The census and Christianity in the UK
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the influence of Christianity in Britain and how this has changed over time.
Key learning points
- A census is an official count or survey of a population; this is carried out every 10 years in England and Wales.
- Census data from England and Wales in 2001, 2011 and 2021 shows that Christianity is declining.
- Census data from England and Wales in 2001, 2011 and 2021 shows that other religions are growing and the UK is diverse.
- Many UK laws, traditions and festivals reflect Christian beliefs and teachings; religious diversity is also celebrated.
Keywords
Census - an official count or survey, especially of a population
Diverse/diversity - referring to the presence of variety and differences within a group or context
Festival - a day or period of celebration, typically for religious reasons
Common misconception
All people belong to some form of religion.
According to the 2021 Census in England and Wales, there are an increasing number of individuals who have no religion.
Teacher tip
You may wish to use the Office for National Statistics website to research census data in your local area to contextualise students' learning.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The season of helps Christians prepare for Christmas.
Q2.Many schools perform a play to retell the story of Jesus’ birth.
Q3.What does the Feast of the Epiphany celebrate?
Q4. is the 40-day season that prepares Christians for Easter.
Q5.Why do Christians celebrate Easter Sunday?
Q6.Which of these is a common way Christians celebrate Easter?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does a census do?
Q2.Between 2001 and 2021, the percentage of Christians in England and Wales has ...
Q3.The UK is , with people from many religious and cultural backgrounds.
Q4.Which of these shows a Christian influence on UK laws?
Q5.What is the second largest religion in England and Wales according to the 2021 Census?
Q6.Everyone belongs to a religion.
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: The census and Christianity in the UK, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: The census and Christianity in the UK, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 religious education lessons from the Christianity: Practices unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.