Religious education in primary schools
This report on primary RE is the last in the series published by Ofsted over several years, based on evidence from whole school inspections and surveys by HMI. It draws on data from Ofsted inspections from September 2003 to July 2005. The report also reflects upon changes since Ofsted inspections began, referring to subject issues identified in Primary education: a review of primary schools, 1994-98, and inspection judgements from 1998/99. 1 From September 2005, subject evidence will be gained from qualitative inspections of a small sample of schools, and future methods of reporting will reflect this change.
Main findings
- Pupils' achievement is good in two fifths of schools; it is unsatisfactory in in a very small minority.
- Teaching is good or better in half of schools and unsatisfactory in a very small minority.
- Pupils' attitudes to RE are good in four fifths of schools. Assessment in RE is now good or better in one fifth of schools but is also unsatisfactory in one fifth. In spite of a significant improvement since 1988, assessment remains one of the weakest areas of RE.
- RE makes a significant contribution to pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, although in many schools teachers give insufficient attention to this aspect of their work in RE.
- The management of RE is good in two fifths of schools and unsatisfactory in around one in ten.
- RE coordinators often lead well by example, but their management often lacks rigour in planning, assessment and monitoring.
Overview and trends in primary religious education since 1998
Figures 1–3 show the improvements in pupils' achievement, the quality of teaching, and subject leadership and management since 1998.
Figure 1. Achievement in religious education in primary schools – 2003-05 and 1998/99.
Figure 2. Teaching in religious education in primary schools – 2003–05 and 1998/99.
Figure 3. Leadership and management in religious education in primary schools – 2003–05 and 1998/99.
Between 1984 and 1988 RE in primary schools underwent significant improvement as a result of government funded training and national initiatives that led to the improved quality of many agreed syllabuses. The issues that schools still needed to address, noted in Primary education 1994-98 included:
- the depth of pupils' knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other faiths, which were often limited to stories and festivals
- pupils' shallow understanding of the spiritual and moral messages contained in stories and events, or of different levels of meaning that they convey
- pupils' failure to grasp religious concepts, and hence to make links between the teachings of religions and their own experiences.
Since 1998, progress on these issues has been slow. Pupils' achievement is satisfactory in most schools, but is good in only two fifths of schools with less good practice than in nearly all other subjects. Too often, schools are content with uninspiring provision and few make RE a priority for improvement. Nevertheless, where there has been a determined effort, the improvement has been striking.
Typically, pupils who are achieving well show very good understanding of religious beliefs and teachings and how they can be expressed in a variety of forms, giving meanings for some symbols, works of art, stories and language, and often using specialist terminology. They undertake personal research and begin to analyse material, for example writing a story from the perspective of one of Jesus' enemies, analysing the qualities of leaders, or comparing the qualities of Pharaoh and his daughter with Moses and his mother. At best, too, these pupils are able to see 'the big picture', often as a result of the introduction into RE lessons of techniques such as mind mapping, which encourage them to create overviews of religions or themes, showing connections between them.
Where schools have made the improvement of teaching RE a priority or have acquired teachers with an RE background, lessons have benefited from their subject knowledge and confidence, particularly in teaching religions other than Christianity. This has led to a better balance in pupils' knowledge of different faiths and improved inter-cultural understanding. Confident teachers have also learnt to improve the interaction between the two major learning objectives of RE: 'learning about religion' and 'learning from religion'. Consequently, pupils have become more skilled at asking questions about the possible application of religious teachings and the example of religious figures to their own lives. The broadening of the curriculum and the extension of learning from the purely factual to consideration of its application has generally made RE more relevant to pupils' lives and, where the subject is taught well, pupils perceive keenly the additional dimension it gives to their understanding of the world.
In part, improvements in RE teaching and learning have resulted from the transfer of good practice from the national strategies to RE. There is some good use of talk partners to discuss ideas such as 'do to others as you would have them do', or how the behaviour of a role play character might be changed if he or she was following a specific code of values or beliefs. Paired talk contributes well to learning where teachers and teaching assistants question pupils in order to take their thinking further.
