Primary RE

We have decided to work with another London borough to produce a joint agreed syllabus. We began this process by asking teachers in local schools for their views on the syllabuses they were currently using.

The consultation helped us to understand which features were working well. At our school, for example, Years 3 to 6 each focus on one particular faith. This way of working has been helpful for teachers, so the new programme will retain it to some extent.

We were also keen for pupils to have opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered than at present. We have dealt with this in a number of ways. For example, teachers will deliver fewer units of work within a year so that each can be studied in detail, allowing for greater development of knowledge, understanding and skills.

Local authorities, too, have areas of good practice that are not currently integrated into our syllabuses. The “ambassadors of faith and belief” scheme, for example, runs in our borough and trains sixth-form students to give presentations on their faiths and beliefs to primary pupils.

The removal of level descriptors from the national curriculum allows us to consider doing the same in our agreed syllabus. To help with assessment, we are identifying the specific knowledge, understanding and skills to be gained at the end of each key stage.

We hope that by meshing the best that each authority has to offer, while also taking national developments into account, we will provide a programme that will challenge and inspire our pupils. I, for one, cannot wait to teach it.

Julia Diamond-Conway is a primary school teacher at Newbury Park Primary School in Redbridge, Greater London

Secondary RE

RE should be an education in human thought, its past, present and future. It should be as rich and intriguing as its subject matter. But if the agreed syllabus is just a list of content, as it often is, the RE curriculum can become anodyne and superficial. This is why I jumped at the chance to be part of the Religious Education Council’s review.

At the heart of the curriculum review team’s work was an examination of what RE is and what it should be in the 21st century.

We removed the dual attainment targets of the former framework (learning about and learning from religion), which we felt were unwieldy and limited to the depth and scope of the subject. We discussed what knowledge, understanding and aptitudes would be required to initiate pupils into an RE that was rigorous and meaningful.

In order to increase the depth of study and analysis, it is clear that some content will have to be lost. This is a decision that RE departments will have to make for themselves in relation to their syllabuses, but it is one that should improve their capacity for rigour.

Some teachers might not welcome the accusation that much of RE is fatuous and flabby, and some teachers may feel exhausted at the prospect of turning a new curriculum into lesson plans. Some may even prefer their existing syllabuses. However, I am sure that many will welcome a curriculum that demands more from their students, allows a deeper analysis and understanding and better reflects all that the study of religion and belief can be.

Kate Christopher is a head of RE and national adviser for RE Today

Citizenship

The new curriculum gives schools a chance to revisit what they currently offer in citizenship. Although this initially seemed to be a daunting task, it has actually been a welcome opportunity to enhance what we are doing well and develop what we are not so happy with.

This is not the time to throw the baby out with the bathwater. The new programmes of study are a great deal shorter than the 2007 versions, but the core aspects can still be understood as knowledge and concepts, skills and experiences.

The vast majority of staff delivering citizenship in my school are non-specialists; it is therefore an essential part of my job to make sense of the changes and present an exciting, engaging range of resources for them.

We already have a variety of excellent lesson resources in place for a number of topics. Some of these require little, if any, modification. However, there is some new content, most notably the inclusion of finance education, which was previously the domain of the non-statutory PSHE curriculum.

This presents a variety of challenges for citizenship: the development of new resources ready for teaching in September, CPD for those delivering the lessons and the consideration of how to ensure a wider economic and citizenship focus.

There seems to be a lack of progression in some areas of the new programme of study. For example, teaching about diversity and identity appears explicitly only at key stage 4, so I am looking at how to weave this into key stage 3, too, to ensure a clear sequence of learning.

Helen Blachford is the curriculum leader for citizenship and PSHE at the Priory School in Portsmouth

A look inside the new RE and citizenship curricula

Religious education

With RE left out of the Department for Education’s curriculum review, the Religious Education Council of England and Wales conducted its own examination of the framework. The council published a new national curriculum for RE in October 2013. Download it at bit.lyREReviewSummary

The framework expresses the aim of RE in three elements: to enable pupils to know about and understand a range of religions and world views; to express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of them; and to gain and deploy the skills needed to engage seriously with them.

The new statement of purpose asserts that RE can contribute dynamically to education by posing challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human. The religions and world views studied are a resource for addressing these questions.

Primary

• Outcomes at the end of key stage 1 include being able to suggest meanings for moral stories, responding sensitively to similarities between different religions; and learning about examples of cooperation between people with different beliefs.
• By the age of 11, pupils should be able to investigate and respond thoughtfully to a range of sources of wisdom; to understand the challenges of commitment to a community of faith or belief; and to discuss and apply their own and other people’s ideas about ethical questions.

• Key stage 3

  • Outcomes include pupils being able to explain and interpret a range of beliefs, teachings and sources of wisdom; to consider and evaluate the question “what is religion?”; and to evaluate issues about community relations and respect for all.

  • Compiled by Lat Blaylock, project officer for the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education

    Citizenship

    Citizenship remains a statutory national curriculum subject at key stages 3 and 4. Pupils should be taught:

    • to develop knowledge and understanding of democracy, government, rights and the responsibilities of citizens;
    • to think critically, evaluate political questions, present reasoned arguments and take informed actions;
    • to understand the system of government in the UK, including the roles of citizens, Parliament and the monarch;
    • to understand the operation of Parliament, including voting and elections and the roles of political parties;
    • to understand the nature of the justice system, including how laws are enacted, the role of the police and the operation of courts and tribunals;
    • to understand the roles that are played by public institutions and voluntary organisations to support different groups;
    • to understand the ways in which citizens work together to improve their communities, including taking responsible action at school and in the wider community;
    • to understand the functions of money in society and the practice of budgeting and managing risk.

    • Compiled by Liz Moorse, senior manager at the Association for Citizenship Teaching

      Citizenship resources

      1. Full house

      Use animations, quizzes and diagrams to introduce students to the work and structure of the UK Parliament.
      
      2. Poll position

      Help pupils explore the concept of voting with tasks including a group activity to write a campaign agenda for an imaginary political party.
      
      3. Budget wisely

      Worksheets show students how to manage budgets and their personal finances.

      RE Resources

      Primary

      1. Using my religion

      An activity to help students identify the key features of six major world religions.
      
      2. Have faith

      Get pupils researching the world’s major religions by completing this information booklet originally devised for use in a special needs school.
      
      Secondary

      1. Order of service

      This lesson, initially devised for students in Scottish schools, gets pupils thinking about the year ahead in religious, moral and philosophical studies.
      
      2. Religious ideas

      Encourage students to explore religious concepts using these introductory materials packed with arresting images.

      For more information, visit www.tesconnect.comnationalcurriculum2014