The Annual Report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools 2004/05 The Annual 
Report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools 2004/05Annual Report 
  Summary of Annual Report School subject reports Curriculum area reports 
  Summary tables Summary charts Primary schools 
  Secondary schools 
    Art and design in secondary schools 
    Business education in secondary schools 
    Citizenship in secondary schools 
    Design and technology in secondary schools 
    English in secondary schools 
    Geography in secondary schools 
    History in secondary schools 
    Information and communication technology in secondary schools 
    Mathematics in secondary schools 
    Modern foreign languages in secondary schools 
    Music in secondary schools 
    Personal, social and health education in secondary schools 
    Physical education in secondary schools 
    Religious education in secondary schools 
    Science in secondary schools 
Religious education in secondary schools
This report on secondary religious education (RE) is the last in the series 
published by Ofsted over several years, based on evidence from whole-school 
inspections and surveys by Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI). It draws on data from 
Ofsted inspections from September 2003 to April 2005. The report also reflects 
upon changes since Ofsted inspections began, referring to subject issues 
identified in Secondary education 1993-97: a review of secondary schools in 
England and inspection judgements from 1998/99.1 From September 2005, subject 
evidence will be gained from qualitative inspections of a small sample of 
schools, and future methods of reporting will reflect this change. 
Main findings
  GCSE, AS and A-level entries have continued to rise since 1998 and standards 
  have continued to rise steadily. 
  Pupils' achievement is good in nearly three schools in five; it is 
  unsatisfactory in nearly one school in six. 
  Boys' achievement is significantly lower than that of girls. 
  Teaching is good in two thirds of schools, and at Key Stage 4 where RE is one 
  of the most improved subjects, it is very good in a quarter of schools. 
  RE is particularly successful in post-16 courses where teaching is good in 
  over nine schools in ten, making RE the subject with the most very good 
  teaching. 
  RE makes a considerably better contribution to pupils' spiritual, moral, 
  social and cultural development than any other subject. 
  Further progress in the overall quality of RE provision is hampered by the 
  shortage of specialist teachers. 
  Persistent weaknesses remain in assessment and in the leadership and 
  management of the subject. 
Overview and trends in secondary RE since 1997
Figures 1-3 show the improvements in pupils' achievement, the quality of 
teaching, and subject leadership and management since 1997. 
Figure 1. Achievement in RE in secondary schools - 2003-05 and 1998/99.
 
Figure 2. Teaching in RE in secondary schools - 2003-05 and 1998/99.
 
Figure 3. Leadership and management in RE in secondary schools - 2003-05 and 
1998/99.
 
Figure 4 shows changes in the proportions of pupils achieving higher grades in 
GCSE examinations. 
Figure 4. Religious studies/education: percentage of pupils achieving A*-C 
grades at GCSE.
 
The review of secondary schools in 1993-97 painted a gloomy picture of RE as 
'one of the weakest subjects' of the curriculum. In 2005, RE no longer stands 
out as a subject giving cause for concern in terms of teaching, learning and 
achievement. At Key Stages 3 and 4 one in five schools have raised pupils' 
achievement from satisfactory to good and at Key Stage 4 RE is the third most 
improved subject in terms of teaching and learning. On post-16 courses, RE 
stands out not only as the most improved subject, but that in which teaching and 
learning outstrip all others. 
Where the agreed syllabus for Key Stage 3 has been made more relevant to the 
interests of young people, their achievement has improved. These syllabi have 
shifted the focus of programmes of study from knowledge of the outward phenomena 
of religions to a broader understanding of beliefs and the impact of religion on 
people's lives and society. This move in syllabus content from, for example, 
festivals, rites of passage and religious buildings to issues such as the 
existence of God, life after death and the problem of suffering, has facilitated 
the development of a wide range of skills and more challenging activities. 
Pupils' higher achievement is characterised by improved skills in critical 
thinking and discussion, for example by analysing and evaluating moral and 
theological issues, arguing their own position and analysing the flaws in 
opposing points of view. These developments have particularly enhanced the 
achievement of higher-attaining pupils, whose learning was previously depressed 
because of low expectations. But lower-attaining pupils also benefit because the 
exploration of these issues offers more opportunities to demonstrate achievement 
orally than some more traditional Key Stage 3 content. 
