Teacher and school-library guidance

Use these resources to build understanding of ideas, vocabulary and reasoning. They are written primarily for secondary teachers and school librarians, with activities that can be adapted for learners approximately aged 11–16. Choose and adapt them alongside the curriculum and needs of your school.

Begin with the decision you need to make

A five-step planning check

1. Name the learning task. Decide what pupils should be able to explain or do. “Distinguish a belief claim from a knowledge claim” is more assessable than “understand everything about non-religion”.
2. Check the source and vocabulary. Identify who is speaking, whether the source is a self-description or an interpretation, and which terms need qualification.
3. Choose a manageable activity. Use the resource catalogue to compare tasks, estimated time and preparation.
4. Adapt participation. Offer thinking time, oral or written responses and a model answer. Use fictional or published positions so pupils do not need to disclose personal beliefs.
5. Decide what a good response shows. Look for accurate explanation, evidence of reading, a reason for a choice and recognition of uncertainty where appropriate.

England and Wales have different contexts

The England notes help teachers locate the RE arrangements that apply to their school; they do not assume one national programme for every school type. The Wales notes discuss Religion, Values and Ethics within the Curriculum for Wales. The full guide links to the official material and explains the limits of these supplementary resources.

The collection does not claim to fulfil a whole syllabus, GCSE specification or inspection requirement. It does not provide specific alignment guidance for Scotland or Northern Ireland. These English-language materials are not a Welsh-language edition.

Support a thoughtful classroom discussion

Choose a question learners can approach without revealing their own or their family's beliefs. Allow disagreement with an idea while setting clear expectations about treatment of people. Avoid asking an individual pupil to act as the spokesperson for a community. The respectful-disagreement guide and ground-rules resource provide sentence stems and a rehearsal task.

How to assess the material

The sources attached to each guide allow you to check the explanation and scope. Fictional scenarios and sample answers are teaching material, not reports of pupil research. No school endorsement, classroom trial or independent expert review is claimed for this edition. The editorial policy explains its preparation and correction standards.