There are three main things to remember when planning to teach RE: Context, Diversity and Scheme of Work.
Context
When planning RE, taking your school's context into account is paramount. All schools at all key stages must currently provide RE for all pupils except those withdrawn by their parents. The RE curriculum is defined locally through the Locally Agreed Syllabus. Every local authority has one - do you know where it is and whether you need to follow it?
- VC schools and community schools MUST teach RE according to their Locally Agreed Syllabus
- VA schools MUST teach RE that complies with the trust deed
- Academies MUST teach RE in accordance with the funding agreement
If you need help with getting a copy of your trust deed, you can contact Katie Dickens, who will arrange for your school to have a copy of this.
Diversity
There is a great deal of diversity within religions as well as between them. Using the language of 'Some, many, most' as well as hearing unique voices through the use of case studies, can enrich the teaching of RE as well as showing children that we all have our own way of expressing what we believe, whether that is a faith or non-religious worldview.
Examples of case studies can be drawn for example, from the 'Real People, Real Faith' videos, through speakers available through REHubs or using videos such as this from the BBC about Sara, an 11-year-old Muslim from London. It can also helpful to take into consideration a few dos and don'ts when thinking about teaching RE and here is a link to one written by the Jewish Board of Deputies.
Scheme of Work
Whichever scheme you choose to use, it is important that it does what you need it to do. Schemes rarely do this as they stand and often need to be adapted. Neither SIAMS nor ODBE should pass comment on which scheme of work you choose to follow. SIAMS will look at whether you have adapted the scheme to meets the needs of your school and how your school promotes the teaching of high quality RE.