Assessment and National Updates · Promoting Religious Literacy though effective Religious...
Transcript of Assessment and National Updates · Promoting Religious Literacy though effective Religious...
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Welcome to this latest edition of RE NEWS.
In this edition you will find essential information about the latest thinking on
assessment in RE
RE NEWS Spring 2017 EDITION
Assessment and
National Updates
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Contents
RE Conference: Encountering Faith in the RE Classroom .............. 3
Understanding Christianity ............................................................. 4
RE Network Meetings ..................................................................... 5
Assessment in RE: New Developments .......................................... 6
What’s new about the New Statement of Entitlement? ................ 7
Church of England Vision for Education ......................................... 8
The National Picture ....................................................................... 9
Exploring Christianity and the Bible .............................................. 11
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RE Conference: Encountering Faith in the RE Classroom
How do you engage children with religion as it is lived in this country, in all its many and varied forms?
How do you bring other faith experiences into your classroom in a meaningful and appropriate way?
17th March 9.30-3.30 Oxford Belfry Hotel, Milton Common, Thame, OX9 2JW Schools in Diocesan SLA: £125 + VAT Schools not in Diocesan SLA: £150 + VAT Recent national reports have emphasised the gap between traditional text book RE and actual religious faith, calling for a less stereotyped version of religion to be explored in schools. This one day RE conference, featuring national RE leaders, will explore these issues, focusing on the way religion is lived in the world around us. The keynote and discussion groups will explore activities and resources to facilitate genuine faith encounters in the classroom and in places of worship and raise religious literacy. Everyone will have the opportunity to attend each of the workshops, as well as the Keynote.
The Main Discussion/Workshops:
1. Promoting Religious Literacy though effective Religious Education Exploring how an enquiry based approach to religious education can support the development of religious literacy amongst children and young people and how a balanced curriculum for RE can ensure depth and breadth of understanding of religion and belief. Examples of practical teaching and learning activities to promote religious literacy will also be shared.
2. Big Questions and their relevance for spiritual development How important it is for children to explore big religious questions. What it is we gain by developing the skills to explore such questions. How we may by engaging with questions which are fundamental to our existence we become less likely to be subject to what others tell us and become more autonomous individuals able to think for ourselves.
3. The Power of Personal Testimony Encountering people of faith is important in the RE classroom to help pupils understand that RE reflects real people, their beliefs and lives. Explore ways to get the most out of encounters with those of other faiths. Think about ways in which ‘encounter’ can successfully happen in your RE classroom above and beyond inviting in visitors.
4. Crossing the Bridges
This will explore how to make the most of visits to a places of worship taking account of appropriate, purposeful learning intentions relevant to different age groups of children. It will work with a resource developed by advisers, teachers and SACRE members across Berkshire demonstrating its flexibility and its value in facilitating communication between schools and those who host visits.
This conference is for all teachers who wish to engage with the latest thinking in religious education and who
want to ensure that their classrooms are places where genuine encounters with faith and belief can take
place safely.
To book this training course, please contact Donna Finlay via E mail
[email protected] or 01865 208272
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Understanding Christianity
Supported by the Church of England Education Office and produced in conjunction
with RE Today, Understanding Christianity is the new resource to enable schools
to teach about Christianity in a coherent and informed fashion. Taking the
strapline “Text, Impact, Connections” the resource uses biblical material to
underpin enquiry into the practice and beliefs of Christianity.
Training Dates for 2017 (Cohort 1)
Group 1: 5th May 9 – 4; 22nd September 9 – 4; 17th November 9 – 12
Group 2: 23rd June 9 – 4; 29th September 9 – 4; 23rd November 2 – 5
Group 3: 3rd July 9 – 4; 3rd November 9 – 4; 1st December 9 – 12
The same person from each school should attend all the three dates. Full
access to the Understanding Christianity website and materials will only
be available to those who complete the course
Venue: Church House Oxford, Langford Locks, Kidlington, OX5 1GF
Funding from The Bayne Benefaction and the support of ODBE means
that this first cohort (Max 100 schools) will receive this training for
£30 instead of £235 – a saving of £205!
