The subject of religious education presents unique challenges, being mandatory yet also outside the national curriculum.
Many schools do choose to follow the locally agreed syllabus, but some trusts prefer to develop their own and the result can be a confusing mixture of content.
Ofsted’s report is perhaps one of the most critical subject reports yet and it raises a number of concerns about the delivery of a complex and sensitive subject.
The report calls on the government to update guidance and clarify expectations. It emphasises little improvement since the last RE subject report 10 years ago and the complex picture described then has been further complicated by the increase in multi-academy trusts, many with their own arrangements, and a subsequent lack of support and professional development opportunities.
The report suggests that the subject “continues to wilt”. It states: “The legacy of poor subject and pedagogical knowledge, scant training and lack of clarity about RE content is that, in too many schools, the RE curriculum is poorly constructed, poorly implemented, and poorly learned.”
Where RE lessons were good, the inspectors said that factors contributing to this included:
- Strong teacher subject knowledge.
- Access to professional development.
- Regular time for RE lessons.
- A well-organised curriculum containing knowledge chosen by leaders to enable pupils to deepen their understanding term by term.
In spite of the glimpses of good, most of the report is bleak. In common with some other subject reports there are concerns about a lack of depth, with different faiths being covered too superficially.
Teaching RE is a complex business and teachers often lack confidence, it says. The addition of the “ways of knowing” approach could have left even more feeling confused.
Substantive knowledge
Christian traditions were the most frequently studied followed by Jewish and Muslim. Less curriculum time was given to dharmic traditions (Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist traditions) or non-religious worldviews. Although this wasn’t seen as a problem, it is emphasised that pupils do need to understand the religious landscape.
Schools are criticised for not adapting the locally agreed syllabus and oversimplifying content. Pupils generally were unable to remember what they had been taught and there were few examples of curriculums including the challenging questions that religions aim to answer.
Ways of knowing
The report discusses how pupils can learn “how to know” about religion and non-religion. It explains: “Ways of knowing is about pupils learning and acquiring different ways that scholars can study religious and non-religious traditions. This kind of knowledge is reliable and prevents pupils from depending on views and opinions that are not justified by scholarship.”
The report suggests that pupils are too often being taught generalisations instead of recognising the differences in practice and belief within religions. Many curriculum questions were poor, it adds, and did not require the pupil to use the substantive knowledge that they had gained. Artefacts were not always used well with pupils having insufficient knowledge to be able to explain their significance.
Teaching the curriculum
Pupils generally responded positively to RE but there were a number of failings when it came to teaching. These included not sufficiently encouraging pupils to link what they had learnt before with current learning.
Equally, pupils were sometimes asked to do extended writing tasks that they didn’t have enough substantive knowledge to complete or that were inappropriate for what they were learning.
However, schools were aware of the sensitive nature of some of the topics they were covering and prepared pupils accordingly.
Assessment
Typical school practice included formative rather than summative checks and there was little attempt to assess personal knowledge. On occasions assessment was based on end-of-key-stage statements in locally agreed syllabuses that were insufficiently broken down. It was generally recognised by schools that they were not using assessment well enough.
Systems at subject and school level
In nearly 70% of schools RE had at least a weekly timetabled lesson and this was usually taught by the class teacher. The report is critical of those schools teaching RE only through special RE days or through blocked half-term units as pupils did not have sufficient opportunity to return to content taught.
Teacher education and CPD
More than 60% of teachers had not received any CPD in RE, the report states. Although the subject leader might have received some when new content was launched, the extent to which this was passed on to others was patchy.
Recommendations
Curriculum
- Ensure that there is a distinct curriculum in place for teaching RE that is rigorous, challenging, and builds on what pupils know.
- Important content and concepts should be clearly identified and sequenced.
- Balance the breadth and depth of study of religious and non-religious traditions.
- Make sure that the curriculum clearly identifies how pupils will develop disciplinary and personal knowledge through the chosen substantive content.
Teaching and assessment
- Provide opportunities for pupils to review and build on important knowledge over time.
- Ensure that teaching develops pupils’ knowledge of the complexity of religious and non-religious traditions.
- Develop manageable assessment methods.
Systems at subject and school level
- Ensure that all teachers have the subject and pedagogical knowledge that they need to teach RE well.
- Check that the time allocated is used effectively.
- Organise the timetable so that gaps between teaching are minimised.
- Suzanne O’Connell is a freelance education writer and a former primary school headteacher. Read her previous articles for Headteacher Update via www.headteacher-update.com/authors/suzanne-oconnell
Headteacher Update Autumn Term Edition 2024
- This article first appeared in Headteacher Update's Autumn Term Edition 2024. This edition was sent free of charge to UK primary schools in September 2024. A free-to-download digital edition is also available via www.headteacher-update.com/content/downloads
Further information & resources
- Ofsted: Subject report series: Religious education, 2024: https://buff.ly/4gh39a2
- Ofsted: Research review series: Religious education, 2021: https://buff.ly/4dVQzvd