For the staffroom
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Inside a faith 

We invited members of different communities to share their ideas about the theme of REToday for this term, and the following pages give their views. You could use these questions with senior students in your school as...

Opinion
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Hidden Heritage: religion hiding in plain sight 

Fatima Manji is a journalist for Channel 4 News. Her recent book Hidden Heritage (Chatto
and Windus 2021, paperback edition available from August 2022) explores the often-missed presence of stories of migration,...

For the classroom 5-11
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Why aren’t there dinosaurs in the Bible? If God made everything, who made God?

Creation, environment, faith and science: planning for better RE with bigger ideas and diverse opinions.

For the classroom 7-16
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Ten fine ways to use visual images of Islam in the RE classroom

These strategies can apply to any images within the RE classroom, including images of Islam such as we have been developing for publication in the new RE Today pack ‘Picturing Islam, Picturing Muslims.’ The...

For the classroom 5-11
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The important thing is … Using Poetry to get to the heart of things in RE

Recently, I was introduced to a wonderful children’s poetry book (via the ‘if you liked this book, you might like this’ online shop approach that I fall for more often than I should!). I was initially drawn to its...
For the staffroom
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The wisdom of inclusion: Stonewall and faith

Stonewall campaigns for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. We interviewed chief executive Ruth Hunt to find out why the charity is focusing on faith and LGBT issues this year. Religions in...
For the classroom 14-19
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Students and teachers praise year of God and the Big Bang

‘The most logical and honest discussion about science and faith I have ever heard.’ So said one sixth former following a day conference encouraging GCSE and A-level students to explore the relationship between...
For the classroom 7-16
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Should Muslim pupils fast during exams?

Zameer Hussain wanted his pupils to think about the wisdom of flexibility in religions. You can follow his example for learning about Ramadan, which this year is likely to be between 6 June and 4 July. Critical...
For the staffroom
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What does your faith say about the Devil?

We invited members of different faiths and beliefs to consider the nature of evil from their own point of view. Here are responses from a Buddhist, a Christian, a Pagan and a Sikh, all of whom are teachers. We used the...
For the classroom 5-11
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Teaching abstract concepts in primary school RE: faith

Anna Fane teaches at Nettleham Junior School in Lincolnshire. Here are her reflections on RE’s use of abstract concepts with 7–11 year olds. Teaching RE is just the best thing for me as a primary teacher: it’s...
Theory and practice
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Making a difference? Developing ‘Understanding Christianity

In May 2016, a substantial resource for teaching about Christianity was launched. Understanding Christianity: Text Impact Connections is currently being introduced to schools all over the UK. This fascinating article...
For the classroom 14-16
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A baby called Peace

Emma Harwood is an RE teacher and a Christian mother. She faced an agonising dilemma when she was pregnant in 2015. Generously, here she shares her experience to open up moral and spiritual questions about the...

For the classroom 4-11
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Using faith stories: ten great ideas

1. Shared stories, different meaning? When telling stories from a shared tradition, make sure you get it right. For example, Adam and Hawa (Eve) feature in the Qur’an, but Hawa does not tempt Adam to eat the fruit;...
For the classroom 4-11
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Exploring experiences of prayer inspired by different faith communities around the world

At St Joseph’s Catholic Primary, Shrewsbury, English, art and outdoor learning are combined with RE to offer children and parents different experiences of prayer. In the words of teacher Helen Thorpe, the school...
For the staffroom 14-19
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Faith in science? Faith in God?

This term’s theme is about the nature of faith and about the frontiers and borders between science and religions. We invited people from different religions and beliefs to contribute a personal perspective on the...

For the classroom 11-14
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Ten ideas for opening minds on science and faith

01Outdoor homework: night sky mysteriesFor a 14-minute homework task, pupils are asked to stand alone in the open air one night in the next week and look into the sky on a dark clear night for six minutes. They are asked...
Instant RE 7-11
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The beginning of creative discussion

It’s Friday afternoon. Outside it’s cold, with an occasional lightly falling drop of rain hinting at imminent snowy weather, just in time for the weekend. Excited children, full of anticipation for tobogganing and...

For the classroom 9-16
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The search for God

Martyn Joseph, singer songwriter, released ‘I Searched for You’ in 2015. We asked Martyn some questions about the song, and provide below some learning ideas about the search for God.

For the classroom 5-11
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‘Jesus has big shoulders’ asking the ‘Big Questions’ with songs

Stephen Fischbacher is a musician from Edinburgh with a large following wherever RE, music and Christianity intersect. We asked him what tunes up his guitar.