Religions and Values Education

Bursary support in 2013/14 from the Culham

St Gabriel’s Trust for Masters level study for

teachers, TAs and HLTAs

Introducing the 3forRE Scheme

A unique offer of support for professional development and improvement in school-

based Religious Education for 2013-15

Teachers of Religious Education: Teaching Religious Education (RE) in a primary, secondary or special school in the UK?

Looking for affordable, accredited professional development ?

3forRE is a unique scheme based on a three-way partnership between you, your school and Culham St Gabriel’s Trust. This

scheme offers you an opportunity to take Masters level professional development at a fraction of the normal cost. The

conditions are set out below.

What’s the offer? Culham St Gabriel’s will pay 60% of your fees for Masters programmes that are part of the 3forRE Scheme.

There are conditions (see below).

What is Culham St Gabriel’s? We are an endowed trust supporting research, development and innovation in RE. Our strategic

objectives can be seen at www.cstg.org.uk and they include bringing classroom-relevant professional development to teachers

of RE.

Do I have to be a qualified RE teacher? No. You need to be teaching RE in a primary, secondary or special school in the UK, and

you need to be a qualified, serving teacher, Teaching Assistant or HLTA.

How could this benefit me? We want to help anyone who is teaching RE to do it better. Masters level courses that are relevant

to classroom RE can provide stimulating, informed and critical interventions to help you raise standards. They can have a

positive impact on the quality of teaching and learning, on the challenge for pupils and on their progress and understanding.

They provide you with critical scholarly wisdom and practical help. They put you in touch with other practitioners of RE and

prepare you for leadership roles.

Am I eligible for 3forRE in 2013-14? You will be eligible for the 3forRE Scheme if you are:

Employed full time as a qualified teacher, teaching assistant or HLTA in a school in the UK;

Intending to take a Masters-level Certificate, Diploma or full MA programme, that relates directly to the teaching of RE

in your classroom and school, in one of the six universities that are members of the 3forRE Scheme;

Able to demonstrate that your accredited study will directly lead to development, innovation and improvement in RE

teaching in your school or consortium;

Supported by your employing school paying at least 10% of the fees.

Head Teachers: Looking for a way to place an improving RE provision at the heart of your school’s improvement plan?

Wondering how to do it with a tight budget this year?

As far as we know, there has never been a better financial offer for systematic, classroom-relevant professional development

in RE: we pay 60% of your teacher’s course fees if you pay 10% or more. The teacher pays the rest.

Why RE? Look at what RE can provide for your pupils: challenging learning, grappling with big religious, philosophical and

moral issues. High quality teaching and learning. Talking, listening and writing experiences that underpin cohesion, well-being

and literacy.

How could this improve the quality of teaching and learning in my school? The Teachers’ Standards apply to RE. Masters level

work improves teachers’ capacity to demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge, including scholarship, to plan and

teach well structured lessons, adapt teaching and make use of assessment. Masters courses can often dramatically improve

generic professional skills, creative thinking and self-confidence. Introducing the teacher to new research-informed classroom

approaches in RE can enhance subject knowledge, broaden the teacher’s repertoire of approaches and prepare them for

leadership roles.

How could this help us with the next Ofsted? Ofsted knows that 60% of RE lessons nationally are less than good. Provision for

spiritual, moral, social and cultural development (SMSC) is a factor in judging a school’s overall effectiveness. The things Ofsted

looks for first – pupils making progress, systematic understanding, challenge in learning, quality of teaching – all get critical

attention and improvement in these Masters level programmes. By supporting this course you will be improving RE and

placing it in the front line of positive evidence for your school.

How much will this cost my school? Please see the table of worked examples in How the 3forRE Scheme works below.

There will be no supply cover costs to your school as most modules are taught on Saturdays.

How the 3forRE Scheme works

The 3forRE Scheme offers teachers and TAs a very affordable way of taking relevant Masters-level courses to develop their

teaching, learning and leadership.

It’s called ‘3forRE’ because it works with three partners:

Culham St Gabriel’s Trust – paying 60% of the fee or £1000, whichever is less

The school – paying 10% of the fee at least

The individual teacher/TA/HLTA – paying the remainder

The Scheme has conditions. It is only offered on the basis that:

The Scheme must be solely for fees for an M level programme that is approved as a member of the scheme. It applies

only to fees for UK-based qualified teachers/TAs, not international.

The Scheme is only offered if no other source of fees, whether loan or grant (apart from the school), is offered.

Accepting any other such offer makes the 3forRE offer invalid. University alumni reductions, partnership reductions and

special rates for school-based learning sets are allowable as part of the 3forRE Scheme.

The teacher or TA must be employed full time in a school in the UK and must take the course part-time.

The school must contribute some money towards the fee in each year—a minimum of 10% of the fee. The exact

amount should be agreed between the school and the teacher / TA. If the school does not contribute, the CSTG share

will not be offered. The teacher/TA may also contribute towards the fee. The individual teacher is asked to pay back in

kind by being active in spreading good practice through RE action research networks.

We do our best to ensure that support is there for the two years of a Masters programme should the teacher/TA need

it. We understand the importance of continuity. However, we cannot make an absolute guarantee for the second year.

The individual teacher is asked to pay back in kind by being active in spreading good practice through RE action research

networks.

How the cost is shared: a worked example for the University of Worcester

Your contact in relation to the 3forRE scheme at the University of Worcester is Dr Stephen Parker:

s.parker@worc.ac.uk

University fee for one year

part time M-level courses

(60 credits)

CSTG pays 60% or £1000,

whichever is the less

School pays at least 10% Teacher/TA pays the

remainder

£1545 60% = £927 10% = £155

25% = £386

£463

£232