The Open College Network, Northern Ireland (OCN NI) quietly launched a new Key Stage 4 qualification in Religious Education during the summer of 2016 and already it has generated quite a bit of interest among RE teachers. Around a dozen schools from the Maintained, Controlled and Integrated sectors are piloting the qualification which is designed to provide an alternative for those pupils who are unlikely to access the top range of grades at GCSE level.The specification of the Level 2 qualification includes units in 'Exploring Personal Identity and Faith', 'Prejudice and Reconciliation' and 'Exploring Religious Traditions within Own Community'. These and other units contain content broadly similar to what teachers are already familiar with as part of the NI Core Syllabus. What is particularly innovative is the style of assessment. Rather than examinations, teachers can choose the assessment method they feel is best suited to their students from: a portfolio of evidence; practical demonstration/assignment; or coursework.
Simon Lemon, one of the RE teachers involved in the pilot feels that the qualification fills an important gap and enhances the suite of qualifications already available from local exams body, CCEA, which schools can offer.
Picture: Joanne Patterson (OCN NI) and Simon Lemon (Movilla HS) who helped to develop the qualification.