It is more usual now than seven years ago to find provision matched to the needs of pupils of different abilities. This may take the form of a teaching assistant working with a group of lower attaining pupils to help them express their understanding of the key concept of the lesson through drama or it may involve middle attaining pupils answering structured questions where the higher attainers have to devise their own way of approaching a task. Good teachers are using a wider and more creative variety of learning styles, which enthuse, motivate and engage pupils. This involves, for example, the move from largely teacher-led whole-class teaching to investigative group work using a range of multi-sensory evidence or the imaginative use of drama.
Resources have improved in range and quality over the last seven years and it is not unusual to find primary schools owning large collections of books, artefacts, posters, videos and CD ROMs. Where resources are used creatively in relation to the objectives of a lesson they can add value to children's learning. Where RE has improved, schools have often made closer links with local faith communities, taking children on visits and inviting members of faith communities into school.
ICT is more widely and more effectively used than in 1998. Many teachers have become skilled users of interactive whiteboards, for example by using digital photographs to record a drama by low attaining pupils to help their recollection of the narrative. One imaginative example involved the use of a video recorder to film three versions of a situation set up in the school office. The whole class then discussed in which of the situations Jesus' teaching was being applied and what difference it made to the behaviour of the 'characters'.
These characteristics can be found in the one third of schools where the overall provision of RE is good, and where there is a background of improvement. For the majority of schools, the quality of provision is satisfactory but the following key issues have to be addressed if standards and quality are to be raised to good or very good.
Issues in primary religious education in 2005
Getting off the plateau
After the improvements of the mid 1990s, many schools have allowed RE to plateau and too many are satisfied with uninspiring provision. The principal reason for this has been the focus on improving literacy and numeracy, which has had a number of consequences. At school level, there has been reduced training time and resources for RE, so that any impetus has been lost. At lesson level, there has been a loss of pace in RE lessons, which almost always occur in afternoons, with teachers saying that tasks are less demanding because pupils have been pushed so hard in the morning. Thus, activities in RE lessons too often consist of drawing, colouring in, word searches and other low-level tasks. Often this is linked to an exclusive reliance on lesson preparation by the coordinator, which can result in mundane lessons where teachers show little commitment to the subject.
The very uneven quality of teaching gives pupils an inconsistent experience of RE as they move through the school. Amongst the characteristics of weaker teaching are the lack of awareness of key concepts and terminology such as 'sacred', 'holy' or 'worship', as well as terms which are distinctive of a particular tradition such as 'Holy Spirit' in Christianity or 'Torah' in Judaism. Additionally, there is insufficient engagement with and exploration of religious content and religious ideas, for example, as lessons focus more on the moral and social dimension of the subject and pupils' own lives than on religious meaning. Thus, for example, when teaching about the parable of the lost sheep, the focus might only be on ideas about care for others, rather than exploring the concept of God as a 'good shepherd'. The RE content is used primarily as a springboard into Personal Social Education subject areas and not into more distinctively religious aspects involving worship and belief and the way religious beliefs influence attitudes and behaviour. When this happens, pupils have insufficient opportunities to 'learn from religion'.
Reflecting these difficulties, many teachers are uncertain in the assessment of RE, and need to be clearer in planning topic and lesson objectives, as well as in identifying assessment criteria and the use of assessment for measuring and raising pupils' achievements. At the heart of this is an understanding of how pupils can progress in terms of key ideas and skills, rather than in simply accumulating more knowledge, often approached at a similar level and with similar strategies from year to year. This understanding should inform the marking of work, which too often fails to identify achievement in terms specific to RE.
The religious education curriculum – from confusion to coherence
In 1998 primary schools had only recently begun to teach RE to all pupils, moving away from the integration of RE into often unrelated topics. Planning a distinct RE curriculum was a new venture for many schools. Over the last seven years RE has become a subject established in its own right and instances of non-compliance are rare. However, planning was rarely grounded on sound principles and as reported in the 2000-2001 subject review, 'in some schools there appears to be no logic in the construction of the curriculum and it is difficult to understand the sequence of topics, or to make links between the content in one year and the next 2. This criticism was repeated in 2003.
