Who are the groups run by?

Groups are run mostly by teachers wishing to meet to share good practice in RE and support one another but they are also facilitated by diocesan RE advisers, school improvements adviser, independent consultants, local SACRE advisers and university RS lecturers. Many of our groups in the South West, West of England, North West and North East are also part of the Learn Teach lead (LTLRE) Hubs network Some groups are formed following a local or national conference or through participating in the RE Quality Mark achievement award. The majority of teacher-led groups meet in the school of the group leader; other groups meet in a variety of locations from coffee shops to CPD centres.

How does NATRE support local groups?

Supported by NATRE with further support from RE Today Services and occasionally by SACREs or local trusts such as Culham St Gabriel’s, local groups aim to open up the RE ‘world’ to class teachers, many of whom are non-specialists. NATRE provides a termly newsletter for all affiliated group leaders to share with anyone who attends a NATRE affiliated local group meeting. Each newsletter includes national updates, news of local group activities, forthcoming courses, conferences, competitions and awards as well as reviews of new resources. It also includes an RE CPD ppt to share. NATRE offers support by email, phone and postal mail for group leaders and their group members.

How do I join an already existing local group?

Just have a look at our local group map to find your nearest local group.

How do you become a NATRE affiliated group?

It’s simple – simply contact us to let us know you would like to affiliate your local group to NATRE. We will send you a registration form and then add you to our website and mailing list. There is no cost. All we ask is that you allocate a few minutes (or more!) of your meeting looking at the NATRE website, flagging up membership benefits and encouraging your teachers to consider school or personal NATRE membership.

What kind of groups could you form?

You could form a primary, secondary, special schools or cross phase group.

How can you form a group?

There are at least three ways to form a Local Group: You could have a primary and secondary chair at all times leading the group – the chair can change every year, so that the whole group get an opportunity to lead and host – this works well with cross phase groups as they could have a primary and secondary chair where the primary chair organises the primary focused meetings and secondary chair organises the secondary focused meetings. You could have a local group leader who organises the Local Group meetings and leads the meetings – when the group leader steps down, they can either nominate the next group leader or someone could voluntarily take over the position. You could be a collaborative group with no group leader as such but each meeting, a different member of the group hosts the meeting, with the agenda for the next meeting discussed at the previous meeting.

What do you need for a meeting?

There is not a lot you need for a meeting, here is a list to help you out: A room big enough to accommodate your local group Optional Refreshments; tea, coffee, biscuits and water An agenda for the meeting

Love teaching RE!

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NATRE, the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education, is the UK’s largest subject association, it is led by teachers for teachers and is dedicated to supporting and empowering RE teachers and safeguarding the future of the subject.

Whether you’re passionate about RE or new to the role and feeling out of your depth, we’re here to help.

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What our members say

“NATRE allows me to feel like I am part of something bigger; it is so important we are given a chance to see what obstacles we face as a community and make sure our voices are heard when and where they need to be.”
Suky Kaur, Teacher of Religious Studies Haberdashe

“I love the fact that an organisation exists to fight for RE on the big stages, and to support teachers in their classrooms. The community that it has nurtured, and the resources that it has created, are hugely beneficial to RE teachers across the phases.”
Ian Coles, RE Coordinator Carr Hill Primary School

“The fact that we are an Association of Teachers for Teachers is so important as it means we truly understand and respond to the needs of those on the ground. There is a wealth of experience on this team and nothing is too much trouble for anyone as everyone is wholeheartedly committed to flying the flag for RE teachers.”
Charlotte Newman, Head of Religion, Philosophy and

“I have a real passion for making RE creative and exciting. I love teaching RE because it gives children the opportunity to discuss, debate and form opinions but in a respectful way. There is huge potential for children to think critically, creatively and learn in new ways…how exciting our subject is!”
Katie Freeman, Chair Bickleigh Down CofE Primary S

“By far, the best membership for a teacher of RE to have is one to NATRE! The reason why I love my membership so much is that it’s an excellent source of subject leadership support, up-to-date information about current RE-related news items and it offers a wide range of classroom resources. It is worth every penny; I’ve learned so much over the years from the excellent value cpd courses. The membership discounts on resources and courses have saved me so much money which has been useful in helping my subject budget to go so much further.”
Saima Saleh, Class Teacher, Religion and Worldview

‘NATRE helps to promote the importance of RE and supports RE teachers with high-quality CPD to make our subject the best it can be.’
Joe Kinnaird, Head of KS3 RE and CPD Lead Coopers

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