The essential place of religious education (RE) in a Church school flows from our deep commitment to the flourishing of every child articulated in the Church of England’s Vision for Education. The Church of England’s Statement of Entitlement (2026) for RE aspires for every child to leave education with a ‘rich and well-informed understanding of Christianity’ and a deep respect for the integrity of other religious beliefs and world views, equipping them for adult life and the diverse interactions they will have.

Through the DBE Vision, we seek to develop loving and supportive relationships with those who lead RE across our schools. We are committed to equipping subject leaders with knowledge and understanding to deliver best and current practice, offering resourcing and training to do this well. We aspire for our schools to be places where RE is at the heart of the curriculum offer, allowing pupils to make sense of the diverse world around them, connecting with the breadth of other subjects studied. Collaboratively working with partners, nationally, regionally and locally, we have bold ambitions for Chester Diocesan schools to creatively and innovatively model excellent practice.

Voluntary Aided Schools

For Voluntary Aided (VA) church schools, religious education is the responsibility of the governing body of the school. In partnership with Blackburn Diocesan Board of Education, we encourage our VA schools to use the Questful syllabus for teaching denominational religious education in primary schools.

Questful RE promotes the explicit teaching of Christian concepts and God’s big salvation story, giving pupils a deeper understanding of Christianity. Through an open investigative enquiry approach, pupils are given the opportunity to explore major religions and world views. Through a range of disciplinary lenses, pupils have opportunity to ask and explore big questions of meaning. They will discover more about themselves, their relationships with others, the world around them and their understanding of God.

Voluntary Controlled (VC) schools should follow the locally agreed syllabus offered by the local authority’s Standing Advisory Council for RE (SACRE). We recognise that there are valuable resources in Questful RE that can be used to supplement using the locally agreed syllabus.

The requirements for religious education at an academy are specified in the funding agreement for that academy.

The Church of England’s Statement of Entitlement 2026 is the guiding document for the standard and quality of religious education that can be expected in all church schools.

The Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) is the inspecting body that will hold all church schools accountable for the effectiveness of the school’s RE curriculum alongside the priority and profile with which it is held in school.  This is under Inspection Question 6.

For Voluntary Aided schools, and Academies who were former aided schools, SIAMS will also inspect the quality of teaching and learning in RE. This would be under Inspection Question 7.

SIAMS Framework 2026

For Controlled, or former controlled schools, Ofsted is the agent who will inspect and monitor the quality teaching and learning in RE.