Books

What do we need to consider?

See what the DCSF / University of Warwick report had to say

Are we confident that the books that we are using in RE are of sufficiently high quality?

This is indicated by a range of factors, including: accessibility of text; accuracy, balance and relevance of the material; usefulness of illustrations and pictures; appropriateness and challenge of RE activities (if integrated into the book); depth of treatment; acknowledgement of diversity and controversy.

General checklist 1 against which the quality of books can be judged

Are we confident that the books on religion(s) and beliefs that we are using give a fair and authentic representation of them?

Although faith and RE experts can find much to praise in most books that treat religions either individually or thematically, they can also identify shortfalls.

Checklist 2 against which books on particular traditions can be judged

Does the school library/learning resource centre provide pupils with access to a wide range of good quality books related to RE?

In primary schools, classrooms usually have displays of books available for pupils to browse. In secondary schools, school libraries/learning resource centres will often contain sizeable collections of RE-related books but these can sometimes be dated and, in both faith and non-faith schools, need checking and probably discarding.

An activity based on choosing books based on written reviews

Are we managing to keep track of new books that are coming on the market?

Teachers find out about new books from a variety of sources including: through courses, meetings and resource exhibitions; by personal recommendations from others; by reading reviews.