RE for Secondary TWOS

This section is designed particularly for teachers with other specialisms who have found themselves with RE on their teaching timetable but without any substantial training in RE behind them. The links and suggestions offered here should also provide some assistance to more experienced RE teachers who are looking to develop their expertise towards managing or leading RE.

The Basics

In the left-hand panel you will find links to definitions of RE and to the basic national documents on the subject, but don't forget that the legal requirement for RE is LOCALLY arranged and depends on the type of school in which you teach. Check your legal requirements at www.theredirectory.org.uk/overview.php or www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/atoz/r/re/

If your school is following a locally agreed syllabus for RE you should have a copy in your school. Locally agreed syllabuses are constructed and reviewed by SACREs (Standing Advisory Councils for RE) and by the ASC (Agreed Syllabus Conference) of each local authority. Contact details for your local (education) authority and SACRE can be found in the RE Directory at: www.theredirectory.org.uk/lea.php

Church of England and Catholic Diocese links are also to be found here, though other faith communities are not currently listed.

The Principles, or, 'Why do we do RE?'

In England, the national guidance on RE contains two attainment targets: learning about religion and learning from religion. In Wales, there is just one attainment target: RE, comprising of: engaging with fundamental questions; exploring beliefs, teachings and practice; expressing personal response; and using religious and symbolic language. Locally agreed syllabuses sometimes contain other variations! While it is important to consult the legal document for RE in your school / authority, there are some general principles which provide a good starting point for the RE beginner.

One way of getting a handle on what RE is all about is to think about what pupils would be missing out on if they didn't do RE. Click here to find out more and to get some answers to the question 'Why do we do RE?' >>

Development

Once you've grasped the principles of RE and the associated key questions, you are ready to consider WHAT to teach and HOW to teach it.

In terms of what to teach there is plenty of guidance around, but it may still be difficult to select for the available material. This is where your agreed syllabus and SACRE can help (see above for how to find contact details). Many SACREs produce schemes of work or lists of suggested content and resources. Nationally, there are schemes of work for England (new sample QCA units are about to be published). In any case, your SACRE should be able to put you in touch with an adviser or experienced teacher who can suggest appropriate content and resources to meet the requirements of the syllabus.

Click this link for more information on what to teach in RE >>.

Schemes of work and some text books will contain suggestions for how to teach RE, but there are a few other things about RE pedagogy that might help here.

Click this link for more information on how to teach RE >>.

Being part of the RE Team

If you find yourself in a team of colleagues teaching RE under the leadership of a Head of Department or Subject Manager, you will clearly look to that individual for guidance on the RE programme of study. It will be important that you have some regular meeting time with the subject leader so that joint planning can take place.

As with any curriculum subject, RE should not be taught by those who do not wish to do so. Assuming that you are a willing recruit, you should find much on this website to guide your initial understanding of what the subject is all about. Here are a few further tips to making your time as an RE teacher a successful and enjoyable one:

• don't suffer in silence - raise reasonable concerns with your Head of Department or Subject Leader - particularly about your own training needs;
• use your own professional interests and enthusiasms to enliven your RE teaching and engage pupils in their learning;
• keep the focus for pupils' learning simple but challenging - see the guide on 'how to teach RE' (linked above) to work out an appropriate focus for each lesson;
• develop your skills of managing discussions and other active learning techniques - these are especially important in RE if pupils are to get the most from the lessons;
• use a variety of resources in your teaching;
• show pupils you value their work in RE, through, eg, regular feedback on their progress, facilitating displays of their creative work, arranging for uploads of ICT work to the school website;
• get involved in - or suggest - visits and inviting visitors to enhance RE learning;
• use your general 'good practice' teaching skills in RE as you would in your specialist subject - of course!

Moving into Leadership and Management of RE in a Secondary School

If you are, or have just been appointed to lead RE in your school, you may want to know how you can build up your own expertise and help any other colleagues who are going to teach RE to do so with a measure of confidence and enthusiasm.

What are your strengths and weaknesses in the subject? How can you arrange some training to meet your needs and those of any colleagues and build up a positive team spirit? Your local SACRE or foundation faith community may be able to point you in the direction of a suitable adviser, consultant or experienced teacher to lead such training, or indicate appropriate courses or conferences to attend. They may also be able to advise you on schools to visit where good RE is already established.

In the meantime, you may wish to build up a subject leaders' file with the materials needed to support colleagues in their teaching. Follow this link to see a list of items that you might build up in your file over time: subject leader's RE file / handbook >>.

As you develop your confidence in leading the subject you should try filling in sections of the self-evaluation toolkit to provide an all round picture of RE provision in your school. This will also help you to see what needs to be done next to make improvements in provision for all the pupils.

For further guidance on good leadership and management of RE follow the links here >>.