RW Assessment

Assessment, achievement and attainment in RE

Schools in the Diocese are expected to follow the Agreed Syllabus for Devon, Torbay and Plymouth. The syllabus document specifies (pp.126-134), for each key stage, what pupils are expected to know, understand and apply with regard to the concepts, skills and processes specified in the relevant Programme of Study. The expectation is that pupils’ achievements will be weighed up by teachers using criteria arising from the Programmes of Study. Assessment in the agreed syllabus is related to end of phase expectations.

• In RE, at 7, 11 and 14, pupils should show that they know, understand and apply the concepts, skills and processes specified in the Programmes of Study. In addition, the syllabus offers a mid-way marker for end of Year 4, age 9, to help show pupils’ progress through KS2.
• The end of phase outcomes are set out on pp.18-19 and repeated within each section of the syllabus. These allow teachers to see how they represent progress in relation to knowledge, understanding and skills. Within each unit outline, learning outcomes are presented that relate to the end-of-phase outcomes. Whilst the end of key stage outcomes are general, the unit learning outcomes are specifically related to the content (knowledge and skills) required to address the key question.
• The learning outcomes for each unit are expressed in relation to the three elements of the teaching and learning approach (making sense of beliefs, understanding the impact, making connections).
• Note that the spiral nature of the curriculum means that pupils will encounter some of the same concepts in different questions at different key stages. Exploring the same concepts again, from a different perspective and using different materials, is essential to support pupils’ ability to connect ideas and develop a coherent understanding of religion and belief, consolidating and embedding learning.