Religious Education ReviewOctober 2016

Introduction

'Religious Education in a Catholic school is the core of the core curriculum' (Pope St John Paul II)

At Cardinal Langley RC High School, Religious Education is not only at the core of the curriculum but physically at the heart of the building to symbolise the centrality of the subject in serving our mission to the Catholic community of Middleton. Placing RE at the core of the curriculum in Catholic schools helps the school to fulfil its mission to educate the whole person in discerning the meaning of their existence, since "Religious Education is concerned not only with intellectual knowledge but also includes emotional and affective learning. It is in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of what it is to be human truly becomes clear. Without religious education, students would be deprived of an essential element of their formation and personal development, which helps them attain a vital harmony between faith and culture." (Religious Education curriculum Directory). Furthermore, religiously literate children and young people are able to engage in a fully informed critique of all knowledge, "leading, for example, to an understanding of the relationship between science and religion or history, and between theology, sport and the human body." (Religious Education Curriculum Directory).

The school was inspected by Salford Diocese in 2012 and achieved an Overall Effectiveness grade of Good with Leadership & Management and Capacity for Sustained Improvement rated as Outstanding. The report also stated:

'The extent to which pupils contribute to, and benefit from, the Catholic life of the school is outstanding'

'The quality of the prayer life provided by the school is outstanding'

The Outcomes for Students were graded as Good in the last inspection, and since 2012, the quality of Religious Education has improved significantly with A*-C grades increasing from 44.1% in 2012 to 66.1% in 2016, and is now above the Salford Diocese average. Performance at A-level is Outstanding with the ALPS value added report grading RE as Band 2 and placing progress in the top 10% of schools nationally.

The subject area has gone through a period of significant change in the last four years and is now a beacon of excellence within the school. The new Subject Leader, Jack Tunnecliff, took up post in September 2016 with a new Assistant Subject Leader, Clare-Louise McCorriston, taking up post in September 2015. There are four other full time members of the department, including an Assistant Headteacher.

The strengths of the department are:- High quality teaching across the subject area Effective feedback which enables students to make rapid progress Strong relationships between teachers and students which values the unique abilities of every student Excellent outcomes at GCSE and A-level Strong commitment from all staff to the Catholic life of the school

The main priorities of the improvement plan are: Embed the new curriculum at GCSE and A-level Implement robust quality assurance processes to ensure all students have a high quality learning

experience Implement strategies to close achievement gaps, specifically by gender and disadvantage Prepare the department for the Diocesan inspection in Spring 2017

Leadership & Management

Religious Education, and the Catholic life of the school, are central to achieving the school mission and outstanding leadership at all levels is evident in the subject. Governors are well informed and actively support RE through regular link governor visits and attendance at whole school celebrations. The Headteacher is actively involved in the Rochdale RC Network, Diocesan Headteachers cluster, Lasallian schools group and is a member of the De La Salle Council for Formation and Mission. The subject is line managed by the Headteacher who works closely with local partner schools and more widely across the Salford Diocesan network.

The newly appointed subject leader has quickly established the priorities and has already developed a team approach which is having an impact on classroom practice. Clearly defined leadership roles in the subject are established with Clare-Louise McCorriston being responsible for progress and curriculum at KS3 and Jack Tunnecliff for improved outcomes at GCSE and in the Sixth Form. In line with the whole school policy, Doddle has been introduced at KS3, and PLCs at GCSE and in the Sixth Form to focus on skills development. Regular work scrutiny and lesson 'drop ins' are used as part of a robust quality assurance calendar to ensure the new curriculum and procedures are being implemented effectively and are impacting on lesson delivery and student progress.

The school was founded in 1959 as a partnership between the Diocese of Salford and the De La Salle Brothers, and continues its strong Lasallian links. A recently opened Year 7 form base has been named the ‘De La Salle Centre’ as a link to the history, with the school striving to 'Walk with St Jean Baptiste De La Salle in the footsteps of Jesus'. The school is proud of its traditions and in a recent whole staff survey, 100% of staff either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement ‘I am proud of our Lasallian tradition and share this with our students’ . The unique identity of St Jean Baptiste De La Salle as patron saint of teachers places a specific emphasis on ensuring high quality practice and the Lasallian tradition makes a unique contribution to the quality of provision, strengthening and clarifying the school’s purpose.

Year 11 predictions for 2017 indicate that results will be above the 2015 national average for progress with 3L+ 72.7% (2015 NA 67.5%) and 4L+ 41.8% (2015 NA 42.2%). The accuracy of the predicted data has been ensured through the setting of a GCSE past paper at the end of Year 10 which was rigorously standardised. This will be assessed again in December with both internal and external standardisation along with the use of historic progress data from December exam to summer GCSE to ensure accuracy and enable the impact of interventions to be measured.

