwich Schools What do we mean by religious literacy? Asking enquiring questions about religion and belief and making informed response to them Understanding the nature of religious language Understanding the diversity of religion and belief in the contemporary world Understanding the beliefs, practice, values and ways of life of religions and non religious world views Understanding the impact that religion and belief can have on individuals and society Beginning to make sense of the world of religion and belief (Alan Brine, UEA April 2014) Christian Ethos of the School The Ultimate Purpose of RE is Religious Literacy Pedagogy- this will be based on the purpose of RE. i.e theological enquiry Curriculum Design Assessment Religiously Literate children and young people SMSC Values and attitudes The mission of the Church of England. Every young person to have an opportunity to encounter Jesus Christ
Types of school In Voluntary Aided church schools and Academies with a Church of England foundation RE is determined by the governors and in accordance with the provisions of the trust deed / Anglican designation. Norwich Diocesan Board of Education advises these schools to use a locally agreed syllabus (Norfolk or Suffolk depending on the location of the school). Christianity will be given prominence, in line with the foundation of the school, but other faiths will be taught as well. Enabling pupils to understand faith, both their own and other people s is a primary aim of RE in church schools. In voluntary controlled and foundation church schools RE is provided in accordance with the locally agreed syllabus. The RE Curriculum in a church school In a Church School, one would expect to find some of the following as part of the RE curriculum. In the Diocese of Norwich, these aspects of the Christian faith clearly link to the agreed syllabus. Not all of these will be taught in all key stages, but children and young people should encounter many of these through their church school life. In addition to exploring these aspects in religious education, children and young people may encounter them through collective worship. Key Christian beliefs and concepts: Incarnation, Salvation, Creation as threads which run through all key stages Additional concepts such as the Kingdom of God, the Gospel, Trinity, the Old and New Covenants and the nature of the Church. Some key Christian texts such as The Lord s prayer, The 10 Commandments, The Apostle s creed, the structure of the Eucharist, well known hymns or songs, some liturgical materials Key events and celebrations in the church year such as Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and Pentecost. Parish Life such as rites of passage, worship, evangelism, service to others National and Global perspectives such as the Anglican Communion, ecumenical and interfaith dimensions
What we might expect to see if RE is at the heart of a church school The following statements are examples of ways in which a church school might practically ensure that RE is at their heart. There may be other ways in which the school do this, and this is not a definitive list. If RE is at the heart of the church school we would expect the children and young people to: have opportunities to ask questions and to understand the field of enquiry in RE be engaging in theological enquiry be open to a range of ideas and possibilities value religious education as a curriculum subject and see its worth value one another s contributions encouraged and developed know they are of value and worth be confident and happy to share their own views and spiritual experiences in a safe environment apply what they have learned e.g. in terms of serving their neighbour understand the impact that RE can have on their own spiritual, moral, social and cultural development respect others beliefs and values If RE is at the heart of the church school we would expect all teachers of RE to: have taken part in CPD/INSET opportunities provided by the Diocese Use pedagogies which support theological enquiry, such as those building on the work of Trevor Cooling and Andrew Wright consider how to create an effective environment for learning in RE within the church school context be secure in their subject knowledge and/or open to learn have positive approach and attitude to the teaching of Christianity, and other religions and beliefs take a creative approach to the RE curriculum actively use assessment data to ensure progress of all learners actively look for opportunities for RE to link with other areas of school life especially collective worship