Schools in the SLA only – full price for other schools
More details are available on the Diocesan website:
http://www.oxford.anglican.org/schools/religious-education-
new/courses-and-training/
Venue: Church House Oxford, Langford Locks, Kidlington, OX5 1GF
To book this training course, please contact Donna Finlay via E mail [email protected] or 01865 208272
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RE Network Meetings The focus at each of these meetings will be on the latest developments in RE, resources, assessment and
we would particularly like people to share examples of good practice. These meetings are for you so if you
have ideas or requests for a particular topic, please let me Anne Andrews know and we will endeavour to
tackle all your requests. Please make sure that you book in plenty of time for the sessions you wish to
attend
Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes: Meetings from 3.45pm-5.15pm Please book with: [email protected]
Hazlemere School, Amersham Road, Hazlemere, High Wycombe, HP15 7PZ
Wednesday 18th January
Topic: Diversity within Christianity Weston Turville School, School Approach, Main Street, Weston Turville, HP22 5RW
Monday 6th February
Topic: Diversity within Christianity St Mary & St Giles CE Junior School, King George Crescent, Stony Stratford, MK11 1EF
Thursday 9th March Topic: Age-related expectation work sampling. Please bring work to share
Oxfordshire: Please book with: [email protected] Meetings are from 3.45-5.15 St John the Evangelist CE Primary School, Bluebell Way, Carterton, Oxfordshire, OX18 1JF
Thursday 2nd February
Benson CE Primary School, Oxford Road, Benson, Oxfordshire, OX10 6LX
Tuesday 31st January
Church House Oxford, Langford Locks, Kidlington, OX5 1GF
Wednesday 25th January
Deddington CE Primary School, Earls Lane, Deddington, Nr Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX15 0TJ
Wednesday 8th February
Topic for all of the above: Diversity within Christianity
Berkshire * Please Book Through the Appropriate LA * - from 4.15pm-5.30pm Bracknell Forest – Easthampstead Park Education Centre, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 3DB
Spring: Wednesday 22nd February
RBWM: Trevelyan Middle School, Wood Close, Windsor, SL4 3LL (4.00pm – 5.30pm)
Spring: Tuesday 24th January
Topic for both these meetings: Open forum Discussion on the Locally Agreed Syllabus in preparation for the summer term syllabus review. Come and have your say!
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Assessment in RE: New Developments
The SIAMS schedule looks for schools to address the following issues regarding achievement in RE:
a. the standards attained by learners at the end of each key stage
b. the progress for individuals and groups of learners, considering their starting points
c. how well gaps in performance are narrowing for different groups of learners (where information is
available)
d. to what extent pupil achievement in RE is equal to or better than comparable subjects
Since the removal of the familiar eight level grid for assessing RE, it has been a real challenge to show the
evidence for these issues. There are many projects underway at the moment to help with assessment in RE
and previous issues of this newsletter have looked at two of them: Learn, Teach, Lead RE (www.ltlre.org) and
the Salisbury Diocese project ( http://www.salisbury.anglican.org/resources-library/schools1/re-
support/assessment). Both these projects have taken very different directions: one has used Blooms Revised
Taxonomy as a way of demonstrating progress within a unit; the other has focused on the core or expected
learning covered in a unit.
Within the Diocese, schools in the Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust have worked together with the Diocesan
adviser to produce some end of year expectations. The draft document is included in this newsletter. The
areas to be assessed were broken into three, correlating loosely with Blooms revised taxonomy and the
assessment scheme in the new Understanding Christianity project. It focuses on “Knowing it” – looking at
the stories, texts and beliefs of a faith; “Living it” – focusing on the practice within religions and the impact
on believers; “Linking it” – reflecting on the implications for others and the differences and similarities
between faiths. The statements suggest certain expected areas of knowledge to be covered at particular
ages, while at the same time allowing schools and teachers to adapt the statements to their own scheme of
work.
With the emphasis on pupils achieving at the expected level, a common question has been around what
expected looks like in RE, and late last year a discussion document has been uploaded to RE online:
http://www.reonline.org.uk/news/new-guidance-assessment-in-re/
This document is in two parts: the first is a discussion about the purpose and principles of assessment in RE,
establishing definitions of the most commonly used language around assessment. It establishes the purposes
for assessment clearly as showing: firstly, how well the pupils are doing, then what they need to do next to
make progress and how effective the curriculum and teaching are.
