North Yorkshire Council

 

North Yorkshire Standing Advisory Council

on Religious Education (SACRE) –

 

June 2025

Update from Professional RE Adviser

 

1.0

 

Purpose of the Report

 

 

To inform Members on work undertaken by the Professional RE Adviser since the last SACRE meeting.

 

To provide members with local and national updates on RE

 

     2.0       Teacher Training Summer 2025

 

2.1       2 Primary RE Networks in the Spring term were attended by 31 RE subject leaders and Headteachers.  The network focussed on Assessment in RE

            Teachers shared why assessment is important and some of the practical ways they assess in the classroom:

            Why do we assess?

To know where the pupils are at and where they need to go

To check prior learning so we can plan lessons.

To gauge how well children are learning in terms of subject content, understanding and their ability to dig deeper into content

to find out what the children have learned   

Ensure progression of learning

spiral curriculum

How do we assess RE?

In foundation subjects including RE ours is supposed to be at the end of each unit and we are supposed to tick off each individual learning objective.  This can feel like a lot.

I try to do 'sticky learning' at start of each lesson as a recall and assessment - quiz, cartoon etc. We are looking at assessment across all subjects and did look at a model which assessed each unit  3 weeks after taught but this felt very onerous and not manageable over all subjects!

We live mark during lessons so can give verbal feedback straight away (to at least some pupils) during their independent task that we then assess against the lesson's walt which is taken from the unit's learning outcomes. We highlight the walt if achieved when marking and key words/phrases that show they have achieved.

In early years our assessment is based on observation and discussions with the children. 

We also include SACs (stretch a connection) children can try within an independent task to show deeper learning. We do Hot Tasks at the end of a unit.

I realise that ours is variable across the school. We plan summative assessment tasks such as producing booklets, posters etc with the learning objectives for the unit as a focus. This has included designing a multi faith place of worship in Year 6 which was very successful and making a concrete example of the Five Pillars of Islam. Lingo Bingo has been very popular as a way of checking understanding of vocabulary and this has been  popular with children.

Sometimes it's difficult to find a task that shows all they have learned

Vocabulary jars, knowledge organisers and quizzing peers, labelling, designing mneomics, drama activities, brainstorming

In my monitoring, the issue has sometimes been the misconceptions teachers have and their understanding of what has come before and what is coming next. Stripping it back has been very important. I have used 'The Important Thing' book to help staff i.e. what is the important thing as it can become overloaded 

Just write the vocab on a lolly stick - add to jar over the year, children pick out and explain to partners and share with class.

We start every lesson with a retrieval and recall task - either from the unit or previous units/year groups - just 2 mins

It's called The Important Book

I have just done one of the new units and this was really good for disciplinary knowledge - looking at festivals through different lenses. 

 

 

2.2             The training programme is finalised for the academic year 2025-26:

 

Primary RE networks  2025-2026

The Primary RE networks will include support for subject knowledge, curriculum-planning using the North Yorkshire Agreed Syllabus, national and local updates, resources to support RE and an opportunity to ask questions and share good practice.

 

Outcomes

As a result of attending, delegates should:

·         have a good understanding of effective RE curriculum intent and implementation

·         have a good understanding of the NYCC Agreed Syllabus

·         gained practical ideas for teaching RE in the primary classroom

·         increased confidence in subject knowledge for the Primary RE classroom

Autumn

Wednesday 12th November 2025 1.30-3.30

Thursday 20th November 2025 9.30-11.30

Spring 

Thursday 5th March 2026 1.30-3.30

Wednesday 11th March 2025 9.30-11.30

Summer

Thursday 4th June 2026 9.30-11.30

Wednesday 10th June 2025 1.30-3.30

 

Primary RE leadership course 

This practical course is suitable for new or developing Primary RE subject leads to support their role in developing an effective RE curriculum and leading RE across their school. This course will be split over 2 sessions with a gap task in between

The course focuses on

·         developing an understanding of the role of Primary RE lead

·         principles for a developing an effective RE curriculum with a focus on the Ofsted research review, subject knowledge and the locally agreed syllabus

·         developing meaningful and manageable monitoring and evaluation

As a result of attending, delegates should:

·         Gained confidence in leading RE in their school

·         have a good understanding of the principles of planning an effective RE curriculum

·         have increased confidence in subject knowledge for the Primary RE classroom

·         have increased confidence in monitoring and evaluating RE in their school

Session 1 Thursday 5th February 2026   9.30-12

Session 2 Wednesday  25th February 2026 1.00-3.30

 

 

3.0             KS4 – grading severity and its implication for Religious Studies (report from NATRE)

 

                 

The FFT Education Datalab report published on 7 May 2025 provides fresh insight into the grading landscape at Key Stage 4. Of particular note is the performance of pupils in GCSE Religious Studies (RS) compared to English Language and Maths—subjects often considered benchmark qualifications.

Here are the key findings from the report. (which I have also summarised below)


The full report by Dave Thomson and links to other valuable research, can be found here: Grading severity at Key Stage 4 in 2024 - FFT Education Datalab.

 

       Gender Differences

The report reveals that girls’ grades in Religious Studies are generally higher than their average grades in English Language and Maths.  Conversely, boys tend to achieve slightly lower grades in RS compared to their English and Maths results.

Implication: RS appears to offer a meaningful academic opportunity for girls, reinforcing the need to support boys' engagement and attainment in this subject. It may also suggest a need to examine assessment styles and subject content to ensure they are inclusive and appealing across genders.

Disadvantaged Pupils

Unlike in geography and history—where disadvantaged pupils score on average more than half a grade lower than in English and Maths—disadvantaged pupils tend to achieve similar grades in RS to those in English Language and Maths. In fact, a response to a recent parliamentary question highlighted that disadvantaged pupils who take full course GCSE RS achieve, on average, 9 Attainment 8 points higher than those who do not.

Implication: RS plays a potentially equalising role in pupil achievement. This evidence supports its inclusion in the curriculum, especially for disadvantaged pupils. It may also suggest that the subject structure, assessment models and pedagogy in RS are accessible and relevant to disadvantaged learners.

Comparative Advantage of RS

When benchmarked against several other subjects including other humanities (e.g. history and geography), RS demonstrates:

- Lower grading severity for disadvantaged students.

 - A more consistent alignment of grades with benchmark subjects like English Language and Maths.

 - A significantly positive impact on overall pupil progress, especially for underrepresented or disadvantaged groups.

Policy and Curriculum Implications

Given these findings, Religious Education/ Religious Studies deserves more attention in curriculum planning and national education policy. Current patterns of provision—where RS is not always included in accountability measures as is the case with the Humanities element of the EBacc—may be limiting access to a subject that has proven benefit for progress and equity. This strengthens the case for:

- Careful consideration of the reasons for the differences between:

• girls’ and boys’ performance in GCSEs including in RS

 • the overall attainment of pupils who take GCSE Religious Studies and those who do not, especially in the case of disadvantaged pupils

- Reintegration of RS into headline performance measures.

 - Wider promotion of full-course RS GCSE, especially in schools with large numbers of disadvantaged pupils.

- Investment in teacher development for RS, especially in schools where non-specialists are leading provision.

 

4.0       New Blog: Opening a Gateway to the World – The Role of Governing Boards as Champions of Religious Education

Deputy Chief Executive of the National Governance Association - challenges governors and trustees to re-evaluate how they view RE in primary education. Too often, RE is treated as a statutory requirement rather than a vital subject that helps shape pupils' understanding of the world.

In this blog, Sam argues that RE is not just about compliance it's about equipping children with the ability to navigate difference, ask profound questions, and develop a balanced worldview in an increasingly polarised society.

Sam explores:

·         Why RE belongs at the heart of a values-led curriculum

·         How governing boards can champion equity through RE

·         The danger of RE being marginalised in strategic conversations

·         How the subject connects to wider aims around critical thinking, social cohesion and cultural literacy

You can read this blog and some other blogs from the Primary RE Focus week here Blog - RE:ONLINE

 

 

Olivia Seymour

Professional Adviser to North Yorkshire SACRE

County Hall, Northallerton

 

 

Report Author: Olivia Seymour

 

Background documents: