FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
When will the new RE Directory be available for us to read ourselves?
The printers expect to have a copy available mid-February. When it is available, I will put the link on the website. The document is HUGE – over 300 pages. I will alert you to those pages most important to you.
Where is the model curriculum we saw?
The exemplar model curriculum you may have seen is at the back of the new Religious Education Directory. It is there as an example, as one way of covering the content. Neither it or its features are mandated.
So, what do we have to cover?
The mandated content for all pupils in Catholic Schools in England and Wales is expressed in End of Phase Outcomes for pupils aged, 5-7, 7-9 and 9-11. Theses outcomes synthesise both the content from the four knowledge lenses, and the Ways of Knowing.
The model curriculum was divided into years; the Resource only breaks into Phases. Will you break each phase into a grade group?
I am less inclined to do that just yet.
The outcomes are age based – not grade based. By that I mean they stipulate pupils of a particular aged group (5-7 years, 7-9 years, 9-11 years). The ‘overlap’ year means that schools can, to some extent, determine for themselves which particular grade level does what. Eg some KS1 outcomes are very simple and could be done in Reception. The flexibility of the RED means that schools are invited to work with its expectations in ways that match pupils need and capacity.
Will the videos for staff and pupils continue?
Yes. I will increase their number to allow attention to the specific knowledge at phase level. One video will overview the content for staff: three videos will be for pupils of the 3 phases.
What has happened to the BIG Questions, the old AT 2 strand?
Simply, we don't have them now. However, the Ways of Knowing, Understand, Discern and Respond all mean that we should still be having those big conversations. The Resource has identified Discern questions (where we talk and listen to others ponder the same topic) and Respond questions (where we think about our personal response to something, how we might learn from it, or incorporate it into our lives) in colour: ORANGE for Discern and GREEN for Respond – so we can still see them and ensure that RE is not just about knowing!
Why are some phase outcomes in the Resource black and others red?
The RED mandates learning for each phase. Sometimes content is not ‘passed’ on - there is nothing in a particular phase for content which appears in ages 5-7 and 9-11 for example. Where this happens, I have filled the gap. The new Directory Outcomes are coloured RED; mine are black. You should teach to all of them, regardless of their colour. BUT be particularly attentive about noting and keeping evidence of pupil learning in relation to those outcomes in RED.
What has happened to the Rich Assessment task?
The new Directory does not include mandated assessment processes, rather it says you should use formative (before you teach) and summative (after content has been taught) assessments to plot progress. As attention seems to have shifted to monitoring progress rather than achievement I have named each outcome as a Progress Point. The suggested teaching and learning activities have been designed to teach each Progress Point. One activity has been identified as ‘summative’ as an opportunity for you to see how pupils have learned the content you taught. These are also identified as (PP..) so you can match them with their outcome.
The verbs (eg recognise, describe and explain) are used in every phase level. What is the difference between for example ‘describe’ in Year 3 and Year 6?
This is an issue. It is one that the CES are aware of. We are currently working on a document like the ‘Agreed Understandings’ which will clarify how verbs should be understood at each GRADE/YEAR level. This will allow End of Phase outcomes to be differentiated and evidenced at both planning and teaching stages.
What is happening to EYFS?
The new RED is a bit hard to follow when it comes to EYFS! I am working on getting a fuller understanding of it and will make the necessary changes soon. There will be a single programme of study for EYFS, probably formatted as the table you currently have now.
Will the resources still rotate around a 3 year cycle?
Yes, I think so. Over the 6 years of 1-6 everyone will do the cycle twice. There is a possibility I might make Luke's year for KS1 only but schools seem to like the 3 year cycle. What do you think?
How long have we got to play with this?
We have 3 years to get this right!! At the moment my focus is the mandated EoP outcomes and the content they ask for. This content is mandated for all pupils in all Catholic schools in England and Wales...so any new programme or schemes etc will have to teach to them. My focus is as always, to help you up-skill yourself as a professional educator and learn a little more about the Liturgical year and its expression!
Can I share a resource with a school?
Yes – you can give them a paper copy, but please don’t give them your website. There are sample resources on the link on the homepage of the website for A3: Lent to Easter.
We use Come and See and The Way, Truth and Life? Should we just wait for them to be published?
You can. The new Directory is not expected to be implemented fully for 3 years (2025). But why wait? As the content is mandated, any new programme has to have the content found in the resources. You can start to get ready now.
When will you be over to over professional development?
I will be back in June 2023. Email me if you would like me to work with you, or a group of schools!