The definitions of attainment, achievement, expectations and progression are useful too. There is agreement
that progression in RE is largely a matter of curriculum design, something that the Diocesan scheme of work
for RE incorporates, as do the RE Today teaching materials.
It focuses on three primary aims of RE: knowledge and understanding of a wide range of religions and world
views; the ability to express insights into the significance and impact of religions and world views and the
gaining of skills that enable pupils to engage seriously with religions and world views. It compares this to the
Assessment Objectives of the new RE GCSE:
AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of religion and beliefs including:
• beliefs, practices and sources of authority
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• influence on individuals, communities and societies
• similarities and differences within and/or between religions and beliefs.
AO2: Analyse and evaluate aspects of religion and belief, including their significance and influence
The remainder of the first document compares and contrasts assessment based largely on knowledge, with
that based largely on skills and encourages schools to have that debate to determine which model best fits
for their context.
The second document offers more practical advice and contains a useful list of religion specific concepts,
useful in planning for progression. It gives an analysis of Big Questions and enquiry RE and then sets out
some benchmark standards for pupils at seven, nine, eleven, fourteen and sixteen which are generic rather
than syllabus or pedagogy based and the suggestion is that these will be used as a basis for planning and
creating more specific end of Phase expectations that link to particular content.
A careful reader, familiar with the old eight level scale of attainment will notice that there is a certain
commonality between them.
Among the many interesting “coincidences” the new Understanding Christianity project is taking three areas
of study entitled “Text, Impact, Connections” which while not exactly the same, mirror the areas in AO1 of
the GCSE and the three aims of RE (knowledge, impact and skills!)
Spend a bit of time with other members of your staff, looking through the suggested expectations. How well
do they match with what you are teaching? How would they help you with your planning? Will this help you
to know if your pupils are achieving at the expected level?
If any secondary school RE teachers would like to work on the year nine to eleven sections, following the
same pattern and send in their suggestions it would be much appreciated. Send your ideas to
What’s new about the New Statement of Entitlement?
In June 2016, the Church of England Education Office issued a new statement of Entitlement for Religious
Education. The new statement, which has been widely shared within the Diocese at RE Subject leader
meetings, Heads’ meetings and via email. This article will draw attention to some of the key differences
between the two documents.
The new statement contains a much longer introduction, setting out more clearly the context in which this
document is placed. There is an increased emphasis on religious and theological literacy, picking up on some
of the latest national reports. It makes it much clearer that the statement applies to all types of Church of
England school – VA, VC, Academy and Free Schools. It thus reinforces the statutory nature of RE in all
schools and raises the expectations for high profile, high quality, enquiry based RE across the board. A direct
link is made between this document and the SIAMS inspection framework and recent inspections have
already been made with the expectations of this statement in mind.
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The call is for an RE curriculum that is rooted in the teaching of Christianity and the person and work of
Jesus, while also setting out the vision of a rich and varied Religious Education which should enable children
to know and understand about Christianity and other major world religions. Note that it now talks about
what pupils should know, not what they should learn. In general, the new statement requires a much more
engaged response from pupils: the key verbs are “know”, “show” and “engage” and look forward to pupils
being informed and respectful towards religions and world views.
The section on teaching and learning give much more specific guidance on what the curriculum should be
like (at least in general terms) and makes suggestions about pedagogy and theological enquiry. The
curriculum balance is still heavily weighted towards Christianity (two thirds of the programme of study) but
at Key Stage Five the requirement is now for “continuing study of religion and world views within the
provision of core RE”, rather than a continuing study of Christianity. RE must now have no less than five
percent of dedicated curriculum time; ten percent is viewed as the goal and the clarification is added that
this is in addition to Collective Worship. The expectation remains that pupil outcomes should be at least
equal to their attainment in comparable subjects, and that all pupils should take a qualification at Key Stage
Four.
