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Five years ago, today I started as Chief Executive of Culham St Gabriel’s Trust. I think because much of that time was impacted by Covid-19 it seems to have gone extremely quickly!!! As I think back over the last few years, I am particularly struck by the amazing people I work with on a day-to-day basis within our Culham St Gabriel’s team, but also more widely with an increasing number of stakeholders and partner organisations. Someone asked me the other day what I like most about my job. I truly said, ‘all of it’! However, the opportunity to bring about change and make a positive difference is what energises me each morning.

In the last few years Culham St Gabriel’s has refined its vision, but also broadened its reach. Many of you will know the Trust through our RE:ONLINE website, and five years ago this was probably the most important programme we ran. I still believe it is vital, but we have also developed new activities and reshaped existing programmes such as our four scholarships (Masters, Doctoral, CTeach, Leadership), RExChange and our e-learning platform. We have created a ‘family’ of grant-funded projects. We have launched campaigns relating to teacher recruitment, public perception and freedom of religion or belief. We are increasingly engaged in policy and advocacy work and are using our influence within the wider educational sector.

In light of this, we have decided to bring a little more coherency to our brand over the coming months. This means we can engage with a range of audiences more easily.

Firstly, we are going to use one logo for all our work, and programmes like RE:ONLINE and RExChange will use this logo too. We also have a new strapline ‘Championing religion and worldviews education’. This says very clearly what we are about!

You will notice that the @reonline_tweets handle is changing to @culhamstgabriel and that our Facebook page has also changed from RE:ONLINE to Culham St Gabriel’s. This aligns them with our Instagram and LinkedIn handles. Our newsletter will also soon be branded as Culham St Gabriel’s, rather than RE:ONLINE.

The RE:ONLINE website is getting a bit of a refresh so it looks and feels more like the Culham St Gabriel’s website. This will take place over the coming few months.

This week for me is a great example of how Culham St Gabriel’s is reaching into diverse spaces and where coherency of our brand vital. We met with school improvement leads at a Confederation of School Trusts conference, are attending a conference on The Bloom review One Year On, and then supporting the RE Council of England and Wales with the launch of the religion and worldviews approach handbook.

I hope over the next five years we can champion religion and worldviews education together.

Ofsted’s recently published Deep and Meaningful? The religious education subject report (2024) is a sobering read. However, there is hope.

Others have provided some helpful summaries[1] outlining Ofsted’s call for updated guidance from the DfE, the lack of depth and substance to the curriculum, over emphasis on teaching to an exam, long gaps between lessons and the need for subject specific professional development. The report foregrounds issues which those of us working directly in this field have raised for some time and have lobbied government about alongside our partners such as NATRE and the RE Council of England and Wales.

However, there is also hope. There are examples of effective practice where teachers are exemplifying scholarly and ambitious approaches to the subject. There are signs that some senior leaders are taking the subject very seriously despite the pressures on curriculum time, valuing its importance for young people in an increasingly complex world. In many ways this report is a call to action within educational establishments and a call for action by the current and future governments.

The recommendation that government should urgently update guidance reinforces the significance of the recently published National Content Standard for RE in England (RE Council 2023). As a charity which champions religion and worldviews education we have actively supported this publication and continue to lobby for its wider endorsement. In addition, we look forward to the publication by the RE Council in early May of a curriculum toolkit to support a religion and worldviews approach based on research and good practice.

Two of the factors which Ofsted highlight as contributing towards better quality RE are strong teacher subject knowledge and access to professional development. Culham St Gabriel’s provides freely accessible subject knowledge support through RE:ONLINE and our e-learning platform. Our varying scholarships, particularly our leadership programme exemplify the areas of professional development which Ofsted highlights- namely policy, curriculum subject knowledge, pedagogy and research. Some of our grant funded projects are also contributing to an understanding of assessment and curriculum breadth and depth.

At Cullham St Gabriel’s we will continue to do all we can to secure a religion and worldviews education which is deep and meaningful for all children and young people.

To find out more about our support for teachers:
Sign up to our newsletter
Check out our free e-learning courses
Find out more about our advocacy work

[1] see for example:

NATRE – OFSTED ‘Deep and Meaningful The Religious Education Subject Report April 2024’

RE Counci of England and Wales – Comment on Ofsted’s report on RE “Deep and meaningful? The religious education subject report” from RE Policy Unit.

