Example RE Audit from Church School A

Evidence
/
Opportunity for development
What is the quality of RE provision in your school?
  • Is the school’s approach to RE described in the school’s prospectus?
- Does the prospectus contain information about arrangements for parents wishing to withdraw their children from RE?
  • Do senior managers make adequate arrangements to supervise any pupils withdrawn from RE?
  • Are teachers aware of their rights to withdraw from teaching RE?
  • Are all pupils receiving their statutory entitlement to RE?
  • Is there a long-term plan consistent with the Agreed Syllabus or diocesan guidelines?
-Is there additional planning ensuring continuity and progression in pupils’ learning?
  • How is RE planned?
  • How does RE contribute to pupils’ literacy and ICT skills and the rest of the curriculum?
- / Yes. The school’s approach is described very clearly on page 9 of the school prospectus, which is available on the school website.
School website – links to school prospectus.
-This information is clearly stated in the RE policy which is made available to parents via the school website. The prospectus is also available via the school website and clearly states arrangements for withdrawing children.
At present, this is not applicable as no children are being withdrawn from RE lessons.
No –not sure I want to tell them
-Yes. Children are taught RE every week for one session.
As stated in the policy, we plan our RE curriculum in accordance with the Cambridgeshire Agreed syllabus (2007).
Not at present. This is something we hope to address following planned inset in January 2013.
-Planning is planned in the first instance as part of the 2 year rolling plan for each class. Sometimes, where appropriate, attempts are made to link the RE into the term’s topic, but often this is not appropriate. RE is also planned in the format of a medium term plan, showing progression over a term. This planning is clearly differentiated to extend more able children and give support to less able children.
-We make sure that there is a lot of discussion going on in RE, a lot of talking, and plenty of use of talk partners. This makes sure that the children are much more eloquent, having a positive impact on their literacy skills.
Evidence in
RE policy
Long term planning
Medium term planning
KS1 and KS2 planning / Need to work out what would happen if did get request
Need to check this is goping in every class Is this the most effective way to deliver RE. Audit of timetables to see exactly how much and when RE is being taught.
Need to create long term plan to ensure continuity and progression as well as appropriate coverage
Following INSET, we will be able to plan more effectively for progression.
Make more evidence available of children talking in RE, and asking questions.
Need to look at writing frames in RE and linking to literacy text types
Need to consider links to other curric areas
What standards are pupils achieving in RE? What progress are pupils making?
  • Are moderated exemplars of pupils’ work at different levels available?
  • Are children achieving age related expectations?
  • Are children developing RE skills?
  • What is the progression in knowledge of religions studies?
/ -No. This is something we are hoping to develop.
-Yes. Some children are exceeding age related expectations. This is particularly evident with the children’s speaking and questioning skills.
-Yes in most classes. We feel that children are developing RE skills. The children are becoming much more inquisitive. The children are becoming more skilled at comparing their own ideas to other peoples and developing their own beliefs. However some of our newer teachers aren’t aware of RE skills and this is noticeable when we look at pupil work,
-This is something we plan to develop. The knowledge that the children have of the broad RE curriculum is evident from talking to children across the school, but it is a little ‘hit and miss’ at the moment in terms of planning and having a clear structure for progression. We need to agree what they need to know and understand at the end of a key stage / Create standards file of exemplars of children’s work.
Create bank of evidence showing children’s oral ideas and questions.
Work with colleagues who are newer on RE skills and task setting
Develop knowledge progression in RE during RE inset in January 2013
What is the quality of teaching and learning in RE?
  • Is there an indication of sufficient expertise within staffing to ensure high quality?
  • What monitoring of teaching and learning has taken place recently?
  • Are there sufficient, relevant and up-to-date resources available?
- / The Re co-ordinator is brand new to the role, as of the last month. All teaching staff are shortly to receive training in teaching of RE which will improve the quality.
-There has been some observation of RE carried out by the head teacher. In the summer, the year 1/2 teacher was observed teaching an RE lesson on the Natural World. The lesson was judged to have been good with elements of outstanding. The governor for RE, who is the local vicar, observed RE across the school in the last academic year. She saw a wide variety of teaching and many aspects of RE covered.
Observation notes from lesson in year 1/2.
Notes from Governor visit, Autumn 2011
-For some areas of RE, yes. There are still significant gaps in the RE resource library, and the storage of RE resources is not easily accessible. A complete audit needs to take place at some point soon. The RE co-ordinator is new to the role and this forms part of her action plan.
RE action plan 2012-2013 / Observations and monitoring of plans and pupil work to follow
Further observations with the RE co-ord across the school to monitor progression throughout the classes.
Do an audit of RE resources. Check storage and make resources more accessible.
What is the impact of the quality of leadership and management on RE?
  • Is there an indication of consultation with other members of staff on RE matters?
  • Is there an action/development plan for RE with clear, costed objectives and targets?