Section six also raises the expectation of greater development of staff expertise and includes a reference to
the role of governors in this respect. Schools are encouraged to come to a common understanding of the
purpose and role of RE within church schools. Although not mentioned in the statement, the Church of
England has recently published a “Church of England Vision for Education – Deeply Christian, Serving the
Common Good” (May 2016). This document establishes vision, values and aspiration for education in Church
of England schools and this in turn influences the Statement of Entitlement.
The final sections (eight and nine) focus on the kind of support that is expected from all levels of the RE
world, particularly the Boards of Education, the clergy, SACRE and the Church of England Education Office.
Head teachers, governing bodies and teachers of RE need to be familiar with this statement, which can be
found in full on the Diocesan website: http://www.oxford.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/EIG-
REW-statement-of-entitlement-to-re-in-ce-schools-3.pdf
The Church of England Vision for Education can be found here: http://www.oxford.anglican.org/wp-
content/uploads/2016/12/gs_2039_-_church_of_england_vision_for_education-1.pdf
If you have not already done so, a staff meeting and or governing body meeting looking at these two
documents would be worthwhile.
If you have any comments on either document, Anne Andrews would love to receive your feedback to pass
on to the Education Office.
Here is the Executive summary from the Vision Document to give you a flavour of the content:
Church of England Vision for Education
Deeply Christian, Serving the Common Good
Executive Summary
This is a fresh articulation of the Church of England’s vision for education as we launch the Foundation for
Educational Leadership in order to meet the challenges and take the opportunities offered by the present
situation. The Foundation will support educational leaders in church and other schools by networking,
sharing good understanding and practice, training, advocacy, and conducting research.
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The vision is deeply Christian, with the promise by Jesus of ‘life in all its fullness’ at its heart. In Church
schools the foundation for this vision will be seen explicitly in the teaching and learning both in RE and
across the curriculum, and also in worship and ethos. In other schools, which are not rooted in an explicit
Christian ethos, our vision for education can still be expressed and promoted as a vision of human flourishing
that can inspire what the school is and does.
Our vision embraces the spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, moral, ecological and social development
of children and young people. We offer a vision of human flourishing for all, one that embraces excellence
and academic rigour, but sets them in a wider framework. This is worked out theologically and educationally
through four basic elements: wisdom, knowledge and skills; hope and aspiration; community and living well
together; dignity and respect.
The vision, in line with the Church of England’s role as the established Church, is for the common good of the
whole human community and its environment, whether national, regional or local. It is hospitable to
diversity, respects freedom of religion and belief, and encourages others to contribute from the depths of
their own traditions and understandings. It invites collaboration, alliances, negotiation of differences, and
the forming of new settlements in order to serve the flourishing of a healthily plural society and democracy,
together with a healthily plural educational system. Inspired by this vision we are initiating the Foundation
for Educational Leadership as a Christian contribution to education for the good of our whole society.
© Church of England 2016 Page 3
The National Picture The All Party Parliamentary Group for RE has produced a document about religious
Literacy. It makes some bold claims about RE: School based RE must be a credible,
engaging and academically challenging subject in its own right (Foreword p1). Section 3
in the report is dedicated to Religious Education in schools and so this is undoubtedly
the most important part for teachers to read.
The report acknowledges that there are many positives with in the RE world, such as the
increase in the numbers of teachers being trained in RE, but they also report that in
spite of the recent reports (Realising the Potential – OFSTED 2013 and Making A Difference- Church of
England 2013) there are still many deficiencies in the teaching of RE in schools in England and Wales. They
identify that there is still little agreement about the purpose of RE and the role that it plays in promoting
religious literacy, particularly where much RE is focused on morals, ethics and values education rather than
on learning about religion.
The report raises the concern that many schools are failing to fulfil their statutory requirement to offer RE to
all pupils, particularly at Key Stage Four and that even where provided, insufficient time is dedicated to it.
This means that pupils do not have the opportunity to explore the big issues or gain deep knowledge about a
range of religions as stipulated in most Locally Agreed Syllabuses.
