RE newsletter Summer 2017

Dear friends

It is good to be in touch again with RE leaders and teachers who are passionate about the subject and work really hard to keep it a high priority in our church schools and academies. It’s also been great to meet with many of you inyour schools and in training events here at the Old Deanery.

You may be reading this in hard copy, but all our newsletters are now electronic, so you should have received this as an email. If you are experiencing difficulties please get in touch with me, and please do forward the email to anyone you know who might like the information. Newsletters and many other resources can be found on the RE page of the Diocesan website (scroll down for downloads)

Below are a fewthings to draw your attention to in the coming term, which will support you in your teaching of RE and in your role as subject leader.

Learn, Teach Lead RE Summer conference (Area2 )

Venue: Bailbrook House Hotel in Bath

Title: ‘Talking wisely about Faith and Belief’(brilliant keynote speakers!)

Dates: Thursday 29th June (6pm onwards) until Friday 30th June 3.30pm

Cost: only £50 for the whole conference, £35 for day delegates

Booking is now open, so get in soon! The venue is fabulous, accessible with plenty of parking. Keynote speakers and workshop leaders are inspirational. The conference is heavily subsidised by generous funding from the Jerusalem and St Matthias Trusts. Book online through the website:

Learn, Teach, Lead RE hubs

There are now four ‘Learn, Teach, Lead RE’hubs up and running in the Bath & Wells Diocese, providing school-to-school support, teaching ideas and local training. The groups are situated in Bath, Congresbury (North Somerset), Wells (Mid-Somerset) and Taunton. Generally they start around 4.15 and finish at 5.30, but everyone understands that people may be late if they are travelling any distance. Anyone who teaches RE in the Diocese, from any school or academy, is very welcome. Hubs have primary and secondary leaders, who are given regular training.

Please feel free to contact the people below for information on dates and venues for the hubs. The information should also be on the LTLRE page of the Diocesan website.

Bath hub: Contact Mary Patterson

North Somerset hub: Contact Laura Harris

Mid Somerset hub: Contact Pauline or Niel Apps

Taunton hub: Contact Ed

Understanding Christianity

Feedback from teachers and their pupils has been fantastic! David Williams and I have thoroughly enjoyed leading Days 1 and 2 and supporting schools as they work to integrate Understanding Christianity into their wider RE curriculum planning and assessment.

So far in Bath & Wells, 114 teachers have attended the training days, from 101 schools. More teachers are booked for the summer term dates, but there is still space, so please talk to your headteacher if you haven’t so far attended the training and received this great resource. In the coming academic year we plan to offer one Day 1 and one Day 2 each term, so hopefully no one will miss out. Contact Jayne Brown for booking advice

Other news and information:

To celebrate the RE in your school and/or to use a comprehensive self-evaluation tool, why not apply for the RE Quality Mark?

One or two of our schools have successfully achieved silver and gold awards, and others are working towards.Check out details on the website:

Or the NATRE Spirited Arts competition:

For advice and support with resources contact our Resource Centre manager

Last but not least:

The Church of England has published a new‘Religious Education Statement of Entitlement’. This is an important document stating

  • The aims of RE in church schools and academies
  • Effective teaching and learning about religions and world views
  • Curriculum balance and curriculum time at each key stage
  • Developing staff expertise
  • Expected academic outcomes at KS4
  • The role of Diocesan Boards of Education
  • Support for effective and outstanding RE, including from SLT, governors, diocese and church community

Church schools will be expected, in future SIAMS inspections, to be familiar with, and taking account of this document. It can be found on the RE page of the diocesan website:

Pauline Dodds April 2017