Debbie Yeomans, National RE Adviser

Why RE?

My 18 years of experience working in a church school sparked a deep passion for high-quality religious education. This enthusiasm naturally led me to transition into an advisory role, allowing me to impact and promote excellent RE on a broader scale.

During my time teaching RE, I have felt immense delight watching children thrive as they develop an understanding of different faiths. Their ability to engage in thoughtful and informed discussions about religions and worldviews, while asking profound and meaningful questions, has been truly inspiring. It’s rewarding to see them navigate life’s big questions with curiosity and insight.

I believe RE prepares children and young adults with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in today’s pluralistic society and globalised work environments. I feel it gives them the opportunity to find out for themselves why they might want to have an attitude of respect, and hopefully a celebration of diversity, for those with whom they share their communities, and am excited to be able to support this on a wider scale through my advisory work with RE Today.

My experience:

18 years in school and as an Adviser.

In-school experience:

I have taught RE across all year groups in the primary phase from EYFS through to Key Stage 2.

I have been a Primary RE lead and senior leader in an 'excellent' Church of England school in Leicestershire, along with fulfilling the role of MAT RE lead for Inspiring Primaries.

Over the past nine years, I have held the position of lead teacher for the Diocese of Leicester, supporting head teachers, RE leads, teachers and governors in ensuring best provision in their schools. I have also run NATRE affiliated RE groups within this role.

Additionally, I am the vice-chair of Leicestershire SACRE, the Membership Secretary for AERIAC, RE Hub lead for the East Midlands, and have done two terms as a member of the NATRE executive committee, as well as being a school senior leader responsible for church school distinctiveness, RE, Collective Worship and the pastoral needs of pupils and staff.

Adviser experience:

• Diocesan associate advisor role
• Pre SIAMs-RE monitoring and coaching visits to Church of England Primary Schools.
• Training for head teachers, governors, RE leads, subject knowledge and SIAMs specific training
• SACRE adviser for a number of SACREs, online pre meetings, SACRE meetings face to face, leading and planning network group CPD, writing annual report
• ITT training
• Primary subject knowledge courses
• Agreed Syllabus launches for thematic, systematic and religion and worldviews syllabuses
• RE pupil days for primary age children
• Managed Agreed Syllabus Conferences to develop an Agreed Syllabus

Areas of interest:

• Primary leadership in RE
• RE pupil days
• Primary knowledge in RE
• SIAMs
• Church school distinctiveness
• Excellent RE across the primary phase
• Leadership and management
• RE governance
• Lived faith
• Teaching diversity in a monocultural setting
• Global faith

Written articles for REtoday magazine include:

• ‘Top Tips for Introducing diversity and the messiness of worldviews into the Primary Classroom’, Autumn 2023 coauthored with Rachel Buckby

Written articles for Professional REflection include:

• ‘Academic Research Applied to the RE Classroom - Summer 2021.

Primary training courses I deliver:

• New to RE subject leadership
• Subject Knowledge in the primary phase
• Understanding Christianity subject knowledge
• SIAMs – IQ6/7
• Church school governance
• Creative RE

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