Performance in RE is analysed through a termly SLT scrutiny panel and the Head of RE works closely with the link governor to update on progress. A 5Ws Working Party has been established to include teaching, support staff and governors and external validation has been provided by Steve Jones, RE Advisor from Salford Diocese. A specific governor working party has also been established to prepare for the forthcoming inspection.

To secure outstanding leadership, the following points are included in the subject improvement plan:-

Develop stronger links with partner primary schools and effectively use KS2 data to inform the curriculum and improve KS2-KS3 transition

Ensure quality assurance processes are robust and ensure teaching is consistently good / outstanding and feedback is effective, promoting rapid progress

Use the 5Ws Framework and Ofsted handbook to provide accurate self-evaluation and identify priorities for improvement

To complete induction programme for new Head of Subject and provide opportunities to develop constructive partnerships with partner primary schools, Diocesan secondary schools and through the Lasallian network

Quality of Teaching, Learning & Assessment

The quality of teaching in RE is outstanding and a beacon of excellent practice within the school. Teachers have an open door policy and are constantly sharing resources and ideas to improve the learning experience. Detailed schemes of learning, with associated resources and assessments, are in place for all year groups following the changes to the GCSE and A-level specifications. Planning arrows are utilised to identify activities which encourage a thirst for knowledge with religious literacy and Catholic values embedded throughout the curriculum.

Lessons are well planned and teachers have high expectations of all students, using differentiated resources to provide appropriate stretch and challenge. Good routines are established in the classroom and there is a purposeful environment in the department in which students are confident working in groups and supporting each other. Homework is used to support and extend learning with effective feedback leading to students making more rapid progress. Work is regularly marked and feedback follows the new whole school Feedback Policy. An intervention programme is in place for all year groups but needs to be refined further to ensure targeting is effective.

To secure an Outstanding judgement for the Quality of Teaching, Learning & Assessment, the following points are being addressed as part of the subject improvement plan:-

Effectively use departmental CPD time for teachers to share good practice with opportunities to observe each other implement successful strategies

Internally standardise topic assessments to improve accuracy of internal data so that intervention is targeted effectively

Review internal assessment data after each data collection and refine priorities based on progress Review schemes of work to provide specific opportunities for students to develop a 'thirst for knowledge' To embed the new KS3 & KS4 assessment opportunities to be in line with new requirements for GCSE Refine the intervention programme so as to target students effectively for additional support Externally standardise Year 11 PPE exams, and use historical data effectively, to secure accurate GCSE

predictions Implement school tracking system across the department to monitor achievement gaps and implement

strategies to close them, particularly with regards to gender, ability and disadvantaged students High attaining students to be identified as early as possible during year 7 and provided with work which

provides sufficient stretch and challenge in order to achieve the highest grades at GCSE and A-Level. This will be in line with the whole school strategy to work with high attaining students and the Aspire group

Personal Development, Behaviour & Welfare

‘Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is extremely strong’(Ofsted Inspection Report April 2015)

Student attitudes towards the subject are extremely positive as students see the department as a successful subject area and one in which they are valued as individuals and supported to achieve high standards. Students view the department as a sanctuary in which they are valued as individuals and provided with opportunities to expand their learning and explore their faith journey. A wide range of enrichment activities are provided that link to the Catholic life of the school and include; Year 7 Savio House retreat, Kintbury retreat experience for older students, Sixth Form Lourdes pilgrimage, Flame, Embrace, Lasallian camps, Ethos Leaders programme, Genesis group, Diocesan events and various fundraising and charitable opportunities throughout the year.

Staff have high expectations for behaviour across all key stages with an emphasis on consistency and high standards in all lessons. Students are taught about the importance of tolerance and respect in all RE lessons and understand that due to the nature of the subject this will be expected in every activity whether part of the curriculum or during after school hours. Expectations are conveyed in a very clear way and the vast majority of pupils enjoy the subject and remain on task resulting in very few behaviour incidents being recorded on SIMS.

The department consists of a number of experienced teachers, many with significant pastoral experience. This helps to create a calm and controlled environment. Behavioural issues occur very rarely in RE as behaviour management is a major strength of the department. Support from leaders is offered to all members of the team if required.