The RE curriculum is locally determined and the differences between syllabuses result in a lack of clarity and consistency at national level regarding the knowledge, understanding and skills that should typify RE. By the age of 11, most primary school pupils will have covered broadly the same areas of National Curriculum content at some point. Compared with this situation, the variety of content in the RE curriculum from one LEA to another and even between schools in the same LEA is quite bewildering. In most schools there is little visible continuity of theme or religion from one year to the next, with topics allocated according to individual teachers' preferences. Consequently, pupils' learning lacks depth and pupils quickly forget what they have learned recently because there is no conceptual framework to their curricula to enable them to make links between different aspects of their learning.
In addition, school schemes of work, like the agreed syllabuses they follow, differ in the number of religions covered. Generally, where few religions are taught in depth, pupils are more likely to have retained an understanding of what elements - such as beliefs, festivals, forms of worship, people and books - belonged to which religion, while their understanding of religions as coherent yet diverse and complex entities is enhanced. In these cases, pupils are more likely to build on existing knowledge, understanding and skills when they reach secondary school.
In order to address these issues, the Qualifications and Assessment Authority (QCA) has recently published, at the request of Ministers, the Non-Statutory Framework for Religious Education for local education authorities and SACREs to use as the foundation of their agreed syllabus. Ofsted has consistently supported the development of the framework and HMI were closely involved in its construction. But the framework will only make the desired impact if it is implemented by SACREs. It is particularly important that all agreed syllabuses include the two attainment targets for RE and the eight level scale. Only then will we have nationally agreed standards for RE.
In order to improve the RE curriculum, planning should:
- take account of the aims and objectives, attainment targets, skills and attitudes outlined in the agreed syllabus as well as the content
- establish patterns that make sense to children, so that they can relate what they learn to what went before
- ensure that the knowledge and understanding, concepts and learning outcomes increase in difficulty for each year group
- achieve curriculum coherence through cross-references to literacy, citizenship, art, dance, music, and other subjects
- make assessment integral to teaching and learning
- suggest learning opportunities and resources.
Putting assessment at the heart of teaching and learning
A continuing weakness in the teaching and leadership of RE is in the assessment of pupils' attainment.
Primary education 1994-98 judged that:
At both key stages, assessment is weaker in religious education than in any other subject. Schools rarely have a policy on assessment in religious education, and even where an agreed syllabus does include clear expectations, these are rarely used for assessment purposes.
Since that time, assessment has improved more than any other aspect of RE: whereas it was unsatisfactory in two fifths of schools, this has now reduced to one fifth, with good practice found in one fifth of schools. In those schools between these extremes, assessment practice is broadly satisfactory but much more could be done.
RE lesson planning rarely includes a reference to assessment and classes are taught as though all pupils were of the same levels of attainment. Teachers are generally unaware of pupils' strengths and weaknesses in RE because they do not assess their work against clear criteria: this is in stark contrast to the rigour of planning usually found in literacy lessons. Marking, if it exists, is often superficial: 'You have listened very carefully to the story. Well done'.
But good practice does exist, as in the simple but effective model found in one school arising from the efforts of an LEA working party, of which the school's coordinator was a member. Use was made of 'I can' statements in relation to the 8-level scale. RE work is assessed at the end of each term using these statements and the levels recorded from nursery to Year 6. Assessment evidence ranges from written work to annotated photographic records of practical and art work. Teaching assistants are used very effectively to record pupils' oral contributions. The coordinator keeps a portfolio of marked work, which shows clearly the increase in attainment across the year groups. Her analysis of this work and her guidance to teachers enables them to set appropriately challenging work. Pupils' progress as they move through the school is recorded on a simple bar chart using the scale, enabling teachers new to a class to see clearly how far each pupil has progressed.
