Centenary Conference - Summary of Proceedings
The St Gabriel's Centenary Conference, RE - Essence and Development, was held at Church House, Westminster on 30 September 1999. The conference provided an opportunity to discuss the essence of RE, consider recent developments and map out and present a confident future for RE within the curriculum. It was a positive occasion, marking what one speaker called the 'coming of age' of RE.
Morning Session - Essence
In the morning session, led by a panel consisting of Terence Copley, John Hull and Bob Jackson, and chaired by Colin Alves, the conference focussed on the essence of RE. Their discussion took place within a framework of three themes, with inevitable overlap between each topic.
The relationship between the aims of RE and those of education in general
John Hull opened the discussion by saying that RE fits well with traditional liberal ideas of education, but less so with the role of the education system in developing the UK into a more competitive relationship with other similar nations. Indeed, religion is often critical of national aims of education.
Bob Jackson stated that education should cover all areas of human experience, if it is to be a full liberal education, and that RE must therefore have a role.
Terence Copley said that the pursuit of truth had slipped out of overall education aims. If it is neglected in RE, then it may be lost altogether. He also stated that RE is sometimes taught without the pursuit of truth by being too descriptive, or by avoiding the differences between religions.
John Hull launched a discussion about the way RE is perceived by describing the inclusion of RE in the education systems of most European countries. The move towards a European Union had led countries to fear that their distinctiveness would be lost, and to look for ways to retain their national traditions. But religion was also feared as disruptive and leading to conflict. Terence Copley added that religion is feared in Europe because of its power to change the individual. He added that RE would not advance unless it could break down the barriers created by adults, and the fear of religion among school senior management teams. This debate concluded with John Hull saying that the secular political establishment does not know what to do with religion; when it is fundamentalist it is divisive, but when it is ecumenical and idealistic it is critical of the money culture.
In the context of agreed educational aims, what is distinctive about RE?
Bob Jackson started by saying that moral education does not deal deeply with the fundamental human questions of life and death. RE alone offers an exploration of these questions in relation to a wide range of positions, using material from religion to stimulate thought on issues that get ignored elsewhere in the curriculum. If done properly, RE can contribute to the debates about being a citizen of Britain and also to moral debates arising from the multi-ethnic nature of society.
Bob Jackson also said that the skilled RE teacher could make connections between young people and the RE curriculum. The conference returned to this topic several times.
Terence Copley talked about the Rights of the Child, laid down in a UN declaration, including the right to know about religions, and to opt for a religious, or for a non-religious, way of life. In this context, no educational system has the right to expunge religion from its programmes of study.
Terence also said that RE should induct children into theologising for themselves - studying religion from a declared perspective.
Leading on from earlier comments about the power of religion to transform lives, John Hull said RE's important task was to study, understand and appropriate this transforming power.
To what extent is RE value-free?
In the first part of the discussion, Bob Jackson had said that part of the pursuit of knowledge in RE was to find truthful and accurate ways of portraying people from religious backgrounds.
The panel agreed that RE is not value-free. Colin Alves asked how far the liberal values on which the subject is based were actually Christian values. Bob Jackson argued that a wide range of people from different religious backgrounds can act as RE teachers - affirming children as persons and respecting every religious and non-religious position - even if they themselves do not hold a liberal theological position. Terence Copley argued that no education is value-free, and asked how Maths would fare under the same scrutiny as RE has received.
John Hull ended this discussion by saying that RE needs to adopt a radical posture in education, matching the globalisation of commodities with the globalisation of RE.
Plenary Discussion
Much of what was said supported the panellists' discussion. However, both the conference members and the panellists, speaking in response to questions, made a number of additional points.
One of the distinctive features of RE is its sense of 'awe and wonder'.
Recent trends in schooling should be seen more sympathetically; basic literacy and league tables are preconditions of success in RE. However, Bob Jackson responded by saying there was too much emphasis on economic success.
There was a discussion about how to reconcile the creationist view with the scientific one when teaching both to the same class in different subjects. Michael Poole said science and RE needed to work more closely together, and that science was increasingly being asked by Ofsted how it was meeting SMSC requirements.
There was a discussion about why we are educating, with a reference to life-threatened children, and whether secular society had foreshortened one's perspective. The questioner asked whether we educate within a secular context, rather than a religious one. On the importance of connecting material to young people, Bob Jackson commented on research which had found that young people were concerned about death and how to make sense of it.
In further discussion about faith commitment and teaching, Bob Jackson suggested that RE contributed to the spiritual development of both teachers and pupils, and that it also fed change within religions. John Hull said that religions should stop competing with each other, and recognise that RE offers them a gift, helping them to be more altruistic through sharing their beliefs with the community.
Afternoon Session - Development
The starting point for the afternoon discussion on developments in RE was the findings of a consultation exercise carried out by St Gabriel's Programme.
Please identify up to three developments which have taken place over the last five years at your own local and/or national level which you feel have particularly helped to improve RE's status and standing within the curriculum.
Stephen Lavender commented in depth on the three main findings of Question One.
The introduction of the short course in RE had led to half a million students taking a GCSE
qualification in RE or RS this year. More schools are considering it.
Secondary schools largely ignore Agreed Syllabuses, but primary schools want the guidance and support they offer, perhaps because their staff include more non-specialists.
Ofsted is a double-edged sword, causing fear, but also leading to more specialist teachers as schools decide they can no longer get away with non-specialist staff leading RE.
Stephen Lavender concluded by saying that some of his colleagues were battle-weary, but he believed that the battle for RE is nearly won.
What relationships, if any, do you think there should be between RE and the various elements of the framework for PSHE and Citizenship within the school curriculum?
