RE School Self-Evaluation (Secondary) 

School:          

York SACRE has a statutory responsibility to monitor provision for Religious Education in the city. SACRE can use this information to make recommendations to City of Council about the strengths and weaknesses of that provision, how good practice might be shared and what support might be offered. Subject leaders are requested to complete this proforma and return maxine.squire@york.gov.uk

School self-evaluation: key questions

  1. What are the strengths of your current provision and practice?

Key Stage 3 units of work have been planned using Key Questions as recommended by City of York Agreed Syllabus. Content is delivered through a combination of systematic and thematic units, to ensure that the curriculum is both diverse and broad whilst at the same time offering depth in the exploration of religious traditions. All lessons are planned using blooms taxonomy and offer both access and challenge for a range of different learners.

Pupils studying the GCSE Religious Studies course have been successful in meeting or exceeding their target grades in the previous three cohorts.

  1. Where are there weaknesses/areas for improvement?

Pupils require revisiting material from Key Stage 2 before they are able to access Key Stage 3 material, for example key words and basic beliefs belonging to religious traditions.

Some areas of our Key Stage 3 curriculum require minor tweaks in order to fully meet the recommendations of the new City or York Agreed Syllabus, launched in May 2021, for example the addition of more textual analysis and worldviews.

We are currently working on the development of GCSE lessons to ensure that they follow the same format as our newly planned KS3 material.

  1. Do you have an example of good practice you would like to share with others?

I believe that pupils gain a consolidated understanding of religious traditions as a result of meeting religious believers and visiting places of worship. This is particularly important in York, where diversity of religious traditions is not always obvious and visible to pupils. In recent years, we have organised trips for pupils to visit Bradford Grand Mosque and York Minster. We were also fortunate to attend a workshop at York St. John University where we were able to meet with and listen to the testimony of a holocaust survivor, courtesy of Holocaust Memorial Trust. This enabled pupils to explore questions relating to the nature of God. In the upcoming year we have trips organised to visit a Mandir and a Gurdwara for Year 8 pupils in Bradford.

  1. What are your priorities for development in RE? Please attach your current development plan

To train and develop teachers with specialisms outside of Religious Studies that are delivering the subject.

We are currently working on the development of GCSE lessons to ensure that they follow the same format as our newly planned KS3 material, and that they can be posted on Google Classrooms for pupils to access remotely if they have missed lessons or would like to revise content learned in school.

  1. Is there anything related to RE for which you would like external support?

The SACRE CPD events have been extremely useful both for CPD and for networking with other teachers of religious studies from across the city. The curriculum conversations workshops have been great, as was the Shi’a Islam subject knowledge and OFSTED workshop that was held at Archbishop Holgates School in November 2019. I would like these opportunities to continue.

Quality and standards of RE in the school

  1. How does the school make a judgment on this?

·         Lesson observations are carried out by SLT at least every term, with subject leaders also carrying out lesson observations throughout the year.

·         Book Scruitinies are also conducted throughout the year.

·         Key Stage 3 units are planned using the City of York Agreed Syllabus. Key Stage 4 units are planned using the AQA Religious Studies A scheme of work.

·         Justification documents of Intent, Implementation and Intended Impact, with schemes of work that show where learning is interleaved with prior knowledge and future knowledge.

·         Each subject is/ has recently undertaken a ‘Curriculum Area Review’ (Deep Dive). This involves lesson observations from SLT and Subject Leader, interview between Subject Leader/ Head of School/ Deputy Head (Teaching and Learning), Interview of teachers of Religious Studies, Pupil Voice. Religious Studies undertook this recently, WC: 27/09/2021

  1. Overall, how would you grade the quality of RE provision (including quality and standards achieved by pupils) in your school?

Good- The GCSE outcomes over the past three cohorts have remained high. Pupils build skills throughout school to enable them to perform well at the end of Key Stage 4. All lessons are differentiated using blooms taxonomy and are both accessible to pupils with a lower starting point and include challenge to cater to the needs of pupils with a higher starting point.

Continuing professional development in RE

  1. What CPD has the subject leader taken part in (over the last year) and what was its impact?

·         Getting up to date with Subject knowledge in Islam and recent developments in RE including the new Ofsted Framework- Wednesday 20th November 2019

·         Teaching Evolution to Religiously Sensitive Groups-Friday 12th March 2021

·         Making good progress in RE: Knowledge, worldviews, intent, implementation and Impact- Friday 21st May 2021

·         Curriculum Conversations- From Conversation to implementation: Constructing an RE curriculum - Tuesday 28th September 2021

·         Curriculum Conversations- Authentic and rich teachings of Hinduism - Tuesday 18th January 2022

·         Leadership: Managing Performance - Tuesday 5th October 2021

·         Middle Leader: Resonant Leadership- Tuesday 19th October 2021

·         Middle Leadership: Leading with Impact- Tuesday 11th January 2022

·         Subject leader is an examiner for AQA and completes moderation of exam scripts with the exam board at required times.

·         Subject Leader is part of the REspect Group, where teachers from around the country share best practise, examples of teaching and learning, and can seek advice from colleagues when required.

  1. What CPD have other teachers taken part in (over the last year) and what was its impact?

We have a twilight session planned into the calendar for teachers of Religious Studies to undertake CPD related to the teaching or RS.

  1. Do you have links with a local group of teachers?

Subject Leader trained locally at York St. John University, and subsequently undertook placements at both Huntington School and Manor C of E Academy, therefore establishing links with both schools. As part of the Southbank Academy Trust, York High School is linked with Millthorpe School and Religious Studies departments have worked together on previous inset days.


Timetabling of RE

  1. Is provision for RE combined with another subject e.g. PSHEe, Citizenship? (Yes (please explain below)/No)

At Key Stage 3, pupils receive timetabled religious studies lessons, distinct from any other subjects.

