Religious education newsletter - June 2025

Over recent years there has been a renewal of interest in pilgrimage. In medieval Europe pilgrim journeys were seen as deeply significant practices, driven by faith and the desire for spiritual benefit. However, many modern-day pilgrims are non-religious, where individuals may be seeking personal solace or searching for a deeper understanding and connection with the world around.

Today we expect to witness large numbers of pilgrims walking the Camino de Santiago (in Spain) or taking part in the Hajj (in Mecca), but the mass popularity of these pilgrimages is a relatively recent phenomena.

In 1984 fewer than 500 pilgrims were registered as completing the Camino to Santiago de Compostela. By 2019 this number had grown to a third of a million.

Similarly, in the 1950s about 100,000 people are reported to have completed the Hajj. It is estimated that up to 2 million will arrive in Mecca for the Hajj in 2025 (4 to 9 June).

A key element of the Hajj includes the festival of Eid-ul-Adha being celebrated this year on Friday 6 June.

One way in which pilgrimage has captured the public imagination in the UK is through the BBC’s Pilgrimage series. The latest set of programmes sees celebrities with diverse religious and non-religious backgrounds walking through the Austrian and Swiss Alps. The films capture some moving conversations about personal faith and beliefs, which are very useable in the classroom to illustrate ‘lived worldviews’.

There has also been a significant increase of interest in local pilgrimages across the country.

Primary teachers: please complete this short survey to tell us about RE in your school.

LTLRE hub (twilight) meetings are free and open to all teachers of RE, primary and secondary. See LTLRE website for full details.

Cornwall hub: Thurs 12 June (online)

North Devon hub: Mon 16 June (in person)

SWIFT professional community: Wed 9 July (online)

South Devon and Torbay hub: Thurs 10 July (online)

Exeter hub: Thurs 10 July (in person)

LTLRE conference 2025

Embracing Diversity and Inclusion through a Religion and Worldviews approach to RE

Revd Anjali Kanagaratnam: Understanding the Rich Diversity of the Global Christian Community

A wide array of workshops and including a special feature on diverse experiences of Pilgrimage

St Mellion, nr Plymouth

Fri 17 October         

Cost: £80

Book here.

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Secondary RE CPD

RE Today: Lat Blaylock is leading a training day for secondary RE teachers at Exeter School on Mon 23 June

RE advisers’ conference 2025

Teachers are invited to attend the AREIAC (RE advisers) and AULRE (RE lecturers) conference at Exeter University on 26/27 June. Booking information here.

Robin Shepherd lecture

All teachers are welcome to attend the free Robin Shepherd lecture on Thurs 26 June (5-7pm), given by Anna Strhan

RE Hubs

Visit the RE Hubs website for all your RE needs: accredited School Speakers, Places of Worship, Advertise RE Jobs, Resources, Calendar of CPD Events, Local Groups.

Access local Religion and Worldviews visitors for RE

Primary RE Curriculum

Take a look behind the pay-wall login of the RE Today Primary RE Curriculum – a resource trusted by over a thousand teachers to save hours of planning time. Join us for a FREE webinar 4–5pm on Mon 10 June and hear directly from curriculum experts and classroom teachers who use it every day.

Understanding Muslims, Understanding Islam

This is an extensive new RE Today resource exploring lived Islam, using the voices of contemporary Muslims to open up what it means to be Muslim today. The religion and worldviews approach applies different disciplinary tools, drawing on authentic sources from Islamic traditions.

Mini-Guides to Religions and Worldviews

These mini-guides from RE Today give teachers of RE much needed subject knowledge to teach RE well.

New book for teaching Primary RE

This new book, Teaching Primary RE, offers a really helpful approach to planning and delivering effective primary lessons in a fun and refreshing way, with engaging lesson plan ideas in each chapter.

The Bible in a Nutshell

The Bible in a Nutshell - High Bickington, North Devon EX37 9PN on Thurs 10 July.

Find out about this free course , from Walk Through The Bible, which will take you from Genesis through the Old Testament.

Headscarf ban in France sidelining Muslim athletes

A new law banning headscarves in France could keep female athletes on the sidelines. Thousands of young Muslim women are being prevented from taking part in competitive sport because of rules in several disciplines that ban clothing carrying a religious or political significance. Critics say they disproportionately target hijab-wearing Muslim athletes.

Holocaust Education- Dimensions in Testimony Education Session

This unique educational experience offers KS3 and KS4 students (Years 9–11) the opportunity to engage in a live, interactive conversation with digital representations of Holocaust survivors. Using cutting-edge technology, Dimensions in Testimony (DiT) has recorded nearly 100 Holocaust survivors from around the world, creating interactive biographies that respond to students' questions in real time.

Here is the link the platform:   https://iwitness.usc.edu/dit/pinchas

To arrange a possible visit to your school, or to enquire about a session at Exeter University, please contact Leah Lawford at ll570@exeter.ac.uk

Join an AI project with Exeter University

Are you curious about the potential of AI to support lesson planning and teaching in RE? Researchers at Marjons and the University of Exeter are beginning a project with colleagues in Norway to design ways and means of using AI (e.g. ChatGPT) to assist teachers in RE. They are specifically interested in how it can help to implement the RE-searchers Approach and similar approaches to teaching ‘ways of knowing’ in RE. If you’ve not heard of the RE-searchers Approach, please see https://www.reonline.org.uk/research/the-re-searchers-approach-critical-dialogic-and-inquiry-led-re-for-the-primary-school/.

Their idea is to organise a development workshop with selected primary and/or secondary teachers in the autumn term. Supply teacher costs would be covered, and the venue would either be in Plymouth or Exeter. If you are interested, by the end of July, please send a 2-3 line explanation of why you would be suitable to take part to r.j.k.freathy@exeter.ac.uk and/or gfreathy@marjon.ac.uk.

Lastly, you might be interested in the following article which has recently been published about the RE-searchers Approach: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01416200.2025.2508494#d1e460. It explains what is meant by ‘methodologically oriented RE’ and uses metaphors, analogies and allegories to introduce the theories underpinning it.