meet with colleagues at different phases, particularly in relation to transition If RE is at the heart of the church school we would expect the curriculum to: be coherent and demonstrate progression place the exploration of the Christian belief and practice at the centre of learning put theological enquiry at the heart of the learners experience be relevant to the children/young people takes into account latest changes and research e.g. new agreed syllabus, new methods shared in INSET are implemented have a theological focus- emphasis on quality of provision and depth of learning provide opportunities for learners to make visits to places of worship especially the local church and cathedral takes the lead in cross curricular work i.e. RE focused days especially at festival times promote spiritual development for all learners have assessment at the heart of the planning process to ensure progression build in opportunities for RE to be celebrated in school and in the local church. build in opportunities for local speakers to share their faith e.g. vicar, members of different denominations and faiths provide opportunities for all students to take an examination in RE ( KS4/5) If RE is at the heart of the church school we would expect the leadership team to: ensure there is an appropriate budget for RE ensure adequate resourcing- artefacts, texts appoint a designated co-ordinator who has opportunity to attend RE specific training/support, and ideally someone who can shadow them put succession planning into place for the subject and subject leadership gives RE parity with other subjects e.g. in terms of time (minimum 5%), money, resources actively make links between RE and collective worship ensure RE displays are well presented and prominent in the school
develop whole school initiatives which seek to place RE at the heart e.g. healthy schools, Eco award, use of outdoor space, review of school values monitor and evaluate regularly the effectiveness of religious education ( e.g. by foundation governors, children, RE co-ordinator, senior leadership) actively look at ways of developing links with the local church e.g. children presenting RE work to the congregation at different times such as coffee mornings, toddler groups ensure RE is always considered a top priority when reviews of polices/curriculum take place. Activities and Discussion ( for individuals or governing bodies): 1. Read the entitlement statement (see link above). Reflect on the curriculum provision for religious education in your school in light of this statement. 2. Look at the aims of religious education in church schools. Which of these aims do you think your school would find the most challenging and why? How might you in your role as foundation governor support the school to fulfill this aim? 3. Look at the outcomes for religious education in church schools. What evidence is there that your school is achieving these outcomes for children/young people? How might you in your role as a foundation governor support the school to enable these outcomes to be achieved? 4. Discuss the relationship between RE and the Christian ethos of the school. How can RE remain a robust academic subject, and contribute to the Christian ethos? 5. Use Appendix 1 to undertake some monitoring of RE in your school.
Appendix 1 Suggested questions for monitoring religious education in church schools General Questions In what ways is RE key to the character of the school and its role in the community? E.g. RE leading cross curricular planning, taking a lead in innovation What broad outcomes are expected in relation to RE, and how are they evaluated? How does RE celebrate the school s Christian foundation? Are the leadership team and teachers of RE aware of the National Society Entitlement statement relating to RE? How are they ensuring that children/young people receive this entitlement? How well does RE contribute to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all learners? Does RE take a lead in this area that impacts on the whole school? To what extent does RE promote community/social cohesion through an understanding of and respect for diverse communities? e.g through an understanding of the diversity of Christian traditions, global perspectives, openness and appreciation of a range of views How is RE viewed by all members of staff (not just the subject leader)? How is RE viewed by parents? Are parents aware of what is taught in RE? Questions relating to the curriculum, teaching and learning. How does the RE curriculum fulfil the requirements of the Norfolk/Suffolk Agreed syllabus? Is the majority of study focused on Christianity? How is an enquiry-based approach to learning supported and developed? In what sense is this theological enquiry? How high are the standards and how well do all learners achieve in RE? What assessment data is available for RE?
Are learners aware of how to make progress in RE? How effective are learning and teaching in RE? You might consider the following: - Learners knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other faiths - Development of skills - The range of approaches to teaching and learning - Planning for RE - Assessment for learning, including use of levels to plan as well as assess - Monitoring by the RE subject leader To what extent do learners of all faiths and of none demonstrate a positive attitude towards RE? You might consider the following: - What do the children/young people say about RE? - Are teachers of RE aware of the views of the children/young people? - Are any children withdrawn from RE, and if so why? How does the RE curriculum, teaching and learning support children/young people to: - Think theologically e.g. by exploring concepts, ideas and beliefs - Reflect critically on truth claims - Engage with biblical text - Respect those of all faiths This paper, activities and monitoring questions are based on the following resources: Church Schools East: Son of SEF National Society Toolkit for Inspection Statement of entitlement Church of England website Kathryn Wright RE Adviser for the Diocese of Norwich Updated October 2014