Independent Schools Religious Studies Association

Newsletter and Journal

Spring Term 1999 Volume 3 Issue 1

Contents

Revisions to CE Syllabus & Examination 

John Keast’s address to ISRSA on Assessment in RE 
 

Eamon Duffy on the future of Theology and Religious Studies 
 

Common mistakes in the teaching of Hinduism 
 

Advice to new RE teachers 
 

Thoughts on RE by a Headmaster 
 

Philosophy of Religion and Christian ethics 
 

Letters  
 

Articles from earlier issues  

 
ISRSA Committee & Council   
 

Membership  
 

How ISRSA began  
 

ISRE Syllabus 
 

The aims of ISRSA 
 
 

Start page  
 

 
 

 

Expanding the Vision

It hardly seems just over a year ago that ISRSA had its official launch at the conference in Oxford. Since then the association has become so well established that it is difficult to imagine a time when it did not exist or more especially why it took so long to establish it. At the last conference, kindly hosted again by Harris Manchester College, the ISRSA constitution required some members of the committee to stand down and elections to take place again. The committee is now engaged in planning next year’s conference and after the great success at Haileybury, further regional meetings. 

In mid year we also took advantage of the offer for secretarial help. Members who wish to have access to members data base whether to find out which schools sit which examination boards or who the head of department is of a member school may ring the ISRSA office on: 01600 716912 (see page 15 below for further details). 

In this issue I make no apology for some fairly lengthy articles. Eamon Duffy’s address and John Keast’s presentation both warrant full coverage at a time when universities are having to reassess the content and aims of their theology courses whilst the government is implementing reforms concerning the process of assessment in secondary education. 

It is for this reason that ISRSA is very keen to establish strong links with universities. Dennis and Catherine Brown have been working hard on behalf of ISRSA not only in the collation of information about Theology and Philosophy courses but more importantly in the  development of positive two way communication between schools and higher education. No doubt we can all relate incidents where former pupils have been hugely disappointed by dull conservative theology degree courses by comparison with new and imaginative A Level syllabuses. Perhaps ISRSA can help universities in the reform of their own theology syllabuses. 

This edition also contains advice on the teaching of Hinduism and some thoughts on philosophy and ethics. 

Finally, although the issue of school worship is not strictly a concern of ISRSA, Mark Steed’s recent research on chapel worship raises some important issues about values in education which should be of considerable interest to all RE teachers. 

Michael Wilcockson 
Eton College 
 

     
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