Religion and Worldviews in Schools
Promoting the Exploration of Religion and Worldviews in Schools (2021-2022)
This project aims to educate people outside the classroom about the importance of teaching Religion and Worldviews inside the classroom and is funded by Culham St Gabriel’s Trust.
Aims of the Project:
This project spreads awareness of the importance of studying Religion and Worldviews in schools. It aims to include parents and local stakeholders, headteachers, school governors, Chief Executives of Multi Academy Trusts as well as civil servants at both local and national levels.
Great progress has been made in the content of the new curriculum to be more relevant and better able to prepare young people for life in multi-cultural Britain, but communities outside the school gate can be resistant. Senior school leaders need support and resources to be better able to work with parents and local institutions to transform the way in which Religion and Worldviews as a curriculum area is communicated about and perceived.
Our main objectives are to:
- Create clear messaging and resources to support key stakeholders in ensuring that the study of Religion and Worldviews is incorporated in school.
- Support the development of a network to advocate for greater resources for this area of the curriculum and to raise the profile of the critical importance of good education in Religion and Worldviews.
- Highlight the importance of religious studies in schools as well as the variety of methods by which this can be achieved.
Who are we working with?
This is a collaborative effort between three partners (The Faith & Belief Forum, The Open University, and Inform) and is funded by a grant from Culham St Gabriel’s. The project will take place over 18 months from February 2021 to June 2022.
Phase 1: Baseline Report – Setting the Context
Download the full report here.
This two-part report provides an overview of the existing reports relative to both Religious Education (RE) and to the perception of religion in public life more generally. Whilst the focus is on policy reports and those written by think tanks and RE professional organisations, mention will also be made of relevant academic work and of policy developments. The focus of the report is on England only during the period 2015-2020.
Phase 2: Engaging community groups and individuals in the project
Download the full report here.
Between June-December 2021, the Faith and Belief Forum hosted a series of roundtable discussions, in order to identify key challenges and insights relevant to promoting a shared vision of Religion and Worldviews education. There was a short report summarising the conclusions and main insights gathered during this phase of the project.
Phase 3: Resources Production
Drawing on the insights gained from the first two phases of research, we produced resources aimed at targeting the challenges identified, creating a free OpenLearn course and downloadable resource packs for Community Groups, Subject Leaders and Teachers and Parents answering key questions of how to better promote high-quality teaching about religion in schools.
If you are interested in finding out more, please email:
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