The Purpose of RE Many, both Catholics and non-catholics, presume that the core purpose of Religious Education in the Catholic school is either to bring unbelievers to the faith or to grow the faith of the baptised. Sometimes it is referred to a form of indoctrination, with the negative connotations that come with that term. Good RE in the Catholic school can function as both evangelization and catechesis. This will largely depend on the state of those receiving the education, and it is important to note that neither of those aims are properly educational. Nor do we proselytise in RE; we are not trying claim the non-believer. Whilst the whole school functions as a catechetical community, the purpose of RE within that community is to ensure that every pupil has a good knowledge, understanding and critical engagement with Catholicism, irrespective of their faith. Many, both within the Church and outside of it, see RE as a form of moral education; an increased study of ethics is rooted in this. However moral formation is part of the whole school and curriculum. Many schools are talking about a need for character education and many are attempting to teach RE in a way that it becomes a religious version of good citizenship. But, as Paul Barber of the CES said: what others are calling character education is what Catholic schools have always simply called education. RE may also be a catalyst for community cohesion; good RE leads to greater understanding of other religions and therefore to greater respect for those of other faiths. It may be an outcome, but it should not be an aim. Being respectful of difference and expressing difference in a way which is sensitive to the rights of others, is not a skill which is exclusive to RE. The Catholic community are not immune from the debates surrounding breadth versus depth; one religion or many; religious studies from the outside versus religious education from the inside; theology versus sociology. Is it as simple as RE improving religious literacy? This is the most commonly cited purpose recently, yet the term remains fiercely contested. Are we simply moving the question further down the road? What does it mean to be a religiously literate person? Knowledge, understanding of religious belief and commitment, respect for difference and acknowledgement of the important place religion plays in the lives of individuals and communities, as well as a critical engagement, and a thorough understanding of the religious or non-religious beliefs of the student. Studying The Big Six of RS, in a non-confessional way, provides a set of beliefs and practices of others. This may lead to an assumption that all religions are basically the same and that the differences between them are cultural rather than substantive. Some call this an agnostic privilege; the study certainly appears as a form of anthropology, rather than delivering anything theological. The depth over breadth argument is often cited in RE. I recall Claire Fox telling me she thought her Catholic education served her well as at least she knew one religion really well! This is why many Catholic schools are happy to refer to RE as a study of
theology. There is much depth to the rich intellectual heritage of the Catholic theological tradition. For some, RE should be evolving to become a sociology of religion, asking questions about what religion itself is and analysing the divergence within traditions and the interplay between politics, culture and religion this is often called a study of the real religious landscape. This aims to detach the Church and other religions from the RE taking place, which some may claim is preferable. Catholics have a distinctive vision of education, but we are not alone in our passion for educating. The wider world of RE in 2016 poses both challenges and opportunities. Catholic RE teachers are engaging now more than ever. We may not agree, but there is common ground. I finish with a quote from a friend and fellow Catholic educator: We want to make sure that when the meal is served we have our seat at the table, even if we reserve the right to select our meal from the a la carte menu while everyone else has the dish of the day. http://tdreboss.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/the-purpose-of-catholic-re-amibothered.html Andy Lewis RE teacher, RC Secondary School Perhaps we should start thinking about the purpose of RE by looking at the kinds of teachers who teach this subject. Which other departments would give up their Saturday for furthering their subject knowledge? RE teachers are very special people- dedicated, passionate and committed. It s difficult to bang on about purpose of RE when locally we have an issue with RE not being taught in many upper schools. When RE is taught, it is often taught by unqualified staff or by teachers with other specialisms. However, this does not mean that there is no purpose to RE. A good question to ask is How would their lives be poorer without RE? What do they learn in RE that would be missed? RE has such a lot to offer. Many teachers of RE will have abandoned their lesson plans to cover topics from the news such as homophobia, prejudice, overcoming hatred, xenophobia etc. These topics are often left as other departments don t like to talk about such things. Taking RE out will ignore a dimension of human experience vital to the identity, beliefs, and values of the majority of people in the world and perhaps half of the population in the UK. Pupils understanding of key issues raised in History, Citizenship and by the news media are often distorted if religious perspectives are discounted or when issues are not dealt with sensitively like an RE teacher does.
