The three-year initiative is being run by Bangor University’s School of History, Philosophy, and Social Sciences and the materials will be for both teacher and student use.
Dr Lucy Huskinson, who is leading the project, said that RE has been facing a crisis in recent years, with teachers feeling increasingly underqualified to teach an ever-changing syllabus at GCSE and A level, while recruitment of new graduates is failing to keep up with demand.
She explained: “We want to resolve two problems that have been identified, the lack of confidence and expertise reported by current secondary school teachers, who feel ill-equipped to teach the recently revised A level curriculum; and also a significant decrease in numbers of subject students in the UK who are considering a career in teaching religious studies and philosophy.”
The project is seeking to work with schools across North Wales and the North West of England and will ultimately make recommendations for how the subjects are taught on a national scale. The work is being funded by the All Saints Educational Trust.
For details, email Dr Huskinson via l.huskinson@bangor.ac.uk