Linda Rudge said that responses to this question were ambiguous, perhaps because people were tending to rely on rumour and the media for information about Citizenship, but also because the responses had revealed different models of RE, at both theoretical and classroom level. She briefly examined the content of PSHE, RE and Citizenship and then looked at possible implications:
- For teachers, the most immediate worries are focussed around curriculum change, classroom practice and professional confidence. There were professional concerns about change without enough resourcing.
- School manager/governors would have concerns about curriculum organisation, and how changes might alter the school ethos.
- LEAs have a continuing responsibility to manage change in the subject.
- SACREs had issues around monitoring RE and teacher training.
- Trainers might see an initial increase in RE numbers, or perhaps separate training would be provided for Citizenship. In that case, where will RS/Theology/Philosophy graduates go for promotion and resources?
Linda Rudge pointed out that there were very few research papers from RE on Citizenship, and that RE had missed out on the public debate.
John Keast - Citizenship
John Keast said he was not surprised by the responses to Question Three, since no one was sure how the relationship would work out. He said that there were, however, common hopes and fears. He was convinced that there would be a relationship of some kind and hoped it would be positive. The order for Citizenship and the PSHE framework was to be published a month after the conference. We should not underestimate the significance of Citizenship. The Standards Fund for 2000 will include £5 million for the introduction of Citizenship. John Keast outlined three perspectives:
- Legal. Each of the three subjects has a different legal status.
- Theoretical. There is a distinctiveness proper to each subject, and a complementarity. Citizenship will include the skills of enquiry and communication, and participation and responsible action. PSHE will aim at developing personal qualities and characteristics, developing skills and knowledge in health and developing positive relationships. The characteristics of RE had been discussed in the morning session. Complementarity resulted from all three elements having a stake in the question of values.
- Practical. There would be pressure on timetable time in the curriculum, and resources, and an impact when Citizenship became accredited.
John Keast concluded that it would be hard work ensuring that the relationships between RE, PSHE and Citizenship were healthy ones.
Plenary Discussion
One delegate presented an alternative curriculum structure, intended to remedy the overlaps between RE, PSHE and Citizenship. This consisted of four elements: RE, a national subject studying religions; a basic and narrow Moral Education; Citizenship, including political education, life skills and health and social issues; and Relationships, dealing with spiritual development, emotional education and ethics in the wider sense.
Another delegate said that Citizenship looked useful from the outside, but RE looked less useful from the outside and would be squeezed out. He said the debate was being driven by utilitarian attitudes to education and we that should be thinking about what actually matters.
Linda Rudge, responding to this, said that we need to communicate RE better. The subject is perceived as 'about religions' - about people doing things because they were religious. The idea that Citizenship is the secular side of RE is dangerous.
Please identify up to three future developments at your own local and/or national level which you feel would particularly help to improve RE's status and standing within the curriculum.
Jeremy Taylor identified five characteristics of UK RE in the next five years, based on the responses to this question.
- RE will go on fending for itself outside the National Curriculum, but with strong professional motivation and self-awareness. As proof of this he identified the National RE Festival, networking of local groups of RE teachers, AREIAC's work on subject standards and developments in ICT and RE.
- RE will go on maintaining the pressure. As examples, he cited the effective coalition of the RE Council, the work on recruitment in the RETRI project, the continuing provision of training for non-specialists and the work of Farmington Fellows.
- RE needs to join the agenda, developing political skills and the nous to identify agenda issues. RE teachers are unusual in wanting more paperwork, so that they can show headteachers what the subject is achieving.
- RE needs to fight the invisibility factor, fostering contacts with the media and DfEE, and working collaboratively.
- RE needs to celebrate its successes. It is the envy of the rest of Europe; seen as more coherent, sophisticated, vibrant, with better relationships, and more effective in grappling with issues of authenticity and truth than anywhere else.
Plenary 3
Ian Wragg, chairing the conference, asked particularly for contributions from teachers. A number of points were made:
There was a concern that RE received only a brief mention in the draft new curriculum proposal, and that spiritual development was not mentioned at all. John Keast said this had been remedied, but that since RE was not included in the National Curriculum, its presence in National Curriculum documentation was always problematic.
RE has a contribution to make in giving a vision and direction to society. Citizenship can give the tools to meet that vision.
Pupils do want to engage with ideas and beliefs.
RE is both a mirror, through which pupils can understand themselves and society, and a window, showing an alternative vision.
Spiritual and moral development, and the idea of Citizenship, cannot be assessed in a strict way. The perceived need for Citizenship education bears testimony to the fact that schools have become dysfunctional as societies.
There was a discussion about RE and ICT. One delegate said that RE provides some of the best ICT in the country, and should be celebrated. Jeremy Taylor said it could help pupils make authentic contact - talking directly with schools in Jerusalem, rather than being mediated via a textbook or video. Linda Rudge said there was still a problem with resources and access, and that some teachers had ethical concerns about the use of ICT. Training for teachers will be available in the use of ICT, and teachers were encouraged to make sure they were included in this.
There was a discussion about whether RE should be included in the National Curriculum. This had been touched upon throughout the conference. Linda Rudge saw some advantages, but envisaged problems with the right of withdrawal. She also said that if RE had been in the National Curriculum a couple of years ago, it would have vanished from primary schools. Being in the National Curriculum could result in political vulnerability and a loss of autonomy. One delegate said he was in favour of nationally agreed standards, but local determination.
A delegate asked how to get school senior management teams to take seriously the legal entitlement pupils have to RE at Key Stages 4 and 5. John Keast replied that A level and AS routes did not suit every pupil, and the QCA was undertaking some work looking at RE in vocational education post-16.
One delegate, talking about RE and Special Educational Needs, said that RE was about communication, and should be the one subject above all that meets individual children at their point of need.
Findings of the QCA consultation on Citizenship... (external link).
