Recognising outstanding learning in Religious Education
Stephanie Crossley
REQM Mark Assessor
Lead teacher REQM Eastern Project
Discuss with a partner -
One thing you would like to
improve in RE in your school
One thing you think you do
really well in RE in your school
In this seminar:
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What is the REQM?
Evidence of the impact of the REQM on schools
The different levels of REQM and how to get them
How to apply and the process
Why an RE Quality Mark?
How would it be if …..
 The quality of the RE in your school was
celebrated and acknowledged?
 You could see how to take the next steps to
develop RE in your school?
 You could become even more excited and inspired to achieve
great things in RE?
 Your learners could take their learning in RE to new heights?
The REQM has been set up to:
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raise the profile of religious education in schools
celebrate a commitment to excellence in religious education
enable dissemination of quality RE through networking
provide a framework for measuring, planning and
developing the quality of RE teaching and learning
encourage schools to increase the range and quality of
teaching and learning in religious education to improve
standards
develop pedagogies which have impact on whole school
improvement
provide a structure and framework for dioceses and SACREs
to map high quality religious education
address the findings of Transforming RE relating to enquiry
based learning
Over 200 schools have now gained the award!
The REQM Principles
 To celebrate high quality learning in RE
 To be robust, yet light touch
 To focus on what learners are saying
 To draw on the best, most imaginative principles of great
learning in RE
 To share good practice
What is the REQM looking for?
 RE which is enjoyed by learners, which helps
them thrive and succeed and which has an
impact on wider school outcomes
A school’s evidence needs to show…
 That a high quality curriculum is in place – it is planned around
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big ideas and questions
Learners have the chance to ask questions about religions and
beliefs
That learners are making good progress
That learners report exceptional levels of engagement and
enjoyment of their RE
That the RE takes the lead on innovation in the school
That the RE leaders are continually learning
The Eastern Region REQM project
 Funded by Keswick Hall Trust
 Seven Schools in East Anglia mentored to apply for the REQM
 Research on how they found the process and what they gained
from it
At the start of the process what were your biggest
concerns or barriers that you felt that you would have
to overcome? Were the concerns about the criteria or
the process?
• Time was a big issue (i.e. having enough of it to do the
paperwork justice). Main concerns were more related
to the process than the criteria themselves
• The time needed to gather the evidence
• A mixture of both
• That the evidence would be easy to produce
• Having enough evidence
When you first looked at the criteria were you able to identify
one or more particular areas from the REQM criteria that you
wished to improve as a result of going through the process?
• Teachers’ CPD
• Wider impact of RE, ways to share good practice and foster
links
• Links with other schools. Links with Parents
• Wider impact of RE across school
• More trips
Describe what you hoped to gain from the process of
applying for the REQM (other than the award!)
• For RE to be given a higher status and recognition by both
staff, students and parents.
• Transition of new leadership, working on future
developments.
• A better understanding of how RE is delivered, challenge,
areas of improvement
• Status for the subject, affirmation for our good work and a
clear way forward.
• Raising the profile of RE in school, recognising the
excellent work in RE across the school
What impact has this process had on RE in your school?
The assessment process instantly reminded other staff of the
department, it was mentioned in staff briefing meetings. Governors
have been involved in the process so that they understand the
REQM mark and it's significance. The assessment has raised the
profile here. Children were informed during assembly and tutor
time of the good news so again it raised the profile of the
department.
For my colleague and I it was lovely to have our work recognised by
an external assessor, the praise we received meant we both left
school Thursday with big wide smiles. We felt reinvigorated with
the subject aims and objectives.
What impact has this process had on RE in your school?
It has been a challenging but worthwhile process. It has
encouraged me to think through the specific criteria for REQM and
start to make changes where necessary. I would recommend to
other teachers provided they are willing to put in the time. It does
provide the challenge of thinking through so much of what we do
The two key benefits I've perceived from this is strengthening links
BETWEEN schools and the enhancing of quality WITHIN schools.
The superbly clear criteria gave academic challenge and rigour
within a crowded curriculum and allowed those of us who are
passionate about the subject to prove it's worth.
I have been more confident in running local networks
What impact has this process had on RE in your school?
We intend to have a piece in the newspaper and our school
magazine so the profile of the school and the department will
be celebrated in the wider community.
Good for OFSTED and SIAMS
Great for recording good practice. Continuing this now with a
‘Good Practice Folder’
Pupil surveys identified good practice but also highlighted
areas we wanted to improve.
Has made us more forward and outward looking
I did it because I wanted to find out if were any good
or not!
Will you continue to use the REQM framework to
develop your department?
Yes, definitely – said by everyone
REQM
Five Strands
A. Learners and Learning
B. Teachers and teaching
C. Curriculum
D. Subject Leadership
E. Continuing Professional Development
Listening to Learners
Learner Questionnaire Example
 What do you like learning about other people and their beliefs
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about life?
Do you have the chance to say what you believe?
What kind of important questions do you ask in RE?
How do you know what to do to improve your work in RE?
Do you have the chance to show what you know through art,
drama or other creative ways?
Can you talk about the last visitor you had in RE?
Do you go on visits, use artefacts or stories or art to explore
ideas in RE?
Do you get the chance to explore local, national and global
communities
What could make your learning in RE even better?