There have also been significant improvements at Key Stage 4, which reflect 
changes in provision since 1997. In 1997 the lowest standards were found where 
RE was taught within personal and social education (PSE) programmes, thus 
failing to provide sufficient time for the agreed syllabus to be taught. The 
increasing take-up of RE as a GCSE subject has left a minority of schools 
teaching RE within PSE. The motivation of gaining a qualification and the 
intrinsic interest of many examination courses has led to a major improvement to 
pupils' attitudes at Key Stage 4. Nearly 20,000 more pupils now take the 
full-course GCSE, while numbers entering for the short course have more than 
tripled. In turn, this has affected A-level entries, which have increased by 
well over 3,000. However, girls still outnumber boys in entering examinations 
and, in all examinations except AS, girls outperform boys. 
These developments would not have been possible had not RE teaching also 
improved, and this can, to some extent, be linked to the Key Stage 3 Strategy. 
This has helped to transform tedious, didactic, teacher-led lessons to 
three-part lessons which, at best, have clear learning objectives, appropriate 
tasks that enable pupils to achieve to their potential and a plenary to 
reinforce and assess learning. 
RE has also been revitalised where teachers are skilled and imaginative users of 
information and communication technology (ICT), something almost unknown in 
1997. The use of computers does not in itself transform a lesson: the teachers 
who use ICT most successfully are those who already establish clear learning 
objectives for lessons and have a well-honed sense of 'fitness for purpose' when 
using resources or setting tasks and activities. Some of the most effective 
applications of computers to extend pupils' learning result from the use of a 
single computer and projector to produce large-screen displays. These are used 
particularly effectively with generic programmes such as those designed for 
mind-mapping, which develop pupils' thinking skills. Pupils are also 
increasingly using presentation software effectively to select and summarise key 
points and to bring together visual, audio and written stimuli to create 
informative and interpretative presentations. The internet, too, can be an 
effective tool when used with caution. 
RE makes a very significant contribution to pupils' spiritual, moral, social and 
cultural development and this is manifested, for example, in pupils' attitudes 
to other religions, races and cultures. In effective lessons, teachers ensure 
that pupils do not just learn 'about' issues such as prejudice and 
discrimination, but also think about the implications for their own values and 
society generally. Where RE is taught well, pupils recognise its importance in 
developing respect for all: from the outset in Year 7, they are encouraged to 
have respectful attitudes towards one another, listen to the views of others and 
respect the material with which they are engaging, and they recognise teachers 
as models of the attitudes they are encouraged to develop. 
In spite of these significant overall improvements, some relative weaknesses of 
RE remain the same as in 1997. Assessment, although improved, remains weaker in 
RE than in all other subjects. There continues to be a serious shortage of 
subject specialists. Leadership and management remain weak compared with most 
subjects. If the trend of improvement is to continue, RE must be subject to the 
same levels of scrutiny and the same high expectations as other subjects. 
Issues in secondary RE in 2005 
Resolving teaching and learning issues 
Ofsted reports have frequently highlighted the unsatisfactory quality of 
assessment in RE, but despite exhortation and advice, the improvement since 1997 
has been only modest: assessment is effective in just two fifths of schools, 
compared with three fifths history, which is often taught in the same faculty. 
The situation is often blamed on the high ratio of pupils to teachers in RE, 
which makes it difficult for teachers to know individuals or mark their work, 
but this is not the only explanation. 
What are the barriers to improvement that have proved to be so intractable? The 
starting point, found in the majority of schools, is the neglect of transfer 
information in Year 7. Although secondary schools rarely receive information 
about pupils' performance in RE from primary schools, it is not difficult to 
draw conclusions about the general ability of Year 7 pupils from Key Stage 2 
test results and to provide for them accordingly. Yet even when the data is made 
available, it is rarely used and many Year 7 pupils start as they are destined 
to continue - in mixed-ability groups where teaching methods, the allocation of 
resources and task-setting make the same provision for all, regardless of 
attainment levels. In a quarter of schools this process of targeting at the 
middle continues throughout Key Stage 3, making little or no use of assessment 
information to plan work to meet pupils' needs or to give them help on what they 
have to do to improve. 
One development that should have made a significant difference to the quality of 
assessment was the adoption by most agreed syllabi of an eight-level scale, 
based on the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) model. This provides 
teachers with clear benchmarks for standards, and shows what each group of 
pupils has to do to improve. However, not all RE departments use level 
descriptions as criteria for assessing pupils' work, which is a disturbing fact, 
especially given that using levels is a requirement of trainees working for 
qualified teacher status (QTS). Additionally, even where levels are used for 
assessment, too often teachers require very able pupils to complete work at a 
level below their ability before setting 'extension work', rather than setting 
appropriately challenging work from the beginning of the lesson. 
