Learning and teaching activities in religious education (RE) contribute
to the achievement of curriculum aims for all young people to become:
- successful learners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve
- confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling
lives
- responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society.
The
importance of religious education
RE provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose
of life, beliefs about God, the self and the nature of reality, issues of
right and wrong, and what it means to be human. It develops students' knowledge
and understanding of Christianity, other principal religions, other religious
traditions and other world views that offer answers to questions such as
these. It offers opportunities for personal reflection and spiritual development.
It enhances students' awareness and understanding of religions and beliefs,
teachings, practices and forms of expression, as well as of the influence
of religion on individuals, families, communities and cultures.
RE encourages students to learn from different religions, beliefs, values
and traditions while exploring their own beliefs and questions of meaning.
It challenges students to reflect on, consider, analyse, interpret and evaluate
issues of truth, belief, faith and ethics and to communicate their responses.
RE encourages students to develop their sense of identity and belonging.
It enables them to flourish individually within their communities and as
citizens in a pluralistic society and global community. RE has an important
role in preparing students for adult life, employment and lifelong learning.
It enables students to develop respect for and sensitivity to others, in
particular those whose faiths and beliefs are different from their own.
It promotes discernment and enables students to combat prejudice.
The importance of religious education
RE is a statutory subject in the curriculum. There are no statutory programmes
of study at national level. In 2004, the Department for Education and
Skills and the QCA published a non-statutory national framework for RE,
to be used by local agreed syllabus conferences for the development of
agreed syllabuses for RE, and by faith communities for the development
of RE programmes in their schools. Schools are legally required to teach
RE according to their local agreed syllabus or, in schools with a religious
character, according to their governors' policy. The content of this non-statutory
RE programme of study is the same as the 14-19 element of the non-statutory
national framework. The presentation and headings follow the format of
the programmes of study for other subjects at key stage 4, to enable cross-curricular
planning to take place.
Key concepts
There are a number of key concepts that underpin the study of RE. Students
need to understand these concepts in order to deepen and broaden their knowledge,
skills and understanding.
Beliefs, teachings and sources
- Analysing teachings, sources, authorities and ways of life in order
to understand religions
and beliefs in historical and cultural context.
- Understanding
and analysing beliefs, values and attitudes as related to the
human
quest for meaning.
Religions and beliefs
This includes systems of thought that are religious and non-religious,
theistic and non-theistic, western/Abrahamic and eastern/Dharmic.
Understanding and analysing
Teachings, sources, authorities, practices and ways of life can help individuals
and communities to give expression to their questions and answers in various
ways. This could include understanding and analysing beliefs as expressions
of the human quest for meaning, as experiences of the quest, and as answers
to it.
Human quest for meaning
This contributes to students' spiritual and moral development and to their
growing confidence, sense of freedom and responsibility.
Spiritual development is part of the overall aims of education. It is
open to everyone, not confined to the development of religious beliefs
or conversion to a particular faith. Although difficult to define, spiritual
development may be said to have the following aspects: beliefs, sense
of awe, wonder and mystery, experiencing feelings of transcendence, search
for meaning and purpose, self-knowledge, relationships, creativity, feelings
and emotions. Moral development may be said to include the will to behave
morally as a point of principle, knowledge of codes of conduct, criteria
for responsible moral judgements, and ability to make judgements.
As students aged 14 to 16 grow toward cognitive, social and emotional
maturity, their growing awareness of the human quest for meaning facilitates
their spiritual and moral development and enriches their sense of identity
in relation to beliefs and their sources.
Practices and ways of life
- Explaining and evaluating the impact
of religions and beliefs on how people live their lives.
- Analysing
the ways in which the impact of religions and beliefs can vary
according to context.
Impact
These could include ideals, such as unity, equality and peace, or unexamined
assumptions, such as those on causes of conflict, on religion or on wealth
and poverty, that underpin decisions and lifestyles. They can be critically
explored through discussions of news events, religious doctrines, stories
or school events, the possible motives of the people in them and the implications
of statements from religious or community leaders
Analysing the ways
This includes making conscious use of some principal methods by which
religion, spirituality and ethics are studied, taking into account how
the context and assumptions of the study can change the perception of
the religious practice or way of life studied.
