Title: • FOREWORD
Author: Woodward

FOREWORD

The intervention of government in the
teaching of religious education in state schools
is not new to England and Wales. LEA
advisers, teachers of RE, headteachers and, in
more recent years Governors, are familiar with
the statutory requirement for an Agreed
Syllabus Conference to 'agree' what should
appropriately be taught as RE within their
LEA schools. Since 1944 and even earlier,
religious education in state schools has owed
much of its existence to the church-state
relationship which established, through the
1944 Education Act, machinery in local
education authorities to determine the nature
and content of a religious education for all
pupils. Membership of an Agreed Syllabus
Standing Conference, as it is called, is no
longer uniformly Christian. Today, it is
supplemented in almost all LEAs by the
addition of members of at least five other
religions to be found in Britain today -
namely, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Muslims
and Sikhs. The process of 'agreeing' what
should be taught in RE has therefore entered a
new phase of inter-faith, inter-educational and
inter-political dialogue. It came, therefore, as
no surprise to those working in religious
education that there should be a clause in the
1988 Education Reform act which attempted
to encapsulate and reinforce the plurality
which is now required in the content of
religious education in state schools. Section
8.3 requires new agreed syllabuses to ‘reflect
the fact that the principal religious traditions
in Great Britain are in the main Christian
whilst taking account of the teaching and
practices of other principal religions represented 
in Great Britain.’ and even now, seven
years on, there is still healthy debate on just
how this legal requirement should be
translated into an agreed syllabus. The
publication in July 1994 of Model Syllabuses
for Religious Education by the Schools
Curriculum Assessment Authority (SCAA),
aimed at giving guidance on the interpretation
of Section 8.3, has not stopped this debate nor
has it produced the final definitive answer to
the question of what is the character of an a
appropriate religious education for modern
young people in all parts of Britain.

The publication of the SCAA Model
Syllabuses was the culmination of a great deal
of hard work by a large number of people in
the field of religious education and the faith
communities of England and Wales. There is an
invaluable source of information and material
which has never really been put together in such
a way before and all Agreed Syllabus
Conferences convened in future will be
indebted to SCAA for its initiative. The Model
Syllabuses have provoked a sound curriculum
discussion on the planning and teaching of RE
and it is to this debate that this edition of the
Shap Journal seeks to make a contribution.

Shap is grateful to the contributors who have
given their time and expertise to further the
debate. The views expressed by the authors are
not necessarily those held by the Shap
Working Party on World Religions in
Education. This Journal brings together a
variety of different perspectives on the
teaching of RE and in particular provides a
forum for enhancing the debate on what
should be its nature and character in light of
legislation. Shap, of course, is concerned with
the teaching of world religions and so there are
contributions from members of different faith
communities which offer viewpoints into both
the planning and the teaching of a religion in
schools from an adherent's perspective.

The Journal is divided into three parts. The
first part concentrates on the Model Syllabuses
and offers critiques from members of different
faith communities and none. The second part
examines how two different LEAs have
attempted to create an agreed syllabus and this
is complemented by a perspective from
Scotland, in terms of a different approach to
curriculum planning, and from Europe with
regard to the plurality of religions in RE
syllabuses. The third part is about classroom
practice, for it is the teachers who will translate
the agreed syllabus into schemes of work and
it is precisely this aspect that is covered in
these articles. Many of our contributors were
asked to write from their own faith point of
view and say what they would want pupils to
leam about their Religion at a particular age. In
this respect we are shown how approaches to
planning can be different yet still achieve the
same learning possibilities.

FROM SYLLABUS TO SCHEMES is a compilation of 
articles aimed at teachers, advisers,
consultants, SACRE members (who are increasingly
becoming involved in understanding RE curriculum
planning), students of RE and those concerned with
furthering the partnership between religions and
religious education.

Further copies can be obtained from The Shap
Working Party c/o The National Society's RE Centre,
36 Causton Street London SW1P 4AU.

The Editors of the Shap Journal always welcome
contributions from readers, particularly in relation to
classroom practice. We would like to hear from any
teachers who feel they can contribute their expertise
to the annual theme and are willing to share examples
of good practice in teaching world religions. Please
contact Alison Seaman whose address is given on
page 3.

Roger B. Howarth
Vida Barnett
Paul Williams

The Shap Working Party on World Religions in Education