Assessment has been the focus of training, including an Ofsted conference in 
2002, numerous papers on the Ofsted website and in professional journals and 
advice from the QCA.2 Therefore, the case has been made and good practice 
exemplified. For this to be taken forward, it requires impetus at school level: 
where either a head of faculty or a link senior manager has required improvement 
by insisting that assessment be named as a priority in the RE department's 
development plan, then improvement has followed through a range of initiatives. 
These include: 
    developing a sensible and manageable assessment strategy that is based on 
    the school policy 
    developing a clear understanding of the standards that should be achieved by 
    the majority of pupils in each year group and by the least and most able, 
    based on level descriptions in the agreed syllabus 
    where an agreed syllabus does not include levels, referring to those 
    produced by QCA in Curriculum 2000 
    displaying 'pupil-friendly' versions of level descriptions which help pupils 
    understand what they have to do to improve their performance in RE 
    displaying level descriptions alongside annotated examples of pupils' work 
    to help pupils and teachers understand what is required 
    moderating different teachers' assessments and/or developing portfolios of 
    pupils' marked work as a means of establishing a shared understanding of 
    standards 
    coping with the demands of marking by sampling pupils' work, writing 
    constructive, formative comments to help them improve their performance, 
    drawing conclusions about what pupils of different abilities find easy or 
    difficult and how teaching methods, tasks and resources might be adapted 
    better to meet the needs of all pupils 
    setting targets for different groups of pupils to help them make further 
    progress. 
Improving the leadership and management of RE 
Improving assessment is only one of many management issues that need to be 
addressed in RE. Other day-to-day management responsibilities that are crucial 
to the overall improvement of RE include policy creation, planning, acquiring 
resources that will inspire all and promote the achievement of different groups 
of pupils, and monitoring the quality of provision throughout the department. In 
all of these areas except planning, RE is one of the weakest subjects in the 
curriculum. 
Although leadership and management in RE are good in about three fifths of 
schools, they are unsatisfactory in over one in six, and over one fifth of 
departments have made insufficient improvement since their previous inspection. 
Where subject leadership is weak, this is reflected in poor planning, in the use 
of inappropriate teaching methods, in the low expectations of teachers, and in 
poor assessment. These weaknesses often persist because they have continued 
undetected and uncorrected by senior staff, reflecting their low commitment to 
the development of RE. Weak leadership and management deprive RE classroom 
teachers of opportunities to improve and develop their expertise. In one fifth 
of schools there is inadequate monitoring and evaluation of either RE teaching 
or of the subject's performance. In such cases, where there are weaknesses, no 
effective action is taken and the school's targets for RE are not met. 
Small departments, especially departments of one person, face particular 
difficulties. These can be overcome where senior managers monitor performance, 
sampling pupils' work for quality assurance purposes and comparing it with 
standards in similar subjects. They should set targets to raise standards and 
these must be integral to performance review and departmental development plans. 
Where problems are identified, such as the underachievement of higher- and 
lower-attaining pupils, then action should be taken, backed by senior management 
authority and supported by the necessary resources. 
Managing more effectively the contribution of non-specialist teachers 
The greatest challenge to heads of RE and school managers is staffing. There are 
more non-specialist teachers in RE than in any other subject except citizenship. 
Although staffing is good in half of schools, it is unsatisfactory in one sixth, 
and in these schools teaching and learning are generally significantly weaker 
than in schools with specialist staff: generally at least a grade lower than for 
subject specialists in the same school. 
Most of the weaknesses in non-specialist teachers' teaching are caused by poor 
subject knowledge, so that they work 'one lesson ahead' of the classes they 
teach. This leaves them unable to answer pupils' questions that require 
knowledge beyond the limits of the lesson in hand. Most non-specialists feel 
more confident in their knowledge of religious phenomena than theology, 
philosophy and ethics, which are seen as complex, controversial and to be 
avoided, and this limits their ability to engage pupils in some of the most 
interesting aspects of the subject. 
Equally serious is teachers' lack of knowledge about the purposes, aims and most 
appropriate pedagogies for the subject. In particular, many non-specialist 
teachers are not confident with questioning and discussion and so devise 
strategies to limit these opportunities by keeping a tight rein on lessons, 
making lengthy inputs and keeping pupils busy with written work. 
In most schools, the use of non-specialists for RE teaching is inevitable. Too 
often, however, support for non-specialist teachers involves little beyond 
talking through the schemes of work and providing lesson plans and resources. 
Many non-specialists rely for their subject knowledge on school textbooks that 
are pitched too low and too often present stereotypical or inaccurate 
information about religions. 
