Supported Institutional Projects
Bradford Interfaith Centre (see also Chelmsford and London)
The project aimed to develop the support which local faith communities could offer to schools in Bradford LEA through the use of visitors in RE lessons and collective worship. Schedules of guidance were produced for both faith community visitors and schools. Attention was given to sustaining an effective partnership between the school and the visitors.
University of Brighton
The project aimed to create networks of RE co-ordinators, based in three centres. Through meetings and one-to-one training, leaders were identified and the groups became self-supporting.
Chelmsford Diocesan Council for Education and Training (see also Bradford and London)
The aim was to establish a group of faith community visitors who had skills in presenting their faith in school classrooms and were aware of the necessary sensitivities. Working with teachers and faith community members the project established a set of agreed guidelines which were circulated within the LEAs.
Cheltenham and Gloucester College of HE (1993)
The aim of this project was to produce in-service training distance learning materials on the spiritual development of secondary school pupils as part of the modules provided by the Open Theological College. The development work was undertaken by local RE teachers.
Chester College of Higher Education (see also Liverpool)
The aim was to extend the scope of RE in-service training as offered through the Church Colleges' Certificate - a modular course validated nationally. The work focused on Church schools and developed a specific distance learning module on Church school worship.
Diocese of Chichester
The project provided in-service training for headteachers and/or RE co-ordinators for Church of England aided primary schools in the diocese, focusing on drawing up schemes of work within new diocesan guidelines. Schools were encouraged to arrange a follow-up planning session for all staff.
Canterbury Christ Church College
This project was undertaken in collaboration with Kent LEA, which had just launched a new agreed syllabus for RE. The project produced guidance notes for teachers to help them work with the new syllabus.
Christian Education Movement - Hampshire Project
CEM's primary development officer undertook a project in four schools in Hampshire working closely with the LEA RE inspector. The aim was to effect change within classroom practice and curriculum planning by developing teachers' skills for planning and delivering RE.
Christian Education Movement - London Boroughs
The project developed insights from previous work, based in five schools from different LEAs, all of whom had little opportunity to undertake RE INSET. The RE co-ordinators worked as a team with CEM's professional development officer who met with the co-ordinator, headteacher and staff in each school. Having developed a mutual support system to sustain INSET it was intended that the schools would replicate this method locally.
Gloucestershire LEA
The aim of this project was to develop in Gloucestershire schools a structure to enable RE to take its place alongside National Curriculum subjects in curriculum planning and development. The LEA was developing material which involved linking each secondary school with one of its principal partner primary/special schools to trial draft programmes of study.
King's College, London and Croydon LEA
Two projects were run, 'Implementing GCSE Short Programmes' and 'Non-Examination RE in the Sixth Form'. The projects were run collaboratively and were attended by teachers from Croydon LEA schools. Topics were chosen to address identified needs.
Liverpool Institute of Higher Education (see also Chester)
This project aimed to enhance the quality of RE teaching in Church schools through extending the use of the RE module within the Church Colleges' Certificate. This involved raising the profile of the Certificate in the local area and making it more accessible in outreach centres.
London Diocese and Westminster LEA (see also Bradford and Chelmsford)
The aim was to give faith community visitors an introduction to the education service, and support them in preparing materials from their own faith backgrounds for use in both RE and collective worship. Schools were contacted about the existing use of such people and provided locations for practical sessions within the course.
Manchester Diocese
The project established a part time INSET co-ordinator, responsible for planning and delivering a strategically targeted programme of support for the Manchester Diocesan RE syllabus.
Oxford Diocese
The headteacher and either the RE or History co-ordinator from twelve Church schools took part in a project exploring practical ways of integrating RE with History at KS2 in a way that respected the integrity of both subjects. Draft materials were made available to all participants and were trialled and assessed in schools.
Poynton High School
This project looked at ideas for using artefacts in the classroom effectively.
University College of St Martin, Lancaster
Two interrelated projects were undertaken. The first focused on Bolton LEA, with whom the college had worked on developing a new agreed syllabus. It concentrated on running a course for designated primary RE co-ordinators. The second project on primary children's spiritual development recruited staff from schools within North Lancashire and Southern Cumbria. It was a new initiative and included techniques for exploring the spiritual dimension of experience, and a cross-curricular audit of the spiritual.
The College of St Mark and St John, Plymouth
The project aimed to enhance the confidence, skills and knowledge of non-specialist RE teachers with some organising responsibility for the subject in their schools. It focused on primary schools and looked particularly at the use of the Bible in lessons.
Stapleford House Education Centre
This project gave intensive support to ten primary school RE co-ordinators in drawing up and implementing a policy document and scheme of work in RE for their schools. An audit of the current RE provision of the school was undertaken and used during the weekend. Contact was maintained with the teachers as they implemented the scheme. The project was repeated in the following year.
The third project was a weekend for fifteen newly appointed primary RE co-ordinators. The weekend focused on improving their performance, increasing understanding of the nature of RE and improving confidence.
Trinity College, Carmarthen
'Partnership and Mentoring' focused on ensuring that RE remained a secure subject within the secondary PGCE course when the balance of responsibility for teacher training shifted from college to school. RE teachers were offered workshop days to help them prepare more fully for their mentoring role and to establish closer links with the college. The secondary RE PGCE course was revised and teachers were encouraged to take a stronger role in running the course.
University of Warwick
The aim of this project was to develop and trial curriculum materials on the Christian experience and tradition as lived and practised by children and their families. The materials were developed in collaboration with teachers and were disseminated through in-service training. The focus was on the experience of KS l children.
York RE Centre
The Diocese of York had produced draft guidelines for RE for its Church schools and the purpose of this project was to ensure that these guidelines were implemented and to encourage the diocese to provide INSET.
