“Like the bee gathering honey from different flowers, the wise person accepts the essence of the different scriptures, and sees only the good in all religions.”
Gandhi
At Pentland Primary School, the aim of Religious Education is to develop children’s knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other principal religions represented in the local community, Great Britain and throughout the world. The RE curriculum is taught in accordance to Stockton Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE). We provide a wide range of opportunities for learners to understand and to make links between the beliefs, practices and value systems of the range of faiths and world views studied. We recognise that children in our context are not exposed to different faiths on a regular basis, and we feel it is our duty to open pupils’ eyes and minds to our diverse world and to develop the fundamental British Values and tolerance and mutual respect for all.
Religious Education is an essential part of every pupil’s entitlement. Both learning about religion and learning from it enriches and extends understanding about the world in which we all live. All pupils should have the opportunity to explore the nature of religion in such a way that their views are based on sound knowledge and thoughtful reflection. Religious Education should promote reflectiveness and self-awareness to assist children in their exploration of the meaning of life. By developing discernment and understanding, pupils are encouraged to think for themselves and overcome prejudice and ignorance.
Through religious Education, we aim to help children at Pentland Primary School to:
- Acquire knowledge and understanding of religion and develop the ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about Christianity and the other principle religions represented in Great Britain.
- Develop an understanding of the influences of beliefs, values and traditions on individuals, communities, societies and cultures.
- Enhance their spiritual, moral, cultural and social development by:
- Developing awareness of fundamental questions of life raised by human experiences and of how religious teaching relate to them.
- Responding to questions with reference to the teachings and practises of religions, including their own understanding and experiences.
- Reflecting on their own beliefs, values and experiences in light of their studies.
- Develop a positive attitude towards other people, expecting their right to hold different beliefs from the pupil’s own and towards living in a society of diverse religions.
(Stockton Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education 2019)
Implementation
Our RE curriculum design is based on principles derived from evidence through cognitive science:
- Learning is most effective with spaced repetition.
- Retrieval of previously learnt content is frequent and regular, which increases both storage and retrieval strength.
In addition to the principles, we also understand that learning is invisible in the short term and that sustained mastery takes time.
Our Curriculum
At Pentland Primary School, we teach according to the Stockton Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) which sets out a continuous and progressive outline for the development of Religious Education across the school. Pupils build religious literacy by developing knowledge and understanding of religious and non-religious worldviews. Our pupils become increasingly able to respond to religious and non-religious worldviews in an informed and insightful way, providing them with opportunities to reflect on their own ideas and the ideas of others.
In RE, children learn about different concepts. These concepts refer to the key ideas, which help pupils to make sense of religious belief and practise. Pupils need to be helped to develop concepts which:
- Relate to ultimate questions (e.g. authority, identity, purpose and value)
- Relate to human experience (e.g. awe and wonder, celebration, suffering)
- Enable them to deal with religious traditions (e.g. myth, scripture, deity)
- Belong within particular regions and which are related to the key beliefs and practises of those religious traditions.
Concepts are revisited often in order to understand them in an increasingly deeper level.
Progress in Religious Education is dependent upon the application of general skills. The following skills are central to Religious Education, and therefore included in our teaching:
- Investigation
- Reflection
- Evaluation
- Expression
- Interpretation
- Empathy
- Analysis
- Application
Teaching and Learning Style
We recognise that all children in our school have differing learning styles so RE is taught in an engaging and exciting manner meeting the needs of all children. Learning activities provide fully for the needs of all pupils, so that they develop a wide range of skills. They provide opportunities to engage in meaningful and informed dialogue with those of all religions and worldviews. RE lessons provide a safe space to explore their own religious, spiritual and/or philosophical ways of seeing, living and thinking, believing and belonging.
Teaching of RE is done so weekly. Visits to local places of worship of different faiths are encouraged so that the children can develop greater understanding of other faiths and cultures. Speakers are also welcomed into our school as a further source of information as appropriate to the development of the RE curriculum.
EYFS
We teach RE to all children in the school, including those in the Nursery and Reception classes. In the Foundation Stage, RE is an integral part of topic work and celebrations covered throughout the year.
Key Stage 1
Children in Key Stage 1 will learn about:
- Christianity
- Sikhism
- Islam
- Judaism
Key Stage 2
Children in Key Stage 2 will learn about:
- Christianity
- Sikhism
- Islam
- Buddhism
- Judaism
Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
Learning through Religious Education plays a significant contribution to the children’s spiritual development. We also provide children with the opportunity to discuss moral questions what is right and wrong. Children learn how society has changed and develop skills to become good citizens. They study their own rick cultural heritage and developing an understanding of how this culture is enriched by the multi-cultural British society of today, based on British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
Impact
Assessment for learning
We assess the children in order to ensure that they make good progress in this subject. We do this formatively during the lessons, and also by ongoing assessment and quizzing to evaluate what the children have learned. Most assessment is formative and is used to support teaching and learning and inform future planning. The RE teacher assesses the children’s progress based on their achievement of the learning objectives in lessons. All written work is produced, it is marked in line with the school policy on marking.
Monitoring and review
We monitor teaching and learning in the same way as we do all other subjects that we teach in the school. The RE Subject leader monitors planning and delivery on a termly basis and findings are shared with SLT and teachers. The Head Teacher and Subject Leader also reports to the governing body on the progress of children in RE like any other core subject. The governors’ curriculum committee has the responsibility of monitoring the success of our teaching of RE.
Right to Withdrawal
Parents and teachers have the right to withdraw from all or part of Religious Education teaching/provision, as confirmed by 1996 Education Act, providing that notice is given to the school.
Long Term Plan