Otherwise young people s understanding of religion is so often limited to what they learn from peers, parents and the media. RE can provide pupils with a depth of understanding of beliefs, practices, identities and values which will help them to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and non-religious groups and issues. It is an indispensable part of a complete education because of the influence of religions and beliefs on individuals, culture, behaviour and national life. Of course, children are inquisitive. They have questions- some answerable, some embarrassing, some unanswerable except through faith. Most religions and beliefs offer answers to life s deepest questions. And most young people are seeking answers to those questions, as they grow into independence and work out how to live a good life. Some question the validity of RE- taking children out to do extra Maths or English, using the lessons for SATs, timetabled last etc. however, RE s aim is to develop young people intellectually as well as spiritually and morally, so it can provide a mental discipline to sharpen their minds. RE can bring intellectual stretch and challenge even if they are not directly relevant. I love RE. It builds up and helps children grow and blossom into well rounded young people. It is a quest for truth and meaning. It s about learning who to trust, how to be the best person we can be, finding guidance in times of trial or mistrust. (Special thanks to Jane Chipperton who inspired me to be an RE teacher) Sarah Payne RE Teacher, Middle School Is there a purpose or even point of teaching RE in EYFS/KS1? Do children as young as 4 actually need RE? Yes! and Yes! Starting school for a 4 year old is often the child s first encounter with the behaviour, values, needs, culture, belief and views (religious or non-religious) of people outside of their own family. On many occasions it is also a first encounter for the parents of that 4 year old. With family life comes family traditions - whether acceptable or not to others, it is often all that a 4 yr old will know. Discovering that other children don t share this can be a shock and confusing, often challenging for both child and their parent. Last year at Meet the Teacher a parent told me. I thought your school was a community school so why are the children learning RE? We don t talk about God in
our family. We never have. It s personal. Why do they have to talk about God in school? She went on to recount how her child, walking down the market street in St Albans had suddenly said Isn t God wonderful to create all these people? As you can imagine, we had quite a long chat! She went away reassured and more knowledgeable about community schools and RE. The point of RE in EYFS and KS1 RE is to enable our children to explore and know what all this is about: for them and for others and to begin on that journey of learning about religion and belief. We have the wonderful and privileged task of opening up the world to these young children so that they can - begin to learn about and understand what religion and belief means to themselves and to others. - develop a respect within and between and with it the understanding of how others should be treated. It is in early years and KS1 when children begin to respond to experiences and learn to express and communicate. Their school life is one of investigation, talking about what they like and dislike and finding that they don t always agree with what their partner might say. We want and encourage our children to ask questions. We want them to make connections between their life and others. In our RE we want our young children to be able to have a quality of conversation about religion and belief - we don t put a limit on what our children can achieve. So, in our school, what has been our RE this week? Reception children and I looked at Islamic artefacts displayed during Ramadan in the carpeted quiet area of our school hall : a prayer mat; Qur an and stand, prayer beads, a tophi, photos of our local mosque and of women at prayer, children s clothes, Some children asked What s that for? Others said my mum/dad use that at home. Others notice that the women praying have their hands outstretched and cupshaped. The children copy the pose. Are they giving something? asks one child no says another I think they are waiting for something. Some of these children are still 4 years old. On their way to the Library, some Yr 2 children stop to look at the display. Hey look says Taneem I know what this is all about - I m allowed to fast at the w/end he says already walking 10 inches taller. What s fasting? asks his partner. In another Yr 2 class, Kamilah teaches her class her Ramadan song it helps me remember what I need to think about during Ramadan she says. Why just during Ramadan? asks her friend.
Her peers notice that making sure that the hungry are given food was something that our Hindu friend, Indiri Das, had talked about a few weeks back when he had visited our school. and he talked about how hard it can be to make the right choice and told the story of Krishna holding up the mountain to protect the villagers. And we thought about that didn t we after we d made the wrong choice at play time. If all this doesn t prepare our children for life in Modern Britain whether in or out of Europe - I don t know what will. Juliet Lyal RE Teacher, Infant School The Aims of RE RE needs to help children to develop self-knowledge, with dialogue at its heart. RE should beware of getting caught up with defining itself by the 'core knowledge' teachers are expected to impart, giving the impression that learning is only about stuff that's out there. Learning is growing, and understanding others has to start with the readiness to be open to change in your own mind. The Oracle of Delphi: Know thyself. religious education dual aims: learning about religions and beliefs AND developing a deepening awareness of my own beliefs. Not attainment targets, but dimensions. cognitive, conceptual, experiential contributes to pupils spiritual and personal development. David Hay talks about giving permission for spirituality to flourish. Grimmitt s Human development model: engaging with and responding to questions of meaning and purpose about life dialogue: developing a conversation (not debate, no winners!) Gadamer: in encountering others, our horizon of understanding will change John Valk: Helping young people to come to an understanding of their own worldview, and that of others: key educational aim are religions and beliefs just a training tool? No, symbiosis between religion and personal beliefs Ed Pawson Secondary RE Teacher and Consultant
The purpose of RE is to enable children to hold an informed conversation about religion and belief. It is about securing religious literacy. This means children and young people should engage with: The theological The philosophical/ethical The social/anthropological The theological means children engage with the big concepts of religion and belief such as God. Issues of authority and diversity in terms of interpretation of truth or doctrine are grappled and wrestled with. The reason why people do the things they do is at the heart of this. It is about meaning and understanding. I think we rarely see this in schools. The philosophical/ethical is about questions of meaning, purpose and truth. Issues such as why am I here, is morality important, does happiness exist. I think we see this in some schools, but it is not rigorous or challenging, it often descends into what pupils think. This aspect is perhaps seen more often in secondary schools. The sociological/anthropological is about the lived reality of beliefs in the 21st Century. Issues of plurality and diversity are explored. This aspect is perhaps seen more in primary schools, but is often actually about the lived reality of religion, but the construct of religion or a textbook or chocolate box approach. There is no engagement with plurality within or between expressions of belief. If the purpose of RE is to be fulfilled, ie for children and young people to hold an informed conversation about religion and belief, then all three aspects are essential. Kathryn Wright RE Consultant