Among the other issues identified was inadequate initial training for teachers, coupled with poor religious
literacy among graduates and lack of CPD opportunities for serving teachers. They raise the issue of the
English Baccalaureate, lack of visits to places of worship, lack of inclusion of religious issues in other parts of
the curriculum and the reduction in the power of Local Authorities as contributory factors in the poor status
of RE and religious literacy.
Consequently, they make ten recommendations which are copied here from pp 23 -4.
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Recommendation 1: The Department for Education should reinforce the statutory requirement of all state-funded schools to provide RE for all pupils, including at Key Stage 4, and should monitor its effective delivery. Recommendation 2: The Department for Education should record and publish data about the proportion of RE classes taught by full-time equivalent RE teachers and the proportion taught by non-specialists. Recommendation 3: The Department for Education should place a high priority on stimulating recruitment of specialists to RE. It should be a vocal champion of the teaching of RE and should take steps to support independent initiatives working to increase recruitment. Recommendation 4: The Department for Education should ensure that all primary ITT programmes contain a suitable proportion of time dedicated to RE. Steps should be taken to ensure that all RE trainees can benefit from high quality subject experts informed by up-to-date pedagogical research. Recommendation 5: The Department for Education should encourage ITT providers to offer a core element of religious literacy training in all secondary teacher training programmes. Recommendation 6: The Department for Education should take steps to ensure that all teachers of RE, especially non-specialists, have access to high quality subject-specific CPD opportunities. Recommendation 7: The Department for Education should encourage the expansion of CPD opportunities for high quality religious literacy training, and should encourage all teachers to take part in them. Recommendation 8: The Department for Education should give renewed consideration to including RE as a Humanities subject in the English Baccalaureate. It should conduct a new review of the impact that the exclusion of RE from the English Baccalaureate has had on the subject. It should also conduct a review of the likely impact on RE provision of the expansion of the English Baccalaureate to 90% of pupils, and set out how it will protect RE from any adverse effects of this. Recommendation 9: The Department for Education should take steps to promote uptake of the GCSE Religious Studies short course. Recommendation 10: All relevant parties should participate in the ongoing discussions about the legal framework for RE in schools and other major issues, including the Department for Education and faith communities. There are other interesting aspects to this report – not least the recognition of the role that the public sector and the media need to play in increasing the religious literacy of the nation, which make it worth reading, if only the recommendation sections at the end. Take some time to discuss the purposes of RE and religious literacy in your staff meetings and governor meetings and send any comments to Anne Andrews to pass on in discussions on SACRE and with NATRE. Interestingly, recently OFSTED have made mention of the lack of provision for RE and deemed the curriculum in one school to be inadequate as a result. There is an article on the NATRE website giving more details:
http://www.natre.org.uk/news/latest-news/concerns-over-non-compliance-in-re/
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Exploring Christianity and the Bible
A professional development day for primary teachers at Christ Church Cathedral in
Oxford
Wednesday March 8th2017
With an exciting line-up of guest speakers, Primary Teachers and Head Teachers will explore how we
might effectively develop children’s understanding of Christian values and belief.
Colleagues will explore ways to explain and teach about the Bible and the life of Jesus. There will be a
chance to find out how we can use places of worship in the curriculum and in character education. We will
also consider the role and place of story, drama and prayer in both learning and worship.
Cost: £60 (incl. lunch in this historic College) 9.30 am- 2.30 pm
For further information: please contact the Cathedral Education Officer
[email protected] 01865-286003
www.chch.ox.ac.uk/schools
Appendix – ODST Draft Assessment Grid
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Enquiry
Focus
KS1 pupils will be able
to
Lower KS2 pupils will be
able to
Upper KS2 pupils will be
able to
KS3 pupils will be able
to
Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Y5 Y6 Y7 Y8
Knowing it…
Core
knowledge and
understanding
of texts, stories
and key beliefs
Recognise the
core beliefs of
the religion(s)
studied e.g.
creation,
salvation
incarnation;
belief in one
God
(Christianity &
Judaism)
Recall a
variety of
religious
stories used
for different
purposes
Give a simple
account of
some of the
core beliefs
and symbols
of the
religions and
non-religious
world views
studied
Retell a
selection of
key stories,
making links
to the core
beliefs
Identify the
role of some
religious
figures in the
core beliefs
and stories
(Jesus, Moses,
Rama, Sita
etc.)