Expressing meaning
- Interpreting and evaluating many
different sources and forms of religious, spiritual, moral and
cultural expression.
Many different sources and forms
This includes writing, speaking, silence, art, music, dress, dance, food,
ritual, artefacts, relationships, behaviour codes and social action.
Identity
and belonging
- Explaining
and analysing viewpoints on issues connecting personal and communal
identity.
Identity
People can have multiple identities that may be determined by a combination
of faith, culture, environment and choice.
Explaining and analysing
This could include analysing identities and beliefs in ways that strengthen
students' understanding of cultural identities, sharpen their powers of
argument and deepen their commitment to respect.
Meaning, purpose and truth
- Analysing and synthesising insights on ultimate
questions that confront humanity.
Ultimate questions
Ultimate questions have no single answer agreed by all religions and beliefs.
These questions face everyone, in the form of ethical, spiritual or philosophical
challenges. They can be about the significance and value of human life,
the existence of God, the nature of being human, the causes of suffering
or the qualities of a good life. There are many other such questions,
considered by most religious and philosophical traditions to be profound
questions confronting humanity. Ultimate questions could include opportunities
for students to articulate their own questions and personal responses,
making critical connections between beliefs, practices and issues, and
handling complexity and ambiguity.
Values and commitments
- Synthesising
evidence and arguments about moral values and how they can relate
to beliefs and experience.
- Evaluating
own and others' values in order to make informed, rational and imaginative
choices.
Synthesising evidence and arguments about moral
values
This could include exploring religious and moral arguments on, for example,
abortion, and combining these arguments with an appreciation of the doctrinal
or philosophical principles and contextual pressures that might lead people
to decide.
Evaluating
As young people aged 14 to 16 develop their sense of identity, they learn
to internalise more complex definitions of right and wrong and to use
them, with increasing independence, in relation to a range of issues in
their family, neighbourhood and world, for example in discussions about
wealth, stereotyping, the environment or conflict. They learn to respond
to issues by reference to both belief and experience, and to appreciate
how context can change moral choices. In this way they gain a sense of
personal autonomy in preparation for adult life.
Key processes
These are the essential skills and processes in RE that students need to
learn to make progress.
Learning about religion
Students should be able to:
- investigate and interpret significant
issues, in the light of their own identities, experiences and
commitments
- present coherent, detailed arguments about beliefs, ethics, values and
issues, with independence and critical awareness of their methods of study
- use and develop specialist
vocabulary and critical arguments, with awareness of their power,
limitations and ambiguity
- use and evaluate the rich, varied forms of creative
expression in religious life.
Significant issues
This could include philosophical issues, for example whether there is
a purpose and design to human existence, and moral issues, for example
whether individual freedoms should be curbed in order to protect the environment.
Issues should be explored by reference to students' experience and to
religious and philosophical traditions.
Specialist vocabulary
This includes vocabulary on the study of religions and beliefs in general,
for example revelation, theistic, pluralism, duty,
source, mystical, rational, and vocabulary
that is specific to religious and philosophical traditions. This vocabulary
should be taught so that it can be spelt and pronounced appropriately.
Creative expression
This could include experiences of using sacred texts and other primary
sources, observing or taking part in worship, meditation or rituals, and
using the creative arts to express ideas. The experiences should be offered
to students with guidelines that make the educational purpose of the activity
clear. Some experiences should be voluntary.
Learning from religion
Students should be able to:
- reflect
critically on their opinions in the light of their learning
about religions, beliefs and questions
- develop their independent values and attitudes on moral and spiritual
issues related to their autonomy,
identities, rights and responsibilities
- evaluate
issues, beliefs, commitments and the influence of religion, including
philosophical, spiritual and ethical perspectives
- use skills of critical
enquiry, creative problem-solving and communication through
a variety of media to respond to issues of identity, meaning and values
in a wide range of contexts.
Reflect critically
This includes being able to express and justify their own opinions, show
how their beliefs, attitudes, feelings and experiences have changed, and
demonstrate their awareness of how sources, authorities, contextual factors
and pressures might influence them and their peers.