  • Is there a budget for RE?
  • Does the subject contribute actively to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development?
  • Does the subject contribute actively to the school’s inclusion agenda?
  • Is there an indication of how teaching assistants are used in RE?
  • Is RE left for PPA cover more than other subjects?
/ As a church school, the Collective Worship Committee meets half-termly. This committee comprises of the head teacher, a senior governor, the local vicar, another governor, the Bishop’s Visitor and the RE and Collective Worship co-ordinator. The committee discusses all aspects of RE and Collective Worship. It is in these meetings that the RE policy is discussed and ratified and matters arising from the teaching of RE.
Minutes of Collective Worship Committee.
-There is an action plan for RE with clear targets. Most of the targets are action points that will be carried out by the RE co-ordinator in consultation with the rest of the staff, therefore will not need to be costed. RE inset has already been budgeted for a booked for January.
-At present, no.
-In lots of ways, yes. The children, through looking at the faith and beliefs of people from around the world and even in their own community, are much more aware of the diversity around them, and therefore much more accepting of others and aware that people are different in so many different ways. This has helped us address friendship issues on both small and larger levels. Children are much more aware of their own culture, and the culture of others and can see how difference in culture should be celebrated. In this way, the children are a lot more open minded.
In terms of spiritual development, the children are encouraged to consider their own beliefs and how they might be the same or different to somebody else’s. Aside from RE, in our Collective Worship, children are encouraged to focus and think about the Christian faith in particular and ask questions to inform their own thinking.
RE action plan 2012-201
Work from ‘Friendship Friday’
-The school’s inclusion agenda is highlighted very clearly in the ‘School Vision and Aims’ part of the School Development Plan. It says “To provide a safe and caring environment where every child, regardless of ethnic group, religion, socio-cultural background, gender, special needs of disability, is valued and listened to and has equal access to opportunities for learning and achieving”. The subject most definitely contributes actively to this as children are taught and encouraged to embrace differences in all aspects of life. The whole school recently did some work entitled ‘All different, all equal’ which encouraged children to actively notice differences and celebrate them. RE really helped with this as the children were able to do this in an educated way.
Though medium term planning does not always specify exactly how teaching assistants are used in RE, the planning shared with TAs and they are always aware of what their role is to be.
Key Stage 2 do not have Tas (apart from those attached to a child) in the afternoon, when RE tends to be taught, so will not have TA support. Key Stage 1 do have support.
Yes. This is mainly because RE tends not to fit into the topic. For example, in reception/year 1 next term, the topic is ‘Farms’. RE will not link into this topic as to do so would be tenuous and unhelpful for children’s learning. For this reason, it is often an easier subject to give to PPA cover as less liaison is needed with the class teacher.
Schools Vision and Aims section of the SDP
Medium term plans / Note from FM- this doesn’t respond to the question- clearly the school is mixing RE and collective worship
Liaise with the head about an RE today membership and teacher support resources
Notes of medium term plans on how TAs are being used in RE lessons.
Staff meeting conversation about whether it is still a good idea to cover RE in PPA time.
What other factors are having an impact on pupils’ achievements in RE?
  • Are there RE trips and visits which contribute to the aims of the Agreed Syllabus?
  • Are there visits from members of different faith communities which contribute to the aims of the Agreed Syllabus? Are these accessible to all pupils?
/ There are regular trips to the village church, which serves to contribute to the aims of a lot of the syllabus. The children, for example, have been to the church for “weddings”, “baptisms” and to learn about parts of the church. In turn, the vicar and curate from the local church make regular visits to the school as part of the curriculum. The vicar recently visited the school to talk to year 1 and 2 about life as a Christian.
Year 1 and 2, as part of their 2-year topic plan, have made a successful visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral and will be visiting again in Summer 2013. Half of the purpose of the visit was to learn more about the Great Fire of London, but half was part of their RE work on places of worship.
Photographs from visits to the village church
Photographs of visit to St Paul’s cathedral
In Summer 2011, year 3 and 4 were visited by a Hindu lady who talked to them about many different aspects of Hinduism.
Year 1 and 2 were visited by a parent who is Buddhist. She talked about Chinese New Year and the beliefs and customs surrounding it.
Photographs of visit of Hindu lady
Photographs of visit from Mrs Bennett (Chinese New Year) / Create list of possible places for children to visit as part of the RE curriculum. Ensure the children visit a place of worship From at least one other religion
What are the current priorities for development of RE in the school?
- / In January 2013, we are going to be receiving inset on RE. The aim is to look at the progression in RE as we are aware that at the moment, there is a lot of repetition. This is something that the children also identified in their pupil survey. Following on from this, we plan to make changes to our long term RE planning, and put into place some self assessment for the children in order to make better judgements when levelling the children.
Notes from the interviews with children, November 2012 / January 2013 – inset. Look at progression and devise a new long term plan for the children to show that progression.