Schools Week – Ofsted criticises ‘limited and poor quality’ RE lessons

Many of you will know that government funding for subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses for RE has been cut from 10^th April this year. In light of this a small group have got together to create a list of largely free alternatives that may be of interest to all ITT providers. We hope you find it helpful.

 

Developments at Culham St. Gabriel’s Trust

We are sure many of you will have noticed the recent changes within the staff team at Culham St Gabriel’s. In the last few months, we have welcomed Taylor as our Communications Officer, Liz as our Finance and Administration Officer, and most recently Julia as our Grants, Governance and Partnership Manager.

Today we are advertising one final new role, an Education and Programmes Manager. You can read more about this here. The changes to personnel structure, including this latest new role, will enable us to fulfil our strategy as effectively as possible, build capacity, support more teachers and be an even greater ambassador for religion and worldviews education.

However, this change also means that we will be saying goodbye to some of our consultants at the end of August as their work will be taken forward by the person who is appointed to this role. We want to say publicly that the work of our consultants has been of outstanding quality over the last few years. Each of them has contributed greatly to the work of the Trust and they have been a dedicated and creative team. We know that many of you have benefited from their expertise, advice and support. We plan to continue partnering with many of them in new ways over the coming years.

We plan to say a huge thank you to our consultants later this term.

Education and Programmes Manager

• Reports to: Chief Executive
• Hours of Work: Full Time, 35 hours a week
• Location: Home based, with once-a-month in person meetings
• Salary: £55,000
• Key Benefits: 10% employer pension contribution, Salary Sacrifice Scheme
• Holiday Entitlement: 25 days per annum, bank holidays and four discretionary days

Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) courses are indispensable in the realm of teacher education, especially in the preparation of teachers for intricate subjects like Religious Education (RE). The recent decision by the Department for Education (DfE) to withdraw funding from SKEs for RE has sparked significant concerns within the RE community. This decision, attributed to budget constraints and policy shifts within the DfE, was made without adequate notice, exacerbating apprehensions among training providers.

The ramifications of this decision are profound, particularly in the recruitment of RE trainee teachers. Despite efforts such as the introduction of an Initial Teacher Training (ITT) bursary to stimulate RE recruitment, projections indicate that recruitment will still fall short of targets. The DfE’s stance on prioritizing funding for subjects facing significant recruitment challenges, such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, computing, and languages, disregards the persistent under-recruitment in RE over the past decade. RE attracts candidates from diverse backgrounds, enriching the teaching landscape, but this diversity underscores the crucial role of SKE courses in ensuring a versatile and well-prepared teaching workforce. The future of RE teacher training now hangs precariously in the balance.

Critiques of the DfE’s justifications are warranted. The assertion that the number of RE trainees engaging with SKEs is relatively small belies its significance, as it constitutes 30% of the current training cohort, without which the subject would be in a considerably worse position. Additionally, the claim that RE SKEs account for only 3% of the overall SKE budget overlooks their vital contribution to RE training and any reasoning behind cost saving. Suggestions that trainees can supplement their knowledge post-ITT using generic resources contradict the imperative of high-quality specialist subject knowledge and training advocated by Ofsted. Moreover, the persistence of non-specialist teachers teaching RE underscores the inadequacy of such justifications.

The importance of SKE courses is exemplified by individuals like Syara Bano, a former Edge Hill University PGCE trainee, whose valuable RE teaching career continues to thrive thanks to the SKE boost. Her testimony underscores the invaluable role of SKE courses in shaping proficient RE teachers: https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/person/syara-bano/student/

It is imperative that the current and future governments address these concerns and reinstate funding for RE SKE courses to ensure the continued excellence of RE teacher training.

As we come to the end of 2023, I thought I’d reflect in a seasonal way on our last year….

On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me a CRM system created by Tracey

On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me four Board meetings, three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me five funding awards, four Board meetings, three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me six e-learning courses, five funding awards, four Board meetings, three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me seven conferences attended, six e-learning courses, five funding awards, four Board meetings, three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the eight day of Christmas my true love sent to me eight new connections and partnerships, seven conferences attended, six e-learning courses, five funding awards, four Board meetings, three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the nineth day of Christmas my true love sent to me nine (hundred) online meetings, eight new connections and partnerships, seven conferences attended, six e-learning courses, five funding awards, four Board meetings, three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me ten research of the months, nine (hundred) online meetings, eight new connections and partnerships, seven conferences attended, six e-learning courses, five funding awards, four Board meetings, three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me eleven masters and leadership scholars, ten research of the months, nine (hundred) online meetings, eight new connections and partnerships, seven conferences attended, six e-learning courses, five funding awards, four Board meetings, three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me twelve recommendations of the National Content Standard, eleven masters’ and leadership scholars, ten research of the months, nine (hundred) online meetings, eight new connections and partnerships, seven conferences attended, six e-learning courses, five funding awards, four Board meetings, three doctoral scholarships, two new members of staff and a CRM system created by Tracey.

