Age Related Standards (3-19) in Religious Education

1. Age Related Standards (3-19) in Religious Education Training for primary schools

2. Timetable for the day 10.00- 10.15 Prayer, Welcome and Introductions 10.15- 10.30 The new Age-Related Standards, context and overview 10.30- 11.00 Familiarisation with the document and feedback 11.00- 12.00 Making Judgements- using the document in practice 12.00- 12.45 Lunch 12.45- 1.00 Transferring standards into data. 1.30- 2.30 Working with colleagues from this year’s pilot. 2.30- 3.00 Next steps- whole group discussion/Action Planning 3.00 Prayer and depart.

3. Age Related Standards(3-19) in Religious Education • The Standards document is an evolution of the Levels of Attainment in Religious Education. • The survey in 2016 made it clear that schools wanted an assessment tool that allowed for greater parity with other subjects in the curriculum. • However, they also did not want to lose the driver words and attainment targets they had been using thus far. • It was also important to secondary schools that the new standards document was a clear progression towards GCSE and A Level.

4. Age Related Standards(3-19) in Religious Education • Piloted in the Autumn and Spring terms of the Academic year 2017-2018 by a selection of schools from across England. The report following the feedback from this pilot is available separately, but it makes clear that while Standards represents a welcome step forward for schools, there is still work to be done in order for it to fully equip schools in their task of assisting pupils to make progress in Religious Education at all phases and stages of education. Schools would like: • end of year expectations, rather than end of phase ones; • annotated examples of pupil and student that exemplify each Age-Related Standard; • an indication of how Standards is to be used to measure progress for data tracking purposes and to give feedback to pupils: something like the performance scales Primary schools use in reporting progress against age-related expectations in the other core curriculum subjects; • in secondary schools, an indication of how the Standards relate to the GCSE grades at the end of KS4

5. Next Steps ( the national picture) • To respond to these needs, the working party will continue to meet to progress this work throughout the Academic Year 2018-2019. • In addition, the Bishops of the Department of Catholic Education and Formation have commissioned a third edition of the Religious Education Curriculum Directory that will bring the full revision of both the curriculum and standards to its completion. • The expected publication for this final document, containing both age-related content and skills, is expected to be published in September 2020. • In the interim period, dioceses may continue to use the historical Levels of Attainment in Religious Education. However, the Department has also given permission for dioceses and schools to use the new interim Age-Related Standards (3-19) in Religious Education contained in this document.

6. Next Steps ( Diocesan picture) • Last year we invited primary schools to pilot the new materials. • In total 46 schools joined the pilot • They have all engaged in the Framework in a range of different ways • The decision was taken to move ALL schools to the Age Related Framework from September 2019 for consistency across the diocese and within clusters.

7. Evolution of Attainment Targets Learning about, learning from, analysis and evaluation

8. Evolution of Attainment Targets • The two old ATs have not been lost – there are still “learning about” and “learning from” descriptors in the new tool. AT 2 AT 1

9. Evolution of Attainment Targets • However a new discreet skills strand has been added: Analysis and Evaluation. AT 3 AT 2 AT 1 • This has been added partly because, in secondary school, the ability to analyse and evaluate is an essential skill at both GCSE and A Level • Also, it is arguably a skill that can be developed from the beginning of Religious Education learning and so constitutes a part of the new standards document for Primary schools also

10. Evolution of driver words The emergence of “sub-skills”

11. Evolution of driver words • You will see that the driver words have been maintained in the end of phase descriptions: “make links”; “show understanding” etc • But these have been removed from content specific strands and have become discreet “sub-skills” as can be seen in the first column of the new document…

12. Evolution of driver words • “Learning about” sub-skills: • Developing knowledge and understanding • Making links and connections • Understanding historical development • Using specialist vocabulary • “Learning from” sub-skills: • Engaging with questions of meaning and purpose • Engaging with questions of beliefs and values • Understanding personal context • Reflection and contemplation • “Analysis and Evaluation” sub-skills: • Using sources as evidence • Constructing arguments • Making judgements, justifying conclusions • Understanding diversity • Analysis and deconstruction

13. Phase progression Ensuring progression from each phase to the next

14. End of phase Standards

15. Phase progression: significance of blank boxes • In some portions of the Primary standards descriptor grid, there are blank boxes. • This indicates that this “sub-skill” is not expected in this phase of a pupil’s development.

16. Skills document and Glossary • In addition to the Standards grid itself, there is a Skills Guide and a Glossary. The Skills Guide gives some explanation of what is meant by each of the ‘skill’ verbs and verb phrases to assist teachers in knowing what to plan for in learning. The Glossary gives provides definitions for key vocabulary contained within the descriptor grid itself.

17. Time to work together! Having had a whistle stop tour through the document: • Working in pairs take time to study the document in more depth • Identify familiar language • Identify any significant changes • How might you start to introduce this new terminology within your school/cluster? • Feedback/Questions

19. Year 5 Make Links and Give Reasons Year 4 OU R STORY Year 3 Year 2 Describe and Ask Year 1 T H E S T O R Y Recognise and Talk About Nursery & Reception

20. Age Related Standards with questions. • Takes format from the previous ‘Levels with questions’ sheets. • Explanation column draws on definitions from the Skills Guide and Glossary. • Blank column inserted for teachers to add their own context ie: the lessons/ topics being taught. • Suggested questions to support teachers in planning and teaching.