The printers expect to have a copy available mid-February. When it is available, I will put the link on the website. The document is HUGE – over 300 pages. I will alert you to those pages most important to you.
Where is the model curriculum we saw?
The exemplar model curriculum you may have seen is at the back of the new Religious Education Directory. It is there as an example, as one way of covering the content. Neither it or its features are mandated.
So, what do we have to cover?
The mandated content for all pupils in Catholic Schools in England and Wales is expressed in End of Phase Outcomes for pupils aged, 5-7, 7-9 and 9-11. Theses outcomes synthesise both the content from the four knowledge lenses, and the Ways of Knowing.
The model curriculum was divided into years; the Resource only breaks into Phases. Will you break each phase into a grade group?
I am less inclined to do that just yet.
The outcomes are age based – not grade based. By that I mean they stipulate pupils of a particular aged group (5-7 years, 7-9 years, 9-11 years). The ‘overlap’ year means that schools can, to some extent, determine for themselves which particular grade level does what. Eg some KS1 outcomes are very simple and could be done in Reception. The flexibility of the RED means that schools are invited to work with its expectations in ways that match pupils need and capacity.
Will the videos for staff and pupils continue?
Yes. I will increase their number to allow attention to the specific knowledge at phase level. One video will overview the content for staff: three videos will be for pupils of the 3 phases.
What has happened to the BIG Questions, the old AT 2 strand?
Simply, we don't have them now. However, the Ways of Knowing, Understand, Discern and Respond all mean that we should still be having those big conversations. The Resource has identified Discern questions (where we talk and listen to others ponder the same topic) and Respond questions (where we think about our personal response to something, how we might learn from it, or incorporate it into our lives) in colour: ORANGE for Discern and GREEN for Respond – so we can still see them and ensure that RE is not just about knowing!
Why are some phase outcomes in the Resource black and others red?
The RED mandates learning for each phase. Sometimes content is not ‘passed’ on - there is nothing in a particular phase for content which appears in ages 5-7 and 9-11 for example. Where this happens, I have filled the gap. The new Directory Outcomes are coloured RED; mine are black. You should teach to all of them, regardless of their colour. BUT be particularly attentive about noting and keeping evidence of pupil learning in relation to those outcomes in RED.
What has happened to the Rich Assessment task?
The new Directory does not include mandated assessment processes, rather it says you should use formative (before you teach) and summative (after content has been taught) assessments to plot progress. As attention seems to have shifted to monitoring progress rather than achievement I have named each outcome as a Progress Point. The suggested teaching and learning activities have been designed to teach each Progress Point. One activity has been identified as ‘summative’ as an opportunity for you to see how pupils have learned the content you taught. These are also identified as (PP..) so you can match them with their outcome.
The verbs (eg recognise, describe and explain) are used in every phase level. What is the difference between for example ‘describe’ in Year 3 and Year 6?
This is an issue. It is one that the CES are aware of. We are currently working on a document like the ‘Agreed Understandings’ which will clarify how verbs should be understood at each GRADE/YEAR level. This will allow End of Phase outcomes to be differentiated and evidenced at both planning and teaching stages.
What is happening to EYFS?
The new RED is a bit hard to follow when it comes to EYFS! I am working on getting a fuller understanding of it and will make the necessary changes soon. There will be a single programme of study for EYFS, probably formatted as the table you currently have now.
Will the resources still rotate around a 3 year cycle?
Yes, I think so. Over the 6 years of 1-6 everyone will do the cycle twice. There is a possibility I might make Luke's year for KS1 only but schools seem to like the 3 year cycle. What do you think?
How long have we got to play with this?
We have 3 years to get this right!! At the moment my focus is the mandated EoP outcomes and the content they ask for. This content is mandated for all pupils in all Catholic schools in England and Wales...so any new programme or schemes etc will have to teach to them. My focus is as always, to help you up-skill yourself as a professional educator and learn a little more about the Liturgical year and its expression!
Can I share a resource with a school?
Yes – you can give them a paper copy, but please don’t give them your website. There are sample resources on the link on the homepage of the website for A3: Lent to Easter.
We use Come and See and The Way, Truth and Life? Should we just wait for them to be published?
You can. The new Directory is not expected to be implemented fully for 3 years (2025). But why wait? As the content is mandated, any new programme has to have the content found in the resources. You can start to get ready now.
When will you be over to over professional development?
I will be back in June 2023. Email me if you would like me to work with you, or a group of schools!