Welcome to your Pearson Edexcel Religious Studies March 2026 subject update!
Hello colleagues,
I hope the second half of Spring term is going smoothly. This update brings together upcoming training details, important dates, and brand‑new teaching and learning materials to help you plan ahead with ease and clarity.
Please note, there’s been a small update to the ELC submission guidance, thank you for checking the latest version when preparing submissions.
Best wishes,
Jenna Wyatt
Religious Studies Subject Advisor
Join us for an online event designed to provide focused subject knowledge support for the 'Marriage and the Family' section, featured in the 'Christianity' area of study, for Pearson Edexcel's GCSE in Religious Studies (specification B).
The event will offer clarification on specification content, provide opportunities to discuss the planning of engaging lessons, using a variety of resources and activities, and the opportunity for 'Q&A' with a subject specialist.
The workshop would be suitable for both new and experienced teachers who want to enhance their subject knowledge and pedagogy.
25 June 2026 at 16:30-18:00 GMT
Every month, we release an edition of 'Topic of the Month' with the aim of supporting cultural capital and stimulating discussion within the classroom.
This resource ties a current news event to our qualification content and enables students to see the bigger picture of what they are learning and how it relates to the world around them. Each edition includes a link to an article alongside some key discussion questions to encourage thought around the subject.
February's topic relates to Islamic practices during Ramadan and explores how cultural and religious observances may impact travel and daily life.
We are pleased to announce a new knowledge organiser for Paper 2D: Buddhism.
This resource is designed to support the content covered in Pearson’s GCSE Religious Studies A (1RA0) specification. It provides an in-depth study of Buddhism as a lived religion within the United Kingdom and across the world.
Please note, you will need your Edexcel Online log in to access this resource.
As we start to gear up for the GCSE, International GCSE and A Level exams this summer, I thought it would be useful to remind you of the exam question overviews that we have available to support.
The Provisional timetables for Summer 2027 will be available on our Provisional timetables web page from Monday 2 February.
The feedback window will run until Friday 20 March.
The entry deadline for international centres for the May/June 2026 exam series closes on 21 March 2026. Late entries will be charged from 22 March - make sure that you don't miss this deadline.
More information about the entries process can be found below:
Pearson is partnering with the brilliant team at the UCL Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE) on an exciting research project exploring how neurotypical and neurodivergent students - including autistic learners and those with ADHD - approach GCSE exam questions.
When you understand how students think their way through a question, you unlock the ability to design assessments that are clearer, fairer and more accessible for everyone.
We’re now moving into the next phase of the project, and we’d be incredibly grateful for the support of schools and colleges. If your centre is able to take part, or you’d simply like to find out more, please register your interest below:
From this summer, you’ll need to submit your centre marks before the list of students selected for the moderation sample is released for ELC Religious Studies.
You'll submit your centre marks through Edexcel Online as normal. Learner Work Transfer opens on 13 April 2026. If your centre marks are submitted before this date, your moderation sample will be available in Learner Work Transfer from 13 April, and you can upload student work for moderation straight away.
The submission deadline (to submit marks onto Edexcel Online and to upload candidate work to the Learner Work Transfer) 15 May for the summer series.
To find out more on digital submissions please see our guidance document below:
ATCRE’s Virtual Conference 2026, A Seed of Hope, is a chance to pause, connect and be renewed. Across the week, you’ll hear and share wisdom drawn from real experience, reflect together as professionals, and reconnect with what matters most in Catholic education.
The online conference runs from Monday 2 March to Thursday 5 March 2026, sessions begin at 16:30 and end at 17:15.
For more details of the conference including seminar titles and speakers, click below:
Join others exploring Teaching A level Religious Studies on 14 May 2026 (online).
Want to join the A‑level NATRE Group or need the meeting link?
📩 Email: k.steele@worc.ac.uk
In this episode, Louisa Smith explores the latest SEND statistics, highlights key inclusion themes in the updated Ofsted framework, and shares practical tips for planning, resourcing, and supporting SEND learners. Louisa also looks at how to create a classroom environment that supports students’ mental health and gives examples of what that might look like in RE.
I hope you found this update useful. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch using the contact details below. You can also sign up to get these Subject Advisor updates straight to your inbox every month.
