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Secondary education

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Original poster

The status of RE in schools

6 replies

Bbc509 · 25/01/2024 00:26

Hi, I'm thinking of training to teach RE and wondering if you could share your experience of teaching the subject. I hear that the subject is undergoing reforms in favour of a 'Worldviews' approach. What does this mean, in practice? More or less teaching of Religion? Thanks so much for your answers!

OP posts:
trimmed · 25/01/2024 07:43

Bbc509 · 25/01/2024 00:26

Hi, I'm thinking of training to teach RE and wondering if you could share your experience of teaching the subject. I hear that the subject is undergoing reforms in favour of a 'Worldviews' approach. What does this mean, in practice? More or less teaching of Religion? Thanks so much for your answers!

It doesn't "favour" worldviews", it considers and includes worldviews, teaching children to compare and contrast. The curriculum will depend on whether you're teaching in a faith school, a non-faith school, an academy or a local authority maintained school. If the latter, the curriculum will be set by the local authority SACRE. See here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/religious-education-guidance-in-english-schools-non-statutory-guidance-2010

Religious education in local-authority-maintained schools

Guidance to support the provision of high-quality religious education (RE) in local-authority-maintained schools.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/religious-education-guidance-in-english-schools-non-statutory-guidance-2010

TigerOnTour · 25/01/2024 09:05

It's less 'what do people believe?' and more 'why do people believe that?' these days.

trimmed · 25/01/2024 12:41

Also, many schools now call it "Religion & Philosophy" rather than "Religious Studies". The GCSE is still called Religious Studies. It requires students to study two religions or worldviews in detail e.g. Christianity & Islam, or Hinduism & Buddhism, or Judaism & Sikhism, or Christianity & Humanism (though I think only one exam board does the Humanism option). They also discuss the approach of a wider range of religions/world views in two 'thematic' modules - my sons did War & Peace and Relationships & Families for theirs.

OP, check out the GCSE syllabuses on the various exam board websites. If you want to train as a teacher you'll need to know your way around them.

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