Have a great festive season, however and whatever you may be celebrating! We look forward to working with and supporting you in the New Year.

Kathryn Wright
CEO, CSTG

Please note: Numbers do not necessarily equate to reality except in some cases!!!!!!

The latest official government statistics released today show that ITT recruitment for 2023 entrants was only 44% of the target for secondary religious education beginner teachers. This equates to 285 new entrants into the profession, with a target of 655. This is well below the average for all subjects and phases (62%), and below the overall secondary subject average of £50%. Whilst the target had increased significantly from previous years (from 450 to 655), this is a very worrying picture. Under-recruitment over many years has led to 51% of RE lessons in secondary schools being taught by non-specialist teachers, with pupils now three times more likely to be taught Religious Education by someone with no qualification in the subject.

Without well qualified teachers of the subject, the drive to improve standards as highlighted in the of the recent Ofsted Annual Review (2022-23) will be even more of a challenge. In the absence of consistently high-quality RE, our children miss out on an essential opportunity to learn knowledge and skills that will equip them to create harmonious and cohesive workplaces and communities, especially in the context of a diversifying and globalised world.

Whilst Culham St Gabriel’s Trust welcomes the reintroduction of a bursary for those training to teach from September 2024, this is not enough to resolve the ongoing recruitment issues from previous years. Culham St Gabriel’s has long been an advocate and supporter of initial teacher education both in the primary and secondary phase. Empowering highly skilled and well-informed teachers of religious education/religion and worldviews is a core part of our mission. The Trust will continue to promote teaching of the subject through its campaigning work, and resourcing of the profession. We will continue to lobby for further government funding and support for the recruitment of teachers and ongoing professional development for the increasing number of teachers who are called upon to teach religious education without a qualification in the subject. Urgent action is needed.

For detailed information about the Initial Teacher Training Census see: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/initial-teacher-training-census

“RE in schools is generally of poor quality” and “as a subject on the curriculum, it is under-valued” says the Chief Inspector of Ofsted, Amanda Spielman, in her annual report.

Whilst these statements from the Chief Inspector are sobering, Culham St Gabriel’s Trust are pleased to see Ofsted identifying barriers to better RE and how the lack of clarity and support from government is making improvements within the subject much more difficult.

The report presents a list of challenges for Religious Education in schools:
• Many schools are failing to meet the statutory requirement to teach RE to all pupils in all year groups;
• pupils not being taught enough substance to prepare them to engage in a complex, multi-religious and multi-secular society,
• non-examination provision typically not being of high quality;
• schools not teaching topics in the RE curriculum deeply enough for pupils to develop a substantial understanding of the subject matter.

Ofsted have called on the government to provide “clear expectations about RE provision in schools. Schools should follow these. Current non-statutory guidance for RE should be updated and include clear information for schools about the breadth and depth of the syllabus they are expected to teach”.

One of the Trust’s recently revised strategic objectives is to influence English government’s policies in supporting a high-quality education in religion and worldviews. Although the publishing of a National Content Standard for RE in England by the Religious Education of England and Wales has acted as one step towards this, Ofsted’s report has further confirmed our decision as a Trust to advocate even more strongly for clear expectations in all schools. We will continue to strive for a broad-based, critical and reflective education in religion and worldviews contributing to a well-informed, respectful, and open society. We hope you will partner with us as we continue to work towards this.

Kathryn Wright
CEO, on behalf of the Trust

To read the Ofsted Report 2022/23 in full, please see here.

At Culham St Gabriel’s we award project grants up to £30K. We welcome applications for small, new innovative projects or seed-corn funding; as well as applications for larger research projects or initiatives which support the Trust’s vision and strategic goals.

Within our applications, we look for a clear theory of change: What is the issue, why is it an issue, how will you try and change or improve the situation, what change will you bring about, what impact will it have, how will you evaluate the impact…

One particular theme that was popular amongst applicants was interfaith dialogue, and the need for supporting/building on deeper literacy of religious traditions.

In celebration of InterFaith Week, we would like to highlight our grant funded projects who have/are contributing to the strengthening of good inter faith relations at all levels…