Identify
different
types of texts
within sacred
writings (laws,
narratives,
prayers,
poems, story)
Describe the
lives of the
most
important
religious
figures and
their place
within the
belief system
Suggest
meaning for
the various
kinds of
writing found
within sacred
texts
Identify and
describe the
role of sacred
texts in
establishing
belief systems
and
influencing
religious
leaders
Use technical
& religious
language to
identify the
different
writings
within sacred
texts
Recognise the
role of
inspiration in
the creation
of sacred texts
and the lives
of leaders
Explain the
connections
between
sacred texts
and beliefs
using
theological
terms
Explain the
relationship
between the
key concepts
studied across
a range of
religions and
non-religious
world views
Show whether
the key
concepts lead
to a coherent
faith narrative
and if so how
Suggest
meanings for
the concepts
making
reference to
key texts and
beliefs
Explain the
difference in
emphasis of
the different
types of texts
and their
relative
influence
Appendix – ODST Draft Assessment Grid
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Living it…
Practice and participation in faith communities; diversity of beliefs in action personally, locally and globally
Give simple
examples of
how the
stories and
beliefs
influence the
behaviour of
believers, with
reference to
the local area
Identify some
elements of
practice that
arise from
these beliefs
Give examples
of the
festivals/ritual
s that link to
key beliefs
(e.g.
Christmas,
Easter,
Passover,
Sukkot)
Give examples
of how beliefs
are linked to
worship and
prayer
Identify the
key practices
of a faith and
some of the
differences
between
denomination
or sect
Describe how
beliefs
influence
worship and
guide lifestyle
choices
Make links
between the
texts studied
and the
practice of
faith in the
community
and family
Describe the
beliefs that
have the
greatest
impact on
practice,
particularly in
relationship to
beliefs about
God
Make clear
links between
the texts and
concepts
studied and
common
practice
across
denomination
Describe the
actions of
believers in
their
communities,
locally and
globally that
demonstrate
commitment
Show how
believers put
their beliefs
into practice
in different
ways (e.g.
different
denomination
and sect)
particularly in
questions
about life and
death
Show how
inspiration
might play a
part in how
believers
interpret the
texts
Show how
religious ideas
help believers
to make moral
decisions
about a range
of issues
Show how the
interpretation
of religious
texts can vary
and lead to
different
practices and
beliefs
Explain why
different
believers
apply texts
differently
Give reasons
for the impact
that that has
on individuals,
the
community
and the wider
world
Appendix – ODST Draft Assessment Grid
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Linking it…
Comparing and
contrasting,
evaluating and
appraising and
making
connections to
their own and
others’ lives
Talk about their own
experiences in the light of the
religious knowledge gained
Express their own opinions
appropriately
Talk about the differences that
beliefs make to the way
believers live
Make simple comparisons to
their own lives
Ask questions about the beliefs
and practices of others
Raise questions and suggest
answers about the way that the
key beliefs studied influence
the attitudes and values of
wider society, especially in the
local area
Make links between the
teachings of religious figures
and current leaders
Suggest how the stories and
teachings studied might make a
difference to the way the pupils
think and behave
Identify the key ideas from the
faiths studied that believers
may find helpful or inspiring in
guiding them to live a good life
Weigh up the impact that
believers’ actions have on their
communities, locally and
globally and comment on how
positive this may be
Compare religious and non-
religious responses to the big
questions of life
Give coherent accounts of the
implications of the religious
ideas explored on the modern
world.
Evaluate how far these beliefs
help to make sense of the
world on a personal and an
impersonal level
Explain the challenges religious
ideas may present to the world
and how believers answer such
challenges.
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Thank you so much for reading RE News Spring 2017 edition. I hope you enjoyed it
and found it a useful tool.
Any comments or suggestions for inclusion in future editions; any other questions or
queries on RE, please email [email protected]
Anne Andrews (RE Adviser)
Oxford Diocesan Board of Education Church House Oxford Langford Locks Kidlington OX5 1GF Tel: 01865 208238 Mob: 07884 655097