Autonomy, identities, rights and responsibilities
This could include exploration of principles, attitudes and experiences
that inform views on, for example, prejudice, discrimination and what
may constitute justified forms of protest against injustice. Understandings
of right and wrong should be taught and developed in the light of beliefs,
teachings and sources. Values and attitudes should be developed with conscious
reference to complex and pluralistic contexts.
Evaluate
This includes being able to understand reasons for a belief or commitment
they do not share, and to empathise with the experiences of those with
whom they do not agree. It also includes being able to acknowledge the
strengths and weaknesses of their own beliefs, and to see their attitudes,
values and behaviour as others see them.
Critical enquiry, creative problem-solving and
communication
This could include, for example, reporting on involvement in a community
cohesion project that investigated the role of religion in a conflict,
and proposed or predicted solutions. The experience should enable students
to make critical connections between their involvement and their understanding
of beliefs and practices, and to have perspective on their own growth
and learning.
Range and content
This section outlines the breadth of the subject on which teachers should
draw when teaching the key concepts and key processes.
The study of RE should include:
- opportunities
to study Christianity, either directly as a religion or indirectly
through philosophical or ethical issues, or both
- opportunities
to study one or more other principal religions, either directly
as religions or indirectly through philosophical or ethical issues, or
both
- opportunities to study a range of philosophical
and ethical issues that are of relevance to young people's experience
or aspirations and that make reference to some religious
and philosophical traditions.
Opportunities to study Christianity
This could include Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican, non-conformist
and Pentecostal branches of Christianity, both in Britain and globally.
Opportunities to study one or more other principal
religions
These include, as listed in the non-statutory national framework, Buddhism,
Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism.
Philosophical and ethical issues
Philosophical issues could include the existence of God, the origins of
the universe and of life, the causes and implications of suffering, the
nature and limits of religious language and the sources of right and wrong.
Ethical issues could include ethical decision making, religion and science,
spirituality and religious freedom, relationships, rights and responsibilities,
sexuality, health, alcohol and drugs, prejudice and discrimination, consumerism
and advertising, crime and punishment, equality and justice, war and peace,
the environment and climate change, animal rights, inter-religious dialogue
and collaboration.
Religious and philosophical traditions
These include Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism,
the Baha'i faith, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and secular philosophies such
as Humanism.
Curriculum opportunities
During the key stage students should be offered the following opportunities
that are integral to their learning and enhance their engagement with the
concepts, processes and content of the subject.
The curriculum should provide opportunities for students to:
- access the sources, images and sounds that are key to their study, using
texts and ICT
as appropriate
- discuss,
explore and question concepts, images and practices
- visit places of worship, inter-faith centres or other centres, observing
or taking part in worship or rituals, as appropriate
- discuss, reflect on and develop arguments about philosophical and ethical
issues
- engage in community projects, dialogue or social action, reflecting
on its importance for themselves and others
- encounter people from different religious, cultural and philosophical
groups, who can express a range of convictions on religious and moral
issues, where possible
- evaluate concepts, practices and issues, paying attention to beliefs
and experience, using reasoned, balanced arguments
- use a range of forms
of expression to communicate their ideas and responses, including
exploring and recording how their thoughts, feelings and experiences have
changed
- explore the connections between RE and other
subject areas.
ICT
This could include using the internet to research places of worship and
using email to communicate with people of different faiths in different
countries.
Discuss, explore and question
This could include opportunities for students to develop and express their
own questions, share each other's responses and study the answers offered
by religions and beliefs. It could include being involved in a local community
cohesion project, and identifying and analysing the diverse ways that
beliefs impact on life at local community, social and global levels.
Ethical issues
This could include a wide variety of topics, for example the difference
between right and wrong, the application of principles to issues in crime/punishment,
war/peace, family life, relationships, use of money and property, entertainment,
employment, technology, and religious and cultural tolerance.
Forms of expression
This could include creative and thoughtful use of art, dance, drama, writing
and ICT.
Other subject areas
This could include arts, humanities, language, literature, technology
and science.