In part, continuing difficulty with assessment arises from agreed syllabuses. A few still do not include an eight-level scale, and of those that do, some have different level descriptions from those produced by QCA, which are widely used. In schools in LEAs where levels are not used, teachers are frequently confused about the standards required of pupils and have little notion of progression in the subject. Some LEAs have produced levels that are in themselves a cause of confusion. In one case, for example, pupils are prevented from making progress because specific content is built into each level. Pupils can only achieve higher levels by doing completely different topics from those working at lower levels. Difficulties such as this reinforce the need for nationally agreed standards in RE and in the absence of a national RE syllabus this can only be achieved if SACREs adopt the National Framework.
In order to improve assessment in RE, schools should:
- monitor learning regularly by assessing pupils' learning once or twice a year
- plan assessment carefully into everyday tasks
- use the information from assessment to take learning forward by passing assessment information from year to year and school to school
- use level descriptions as a best fit guide to pupils' attainments and what they have to do to improve
- ensure that tasks are set which enable pupils of all abilities to make progress.
Improving subject leadership and management
Leadership and management of RE are insufficiently focused on raising standards. Few schools see RE as a priority and too often leadership of the subject is given to inexperienced staff. When this happens, subject leaders are likely to lack the necessary confidence to tackle issues such as assessment and the monitoring of teaching, so that teachers are left to their own devices to plan and teach as they see fit. Where no-one can be found to take on the role, head teachers assume responsibility for RE and few of them are in a position to devote much time to the subject.
Yet, subject leaders are pivotal in moving RE on from its present overall position, which is no more than satisfactory. In order to make this improvement they must become much smarter at planning the RE curriculum and assessment. They have to ensure that a wide variety of literary, audio, visual and creative resources are available to promote the learning of children of all ages and abilities, and should regard the creation of links with local faith communities as central to their task. Subject leaders should also monitor teachers' planning, teaching, marking and assessment in RE, providing helpful and formative feedback. In order to raise standards, RE coordinators should regularly monitor pupils' work throughout the school to ensure that they are being sufficiently challenged and that they are making enough progress.
Improving training
Often weak teaching and low expectations are associated with the lack of subject knowledge and training, resulting in insufficient challenge and work which is not well matched to pupils' capabilities. Few primary school teachers have any qualification in RE and it can no longer be assumed that they have a residual knowledge of Christianity, and certainly not of any other religions. This situation is not helped by the fact that initial teacher training pays limited attention to RE and trainees do not have to teach it. RE is well supported by active subject associations, particularly a lively RE teachers' association that publishes regular journals and provides training. But in spite of the quality of their services, shortage of funding and personnel restrict their scope. In 2004 Ofsted held a conference for primary RE coordinators, which was attended by about sixty teachers. Very few of them had experienced any training in RE previously. Evaluation of the conference shows that access to experts and colleagues can have significant impact:
- Teachers thought their role as coordinators had been developed, and nearly half reported that they were now much more confident about their monitoring role because they had a clearer understanding of typical strengths and weaknesses in the subject
- Teachers' classroom practice was improved, for example through a more imaginative use of artefacts
- Most teachers reported on the conference to a staff meeting. In one such case decisions were made to limit the number of religions studied in each year group to increase the coherence of pupils' learning; to block time for RE to allow for more sustained work; and to develop 'living displays' in each classrooms which children add to as they see connections between the religions they are investigating. Other plans addressed issues such as challenge, differentiation, assessment and progression in RE and monitoring arrangements for RE
- Most delegates interviewed reported on the conference to their RE adviser or SACRE. Through LEAs and SACREs the benefits of the conference were disseminated more widely, for example through local conferences, training sessions and RE newsletters. In some cases the outcomes of the conference had a direct impact on revisions of agreed syllabuses or schemes of work.
The impact of this one day conference to a limited number of teachers illustrates the benefits of well-focused training when outcomes are widely disseminated. Dissemination is essential not only to benefit other teachers and schools but because teachers' responsibilities are liable to change regularly and there is no guarantee that RE coordinators who attend training will be in post a few years later. If their knowledge and expertise are not to be lost to schools, they must be passed on to others.
1 Primary education: a review of primary schools in England, 1994-98, TSO 1999.
2 Add reference.