Cultural capital and the potential of RE: insider perspectives from trainee teachers

In England, the concept of cultural capital (CC) has been introduced to educational discourse by including it in the frameworks of Ofsted, the body responsible for monitoring the quality of education and social care. To increase the CC of all children, schools are now expected to ensure their curriculum on offer is ambitious and consists of essential knowledge that introduces pupils to the best that has been thought and said and that engenders an appreciation of human creativity and achievement. This research reports the views of trainee primary teachers about the link between CC and RE. One hundred and fifty-seven trainees from a university in the West Midlands, England completed a questionnaire to select activities they perceived as contributing to CC through RE. Some also participated in discursive engagements during taught sessions. Overall, those activities which are perceived to be specifically RE orientated have been selected by more trainees than the generic activities in increasing CC. The article argues that RE has potential of making a valuable contribution to increasing pupils’ CC.