Aims of STARME

We are the national body representing Teachers of RME and associated subjects across Scotland. We aim to be a voice for the subject, inspire excellence and encourage professional growth.

Community

Build a community of teachers, passionate about delivering excellence. Learn more about our Teach Meets.

Voice

Be the National Voice of teachers of RME and represent them to relevant bodies. Read More about our responses to National Issues here.

Support

Support our members to deliver excellence. You can catch up on our CLPL sessions here.

Research

Provide a hub for up to date subject specific research. You can find the latest research here.

Celebrate

We are excited to be hosting our Festival of Learning again in 2025! Read more about it here!

Primary

We want to support Primary Colleagues to deliver excellent RME in their settings too. Look at our Resources.

The Work of STARME

As part of our work to support our members

Festival of Learning

Celebrating Excellence

Our inaugural Festival was held in May 2024 at Queen Margaret University. Where we were pleased to host Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth as our Keynote Speaker. You can read more about it and watch some of the sessions.

Mentoring Programme

Inspiring Excellence

The STARME Mentoring Programme aims to pair early career teachers with responsibiltiy for RME/RERC with more experienced colleagues who know from experience how beneficial the support and guidance of a more experienced subject-specialist can be.

TeachMeets

Sharing Excellence


We are responding to a desire expressed amongst members of the Scottish RME community for more frequent high-quality CLPL around the teaching of RME/RERC/RMPS. As such, in Session 24/25 we are introducing a programme of Regional Teach Meets.

CLPL Opportunities

Supporting Excellence

We have hosted a range of online CLPL events and regularly update our blog with resources and inspiration.

STARME Membership is FREE and open to all Primary and Secondary educators with an interest in RME.

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Latest News

See our Blog Posts for Support, News and Resources.

Using Dilemma Discussions in Moral Education in Primary Schools by Chantelle Boyle

Moral education is most effective when based on discussions and debate (Kohlberg and Hersh, 1977) but that can often be a challenge in the primary classroom. Time can be a barrier to exploring moral education topics (Clanachan and Matemba, 2015). But even as little as 10 minutes per day can be beneficial to students’ moral development. In this session, we will explore the use of dilemma discussions where free video resources will be shared that have been developed from my PhD research.

Teaching About Judaism by Sydney Switzer, Jewish Council of Scotland

This This session will provide an overview of relevant Jewish topics and traditions, as well as looking at challenges that can come up when teaching about Judaism. We will be exploring some resources from the Jewish Council of Scotland which can be used in a classroom setting, and will have an opportunity to ask questions as well. We will also discuss how to support Jewish students and families in the classroom.

“Supporting Differentiation in Religious Education: Insights into Curriculum and Assessment in Australian and Scottish Catholic Schools” by Laura Wilson

As we undertake educational reform in Scotland, including curriculum improvement, let's learn from best practice elsewhere. This paper explores the similarities and differences in the delivery of Religious Education (RE) in Catholic schools across Australia and Scotland, focusing on curriculum design and assessment strategies. It examines how RE staff can be supported in differentiating instruction to meet the diverse needs of students, particularly in terms of religious background, learning styles, and abilities. Through a comparative lens, based on the lived experience of the presenter, the paper offers insights into effective differentiation practices that can inform the development of RE in Scotland’s evolving educational landscape.

Learner Conversations (Coaching & Mentoring) Using STRIDE & GROW by Ross McMaster

A useful session for: providing pupil feedback; supporting the PRD process; and aspiring middle leaders. Benefits include: improving teacher-pupil relationships; encouraging self-reflection and independence; celebrating successes; and reducing workload. This model can be applied not only to the BGE & Senior Phase in RME & RMPS, but in many facets within school and life, such as behaviour management; mental health; and parenting!

An Invitation to the High School Ethics Cup by Michael Cholbi

Our session will introduce RME educators to the Ethics Cup, a team-based oral presentation competition for high school students in which they investigate contemporary ethical controversies (https://ethicscup.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk). The session will explain the rationale, format, and logistics of the Cup competition, as well as providing practical advice about how to recruit and develop a team.

Introducing N5/Higher Philosophy in Secondary Schools by Jonas Christensen

This session aims to give share some experiences about how to successfully introduce SQA certificate Philosophy classes secondary schools. This will include suggestions on how to give pupils the best chance of attaining and addressing some worries that schools (or teachers) might have, such as whether philosophy will cannibalise RMPS and whether there's a pathway from Higher Philosophy to Advanced Higher RMPS.

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