21. Mastery/Greater Depth Nottingham Diocese Effective measures in terms of feedback between pupil and teacher. • ‘Heart moments’ • Give pupils a Heart shape to reinforce ways in which they can ‘live out’ the Scripture they have been using. • Incorporated within a lesson - pupils reflect on how they might ‘live out’ the theme of / messages within the scripture at home, school and parish. • Feedback on work – the heart shape as an invitation for the pupil to respond on ways they can ‘live out’ the message. • Wonder cloud / bubble • One per topic within their books • Pupils’ record any key words / reflections within this bubble – often the things that have been expressed orally and often not recorded. • Cloud shape can also be used as an invitation for pupils to record further aspects they wonder about –   • Provide a cloud template for the pupil to record their thoughts and reflections.

22. Making judgements Using the Standards to support assessment

23. How to use Age-Related Standards (3-19) in Religious Education • It is very important to stress that this interim document does not function in the same way as the previous Levels document did. • Levels was used to effectively “grade” students in all year groups, using the language of levels to report on progress and to assist pupils in making the next steps in their learning. In theory, all Levels were potentially accessible to all pupils in all year groups. • Following the direction of travel of the other core-curriculum subjects, the Standards are descriptions of what pupils at different ages are expected to be able to achieve by the end of that age-related phase. They are prescriptive, not diagnostic; they are not ways of measuring achievement, but rather a description of what is expected of almost all pupils by the time they reach the end of a particular age phase.

24. The standards show the END OF PHASE expected standards from EYFS to ‘A’ Level. • The standards framework focuses on key Religious Education skills. • The framework does not cover all the content of Religious Education Curriculum Directory or any one scheme of work. • Pupils meeting the different standards within the framework will have a broader range of knowledge and skills than those being assessed against in the framework. • We should continue to report to parents on the broader range of Knowledge and Skills. • The Standards are not a formative assessment tool: they are not intended to guide individual programmes of study, classroom practice or methodology. • At the end of the year and phase teachers should make a judgement against the Standards based on their own assessments of pupils’ work.

25. Making judgements • Teachers need to base their judgement on a broad range of evidence, which will come from day-to-day work in the classroom. This could include Religious Education work evidenced in other areas of the curriculum. • Teachers may also consider a single example of a pupil’s work to provide evidence for multiple statements.

26. Phases or year groups? • The intention of the original document was that schools should work across phases, however many teachers want end of year statements. • A number of diocese have broken the statements down into age groups. Schools on the pilot in Lancaster have done both. • There are examples on the websites of some Diocesan Education Services such as Arundel and Brighton and Liverpool

29. Moderation • Moderation is a crucial part of teacher assessment. It allows teachers to benchmark their judgements, while helping to ensure that standards are consistent, and outcomes are reliable. • Schools should ensure that their teacher assessment judgements are moderated internally through Staff meetings, with the Religious Education Subject Leader and, where possible, with other schools in their cluster groups or cluster of schools. This will quality-assure their judgements and provide a valuable opportunity for professional development. • Schools will be required to provide evidence of their moderation for monitoring visits and Section 48 Inspections. This validates judgements to ensure that they are consistent with local and national standards. It is a collaborative process between schools, Diocesan and National moderation.

30. Exemplar Template for moderation

31. Time to work together! • In Lancaster Diocese we allow schools to use a number of schemes of work either individually or in conjunction with several. • We also strongly encourage schools to continue to use the Diocese of Lancaster RE Framework ( the wheels) to plan coverage. • Up till now it was also essential that the Levels of Attainment were then used to measure progress and attainment. • Working in your cluster groups now take time to discuss and consider: • How will you link the new Standards document to your current models of assessment? • End of phase or end of year statements? • How will you adapt your current curriculum overview? • How will this impact on planning?

33. Transferring Standards into Data • Use the same system that you are expected to use for your other subjects, such as Maths and English. • Use the same terminology • Use the same methods for collecting data • Remember it is not a checklist • The most important part of collecting data is… • WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH THE DATA YOU HAVE COLLECTED? • Closing the gap – between data and planning

37. Three way assessment • Initials of children across the top • Standards on left hand side • Terms 1, 2 and 3 for each child

38. Educater

39. Working with colleagues already with experience- Speed dating model! • Welcome to colleagues from schools who have already worked with the new Framework since the start of the academic year. • Ask them anything you like!

40. Next steps • All training materials from today will be sent electronically after today to schools. • Discuss back at school how the ARSF will be implemented in your school • There will be no moderation against Levels of Attainment in the future. All judgements will be made against ARSF. • If schools are inspected under S48 in the coming year they should retain all evidence of moderation using levels including external moderation sheets from Whoop Hall. Inspectors will take into consideration that schools are working to a new system. • Schools should make their own arrangements to cluster with schools for moderation from September 2019. • Continue to support one another in developing a system that works for your school

41. Proverbs 22:6  “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”

42. Let us pray: Lord, bless our school, That working together and playing together, We learn to serve you And to serve one another Amen.