Is there anything else you would like to say?
Examples of some of the criteria and how they progress from
Bronze to Gold
A Learners and Learning
A3. Learners are responding
to big questions and are
beginning to shape their
own learning.
A4 Learners connect their
learning in religious
education with other
curriculum areas and the
local community
A6. Learners use higher
order questions
confidently
A5. Religious education
provides challenging
tasks and opportunities
for deeper thinking and
embedded use of higher
order thinking
A3 Learners connect
their learning in
religious education
with other curriculum
areas and the national
community.
A3 Learners connect
their learning in religious
education with other
curriculum areas and the
global community.
Naomi Anstice
Frodsham Manor House Primary School, Cheshire
A project on developing pupil ownership of a unit of
work in RE whilst developing enquiry and higher
order problem solving with an able Year 6 class.
Pupils were given the unit title and then had to
develop their own aims and learning methods
which would meet the needs of the whole class.
Their work had to be purposeful and show a breath
of learning from ‘Learning about’ and ‘Learning
from Religion and Belief’ as well as a range of
religions
What you want to learn
Find out about different angel roles
How angels are seen in different religions
3d angel art (angel of the north)
Plan an activity about the angels in the Christmas story
Find out about different angelic roles in Christianity and
Islam
How people express views on angels through songs and
music
Do angels exist? 41% of school leavers believe in angelswhat do you think? Do you think Angels are all good?
What do artists want to tell us about angels in their 2D
artwork?
Consider your beliefs on an angel of Death
Do you become an angel when you die. How did angels
evolve?
What do I think heaven or paradise looks like?
P4C
When we die do
our souls
become angels?
Do we have our
own guardian
angel?
What do we
think about the
angel of death?
We recorded and
transcribed the P4C and
realised we had discussed
the following;
Forgiveness
Free will and temptation
Heaven and hell
Jesus the Messiah
The Apocalypse
God’s love for humankind
Choosing to follow your
beliefs
Rebirth and fresh starts
Superstition
The soul
Life after death
Guardian angels
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‘Heavenly Angels’ discussing
their views on heaven while
painting it
B Teachers and Teaching
The religious education
curriculum is planned
around key questions
and/or key concepts.
Internal monitoring shows
the teaching of religious
education in most lessons
is good
The religious education
subject leader shares
strategies for the
development of higher
order thinking and or
enquiries around big
questions with other
colleagues
The subject leader
shares high quality
pedagogies with
other colleagues,
locally or nationally
Monitoring internally
or externally gives the
judgement on the
teaching of religious
education as good
Monitoring internally
or externally gives the
judgement on the
teaching of religious
education as
outstanding.
C Curriculum
C6 Religious education in
the school promotes
understanding of local,
national and global faith
and belief communities
C4 The curriculum
draws on local and
national resources to
explore religions and
beliefs
C3 Religious education is
drawing on events in a local,
national or global setting to
make the curriculum relevant to
learners.
D Subject leadership
D1 Religious education
has an effective leader
who has a clear vision for
teaching and learning
and has impact on
outcomes for the
learners.
D2 The subject leader is
an advocate in school for
the importance of
religious education
D4. The RE subject leader
knows about and implements
new directions in education in
relation to teaching and
learning in RE
D4. Religious
education makes
contributions to the
wider school agenda
D2. The subject leader is
embedding high quality
structures to ensure education
sustainability for the subject
E CPD
E3 CPD in religious
education supports
priorities in the whole
school development plan
E4 The CPD of other
teachers in the school
is supported by the
subject leader using
religious education
examples.
E2 The religious education
professionals engage with the
delivery of CPD on religious
education to other teachers
locally, nationally or
internationally.
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Find someone who teaches in a similar school to you
Look at the Learners and Learning criteria together
What evidence could you provide for these?
Write down your ideas on post-it notes
Put the post it notes on the large criteria sheets
Walk around and get ideas!
How to apply
The Process 1
 Schools will contact REQM administrator and register
their interest in applying for the RE Quality Mark using
the proforma on the website.
 You don’t have to specify which level you are going for
when you apply.
 REQM administrator confirms with the school the name
of the assessor and copies the assessor in.
Process 2
 Assessor makes contact with the school within 2 weeks,
to:
 Agree a date and time of visit; explain the agenda for the
day; remind the school to highlight the evidence for the
criteria; remind the school to have outcomes of the
learner questionnaire ready.
Process 3
 Visit for 2 hours by assessor to include:
 Conversation with pupils (30 minutes to be completed
first). Recommended 8-10 pupils in total, with each year
group represented. The subject leader should be present.
 Subject leader to present evidence of criteria (1 hour 15
minutes)
 Conversation with Senior Leadership Team member with
responsibility for RE (15 minutes maximum)
Process 4
 Assessor asks school to complete an evaluation of the
process and to send photographs if possible.
 Congratulatory email plus award and banner.
www.reqm.org
Research and
resources on
the REQM
website
Find under
‘Research and
Case Studies’ and
‘News’ (REQM
conferences) tabs
What happens next?
Annual REQM conference
The opportunity to do some
classroom based research, with
financial support for the school
and linking with a university
Any questions?
stephanie@inspireandenquire.co.uk
www.inspireandenquire.co.uk