Religious Education in Church schools must meet the requirements of The Church of England Statement of Entitlement for Religious Education in Church Schools 2019.
Religious Education is an important part of living out your school’s Christian vision and values. We have produced a tool for church schools in the diocese to use to help you to do this. The Vision Tool can be used with any RE syllabus.
Church schools in the Diocese of Guildford should use the Surrey Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education 2023-2028. This was formally approved, and the syllabus adopted, at a full DBE meeting on May 9th 2023, for implementation from 1st September 2023. All statutory information and non-statutory support materials can be found linked from the Surrey Agreed Syllabus page.
The only exceptions to this are the four voluntary controlled schools in Hampshire who must use the Hampshire Agreed Syllabus Living Difference.
If you have any questions about RE in your church school, please contact Jane Whittington.
We offer regular training for all those involved in delivering RE in schools. Details and booking for RE training for school staff are on GDBE elevate.
Training for clergy and church visitors is arranged via the Mission Enabler Team.
• A termly Primary RE Subject Leaders Briefing. These are an opportunity to receive updates about RE and some professional development to take back to school. There are sessions for Church Schools and for Community schools, so it is important that RE subject leaders book and attend the correct session.
• We provide induction training for new RE Subject Leaders. There are bespoke sessions for Church Schools and for Community schools, so it is important that RE subject leaders book and attend the correct session.
• Individual sessions on a variety of aspects of RE for teachers and subject leaders.
• Training for clergy and church visitors who support RE in their local school. This may be a church school or a community school.
• Courses, staff meetings and inset days to provide CPD in all aspects of teaching and learning in RE.
If you have any questions about RE in your church school contact Jane Whittington.
Assessment resources are currently being developed to work with the new syllabus materials.
The Big Bible Story Resources
The Big Bible Story is a resource that we have developed in the Diocese of Guildford to explain how the Bible tells one story, at the centre of which is God's rescue plan. It consists of a set of reflective stories. These stories are designed to be used in conjunction with units of work in the Surrey Agreed Syllabus and will be linked from the relevant unit. For schools in the Diocese of Guildford we have boxes of the props available to borrow.
‘The Big Bible Story’ considers theological concepts through the whole Bible narrative
These resources are currently being revised to fit with the units in the new Surrey Agreed Syllabus (2023-2028) Watch this space!
Pause Day Resources
Pause Days are an exciting initiative first created in our diocese. They give schools an opportunity to engage with some high-level thinking and reflection during an ‘off-timetable’ RE day, which also contributes to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development.
These Pause Day resources are not intended to replace the statutory RE units, but to provide ‘space’ to enhance and deepen pupils’ understanding. There are Pause Day materials for Easter and Pentecost.
The materials have been written for phases so that teachers can work together to create the day. The expectation is that schools plan their pause day using the Easter Journeys materials one year and then Easter Witnesses Materials the following year. This way pupils will experience all of the sessions with the exception of EYFS.