At Key Stage 4, pupils that study GCSE religious studies receive timetabled religious studies lessons, distinct from any other subjects.

At Key Stage 4, pupils study the RAS programme (Resilience, Aspirations & Success). As part of this, pupils study core Religious Education.

  1. How much time does each pupil spend on RE-related work each week?

Key Stage 3: Pupils receive one hour per week of Religious Studies.

Key Stage 4: Pupils that study GCSE Religious Studies receive five hours of Religious Studies per fortnight, in line with other options subjects. Pupils that do not opt to study GCSE Religious Studies receive one hour per week of RAS Study.

Post-16: N/A

  1. Who delivers the RE in your school?
    1. How many individual teachers at Key Stage 3: 7
    2. How many teachers with post-A level qualifications in the subject: 1
    3. What proportion of the timetable is delivered by teachers who spend most of their timetable delivering another subject: 25% of Key Stage 3 pupils have RE delivered by a teacher with another specialism. GCSE Religious Studies Lessons are all delivered by a Religious Education Specialist Teacher.

Agreed Syllabus

  1. If your school is an Academy, have you chosen to adopt the York SACRE Agreed Syllabus?

YES                 

  1. If you answered ‘No’ to question 14 above, please tell SACRE which syllabus you have chosen to adopt

N/A

Scheme of work (SoW)

  1. When was the current SOW drawn up or revised?

Spring 2021 – When teaching and learning was remote during the lockdown period.

  1. To what extent does it match the requirements of the Agreed Syllabus you have adopted?

All Key Stage 3 units of work are planned using the Key Questions recommended within the Agreed Syllabus.

All of the required religions of focus are taught within Key Stage 3 (Christian, Islam, Buddhist & Sikhi).

GCSE Religious Studies follows the AQA Religious Studies A route, selecting the religions of Christianity and Islam as a focus and studying theme A (Religion, Relationships and Families), theme B (Religion and Life), Theme E (Religion, Crime and Punishment), and Theme F (Religion, Human Rights and Social Justice).

  1. Do you follow an accredited course at GCSE as required by the Agreed Syllabus?

Yes

  1. What GCSE specification do you teach?

GCSE Religious Studies follows the AQA Religious Studies A route, selecting the religions of Christianity and Islam as a focus and studying theme A (Religion, Relationships and Families), theme B (Religion and Life), Theme E (Religion, Crime and Punishment), and Theme F (Religion, Human Rights and Social Justice).

  1. Please attach a long-term plan/curriculum map that shows how you deliver RE across the school/school year?

Year 7

Autumn: 3.3.What is so radical about Jesus?

Spring: 3.8.What is good and what is challenging about being a teenage Muslim in Britain today?

Summer: 3.10.Does religion help people to be good?

 

Year 8

Autumn: 3.11.What difference does it make to believe in the Torah and God’s chosen people?

Spring: 3.7.How can people express the spiritual through the arts?

Summer: 3.9.Should happiness be the purpose of life?

 

Year 9

Autumn: 3.5.Why is there suffering? Are there any good solutions?

Spring: 3.10.Does religion help people to be good?

Summer: 3.4.Is death the end? Does it matter?

 

Year 10

Religion, Relationships and Families

Christian Beliefs and Teachings

Christian Practices

Islamic Beliefs and Teachings

 

Year 11

Islamic Practices

Religion and Life

Religion, Crime and Punishment

Religion, Human Rights and Social Justice

 

  1. How does the SoW ensure progression between the key stages?
    1. In respect of subject knowledge?

Pupils study systematic units to begin with in order to pin knowledge and create a big picture of the religion that they are studying, including the diversity and differences within it. They then progress to study thematic units, looking at a variety of topics and comparing/ contrasting different religious attitudes towards the themes that they are looking at. Pupils accumulate more advanced terminology and religious teachings as they study. We are working towards low stakes testing at the beginning of each unit studied, to enable us to evidence more clearly the starting point of each pupil and evidence their progress after their learning.

 

  1. In the development of skills?

Each term at Key Stage 3 level and more regularly throughout the GCSE course, pupils complete assessment style questions based on the skills that require development including the use of specialist language, use of religious scripture, ability to explain religious beliefs and practices, ability to compare and contrast religious beliefs and practices, ability to evaluate statements and draw upon different beliefs and teachings, ability to make judgements and offer their own opinions, thoughts and conclusions on a variety of topics.

Resources

  1. Are the resources sufficient to support the RE programme?  

Yes, schools from across the city and wider are very generous in sharing resources. The online community also works together to ensure that resources are shared between schools.

  1. Are there any resources that you would recommend to other schools?

Artefact kits relating to religious traditions. Pupils are then able to see firsthand the types of religious objects that are used by adherents.

  1. Are there any resources that you are lacking?

We have recently purchased some artefact kits relating to some religions. We would be looking to purchase artefacts relating to other religions in the future (for example a Buddhist artefact kit).

  1. Please list below the contact details for any visitors you use to support RE that you’d recommend to others?

I would welcome recommendations from other schools regarding visitors that are used to support RE.

  1. Please list below the contact details for any places you use to visit to support RE that you’d recommend to others?

Bradford Grand Mosque: https://www.bradfordgrandmosque.co.uk/

York Minster: https://yorkminster.org/

Holocaust Memorial Trust: https://www.hmd.org.uk/

Bradford Interfaith Education Centre: https://bso.bradford.gov.uk/content/introduction-to-the-interfaith-education-centre

Management and Organisation of RE                                    

Name of subject leader: Mr Joseph Bower

  1. How long as subject leader in this school: 1 Year
  2. Other comments/notes (Continue overleaf if necessary)