BELIEFS, VALUES AND TRADITIONS. Resource and activity file. By Ann Lovelace and Joy White. Heinemann pound;39.99.

This file provides support material on Judaism, Christianity and Islam for the GCSE religious studies short course. It contains 160 pages of photocopiable material including questions and pupil activities geared to the examination and to the associated pupil course book of the same name.

Exam mark allocation guides are provided. The three religions are treated separately, but under the same headings, from “the nature of God” to “today’s world”. Other themes include prayer and worship, morality, identity, relationships, home and family, and death and beyond.

The intention is not what the authors call a “quick-fix”, but to provide platforms for discussion and th development of learning.

The spirituality in Judaism comes over more than in the other religions. The wisdom of rabbis including Hugo Gryn, the funeral words of the grand-daughter of Yitzhak Rabin and a sensitive analysis of Teshuva (repentance) contribute to this.

The strength of the Islamic material is its links with daily living - a Muslim Christmas is one of several thought-provoking pieces.

The Christian material is complicated by our “broadly Christian” culture and doesn’t always show what is distinctively Christian. A sheet about fox-hunting, for instance, could be a debate between anybody, Christian or not. But overall this useful resource will back up short-course GCSE well.

Terence Copley Terence Copley is professor of RE at the University of Exeter