Yet, when managed well, non-specialists can become a strength, for teachers of 
other National Curriculum subjects can bring to the department much-needed 
expertise in matters such as assessment. In the best cases non-specialists 
become confident enough to produce their own resources and activities and add 
them to the department's collection. 
Schools that are most successful in the deployment of non-specialists ensure 
that a few (one or two) are deployed to teach all the classes not taught by a 
specialist and that the same teachers are deployed from year to year, providing 
continuity of experience. Particularly effective is the practice of giving 
non-specialists a single year group to teach, allowing them to become familiar 
and confident with a limited section of the syllabus. Where there is appropriate 
training and the necessary resources, non-specialist teachers can become 
effective in teaching the self-contained GCSE course. Where classes are blocked 
for the short course, a few schools have made creative use of a variety of 
teachers to research and teach an aspect of the course related to their 
specialisms, such as religion and art, religion and the media, or religion and 
science. 
A growing number of schools with a single specialist RE teacher facilitate the 
training of a permanent small group of non-specialists who have extended their 
knowledge and expertise to become effective RE teachers. They become de facto 
specialists, teaching up to A level and becoming heads of department. These 
teachers are vital recruits to a subject that suffers serious teacher shortages. 
For this to happen, the placement of non-specialists has to be given some 
priority in the timetabling process. This rarely happens and all too often 
teachers are deployed unwillingly, with little notice and no training. If there 
is no increase in the number of RE teachers emerging from initial teacher 
training, schools must look to retraining teachers with other subject 
specialisms in order to find good RE teachers. 
Raising the achievement of boys
In the course of a recent HMI survey, boys were asked what aspects of RE they 
found most and least interesting and difficult. The most striking observation of 
their responses was their focus on teaching and learning rather than content. In 
the majority of schools in the survey, boys' attitudes to RE were generally 
positive. They were very clear about the subject matter that interested them 
most. At the top of the list were ethical and philosophical issues and the 
opportunity to learn about different points of view. Key Stage 3 boys enjoyed 
finding out how different people live, what they believe and the rules they live 
by. In particular, they welcomed learning about religions that were new to them, 
notably Buddhism, which is rarely taught in primary schools. 
Specific learning activities were more likely to engage boys than content. 
Discussion was rated highly as a means of consolidating and developing their own 
views by learning from the views of others in the class. They enjoyed debating 
and were interested to discover the extent to which opinions varied among their 
classmates. In most schools boys said that they had more opportunities for 
discussion in RE than any other subject, and this contributed to their growing 
understanding that there are often no right answers and their growing acceptance 
of the views of others. 
Films and videos were generally more popular than books as stimuli for learning, 
not because they were seen as an easy option but because they were easier to 
remember. Boys were particularly appreciative of visual material that made RE 
fun, such as TV programmes The vicar of Dibley and The Simpsons, particularly 
the episode 'Bart loses his soul'. Equally popular, but less frequent, were 
visits to places of worship and opportunities to engage in discussion with 
members of different faiths. 
Other popular stimuli for learning included drama, role play and the use of ICT 
and games. Adaptations of board games such as 'Trivial Pursuit' and popular TV 
shows such as Who wants to be a millionaire, The weakest link and University 
challenge were seen as successful learning reinforcements, especially when used 
as starters or plenaries or in revision lessons. 
In terms of everyday classroom practice, boys welcomed variety in teaching, 
opportunities to ask questions, group and paired work with friends, and the 
chance to have some choice of work. 
Boys were least interested in RE when lessons were dominated by didactic 
teaching, comprehension tasks and 'endless drawing'. Other complaints were about 
teachers who made no effort to make the subject relevant, interesting or 
challenging. In some schools boys were critical of the repetitive nature of RE. 
This was in the context of schemes of work that included the same topics but 
applied to different religions in every year of Key Stage 3. 
What can RE teachers learn from this? Apart from taking seriously these 
opinions, which represent the views of boys in nearly 20 schools across the 
country, teachers should recognise the need to take seriously their pupils' 
evaluations of lessons. This shows it is possible to uncover highly significant 
data by the relatively simple procedure of talking to pupils, a task more easily 
accomplished by teachers. Only a minority of boys were opposed to RE in 
principle. Where they had a complaint it was about the quality of teaching. 
1 Secondary education 1993-97: a review of secondary schools in England, TSO, 
1998. 
2 For example, 'Good Assessment Practice I Religious Education' .2003, Ofsted. 
www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications 
QCA annual reports on curriculum and assessment in RE. www.qca.org.uk 
Fancourt, N. (2005) 'Challenges for self-assessment in religious education'. 
British Journal of Religious Education, 27,2. (This article includes a useful 
bibliography).