To secure an Outstanding judgement for the Personal Development, Behaviour & Welfare, the following points are being addressed as part of the subject improvement plan:-

Undertake a questionnaire on student attitudes to the subject which can be repeated at strategic points throughout the year to monitor progress

Monitor attitude to learning grades by year group, teacher and group so that a proactive approach can be adopted in improving student attitudes to the subject

Maintain the consistent high standards in achievement and progress through high quality experiences in RE Ensure a more consistent approach to the award of Vivo points and monitor their distribution Audit the curriculum opportunities so that it is explicit how the subject contributes to the development of

British Values, including preparation for life in modern Britain

Outcomes for Students

Summary

The RE department has been on a journey of continual improvement for the past four years and the positive trend continues with current learners. GCSE results in 2016 were 21.1% A*/A and 66.1% A*-C which is above the Salford Diocese average for 2015 (A*/A 20.7%, A*-C 65.9%) and demonstrates how significantly the results have improved since 2012 when outcomes were 3.1% A*/A and 44.1% A*-C. A-level is a particular success in the department with A2 achieving ALPS Band 2 (top 10% in the country) in 2016 with AS results showing this is sustainable with them also as ALPS Band 2 and increasing numbers of students choosing it as an AS option (3 in Sept 2015 compared to 14 in Sept 2016).

Current Data

Year 11

Year 11 predictions for 2017 indicate that results will continue the positive trend and be above the 2015 national average for expected progress measure with 3L+ 72.7% (2015 NA 67.5%) and in line with the national average for 4L+ 41.8% (2015 NA 42.2%). The proportion of students achieving A*-C is predicted to increase to 71.9% although there is expected to be a slight dip in A*/A grades to 19.9%. A significant gender gap is predicted for progress with girls (3L+ 84.1%, 4L+ 54.9%) performing higher than boys (3L+ 61.4%, 4L+ 28.9%) in a similar pattern to the 2016 results and this is a priority for the department.

There is also a predicted gap between disadvantaged students and their peers with non PP students (3L+ 75.8%, 4L+ 44.4%) achieving over 10% higher for expected and greater than expected progress than PP students (3L+ 63.4%, 4L+ 34.1%). Students with SEN (15) perform higher than in other subjects (residual +1.4) but below expected (3L+ 53.3%, 4L+ 26.7%).

Year 10

This year group is the first on the new numeric 1 - 9 grade system with national expectations of Grade 5 being a good pass (Pearson briefing only 46% grade 5 and above for English language, no comparable statistic for RE). The accuracy of grading is yet to be refined but current predictions are 42.9% grade 5 and above which is similar to the national expectation. Similar patterns in achievement for boys/girls and PP/non PP exist as in Year 11 and are being addressed as part of the departmental strategy.

Year 9

Students start their GCSE course in Year 9 and will be assessed later in the term on the numeric grade system. These were the final year group to be assessed using KS3 levels with 86.5% achieving level 5+ and 42.7% achieving level 6+. On average, students achieved one sublevel higher in RE compared to English and had a positive residual (+2.2) compared to all other subjects.

Years 7 & 8

A new skills based assessment tool ‘Doddle’ has been introduced in September 2016 with KS3 flightpaths being used to track progress across the year. At the time of the review the first data capture has not been completed but will be analysed in SLT link and department meetings.

To improve further student Outcomes, the following points are being addressed as part of the subject improvement plan:-

Implementation and monitoring of the specific intervention programmes to close the achievement gaps for gender, ability and disadvantaged students

Ensure improvements at GCSE continue so that in 2017 levels of progress are above NA for both 3L+ and 4L+

Develop both internal and external standardisation so as to ensure accuracy of data Ensure the new GCSE 1-9 grading system is fully embedded and the requirements for each grade

understood by staff and students

Effectiveness of Sixth Form Provision

Sixth Form provision is graded as Outstanding using the ALPS value added measure with both AS and A2 achieving Band 2. This places students among the highest performing in the country based on their prior attainment. The department have established the A-level as a popular and high achieving option for students and numbers in Year 12 have increased again in 2016 (from 3 to 14). Teachers use their subject knowledge and teaching expertise to enthuse students and links to further study and careers are evident in lessons. Personalised Learning Checklists (PLCs) are embedded to enable students to identify strengths and areas for improvement which leads to rapid progress. Students value the support of their teachers and both regularly attend support sessions and lead enrichment activities with younger students.

The Sixth Form General RE programme is valued by all students and attendance is high and improving further. The more academic nature of the course introduced in September 2016 enables students to explore Catholic Social Teaching and ‘Drop down days’ are used to extend the range of topics and external speakers that students have the opportunity to engage with.

To secure an Outstanding judgement for Sixth Form provision, the following points are being addressed as part of the subject improvement plan:-

Embed new AS & A2 curriculum Continue to develop the new General RE programme and evaluate its effectiveness