Religious Education
Our Subject Leader for RE is Mrs Kath Savage
Core Values - Faith, Friendship and Love
Early Years Foundation Stage - We give children the opportunity to talk about their own families and traditions. We encourage children to share what they know about similarities and differences between themselves and others. We want all children to feel valued and flourish within their community.
Key Stage 1 - Pupils recall and name different beliefs and practices. They find out about right and wrong and express their opinions. They begin to find out about different communities and ways to live together respectfully for the wellbeing of all.
Key Stage 2 - Pupils make connections between different faiths and reflect on who and what matters in life in order to make moral choices. They consider ways in which diverse communities can live together co-operatively for the well-being of all.
Subject Aims
The aims of RE are to enable young people to be:
- INFORMED Know about and understand a range of religions and worldviews, so that they can:
- describe, explain and analyse beliefs and practices, recognising the diversity which exists within and between communities and amongst individuals;
- identify, investigate and respond to questions posed, and responses offered by some of the sources of wisdom found in religions and worldviews;
- appreciate and appraise the nature, significance and impact of different ways of life and ways of expressing meaning.
- EXPRESSIVE Express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religions and worldviews, so that they can:
- explain reasonably their ideas about how beliefs, practices and forms of expression influence individuals and communities;
- express with increasing discernment their personal reflections and critical responses to questions and teachings about identity, diversity, meaning and value, including spiritual and ethical issues
- appreciate and appraise varied dimensions of religion or a worldview
- ENQUIRING AND REFLECTIVE Gain and deploy the skills needed to engage seriously with religions and worldviews, so that they can:
- investigate key concepts and questions of belonging, meaning, purpose and truth, responding creatively;
- enquire into what enables different individuals and communities to live together respectfully for the wellbeing of all;
- articulate beliefs, values and commitments clearly in order to explain why they may be important in their own and other’s lives.
What contribution does RE make to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development (SMSC)?
RE seeks to develop pupils’ awareness of themselves. RE has an important role in preparing pupils for adult life, employment and lifelong learning. It assists them to flourish individually within their communities and as citizens in a diverse society and global community. It enables pupils to appreciate their own and others’ beliefs and their impact on individuals and societies. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on their own self-worth and uniqueness as human beings. RE plays a key role in the promotion of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development in schools.
RE contributes to the spiritual development of pupils by:
- exploring powerful questions of meaning and truth;
- understanding the importance of feelings, emotions and experiences in religious belief and practice;
- considering the value, purpose and dignity of human beings;
- reflecting on who and what matters in life in order to develop their own views and ideas on religious and spiritual issues;
- considering how religions and beliefs express key ideas and experiences;
RE contributes to the moral development of pupils by:
- reflecting on key values and ethics within religions and beliefs;
- considering influences on moral choices and ethical decision making;
- reflecting on what is of ultimate value to pupils and believers through studying the key beliefs and teachings from religion and philosophy on values and ethical codes of practice;
- considering the importance of rights and responsibilities and developing a sense of conscience and responsibility.
RE contributes to the social development of pupils by:
- studying a range of social issues from religious perspectives, recognising diversity of viewpoint within and between religions, as well as common ground between them;
- reflecting on how religions and beliefs lead to particular actions and concerns.
RE contributes to the cultural development of pupils by:
- promoting cultural understanding from a religious perspective through encounters with people, literature, the arts and resources from differing cultures;
- considering the relationship between religion and cultures and how religious beliefs contribute to cultural identity and practices;
- promoting inter-cultural understanding by encouraging pupils to question their own cultural pre-suppositions
Topic Progression Grid
| Nursery | Reception | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 | ||||
Autumn 1 | How do we prepare for and celebrate birthdays? | How and why do we celebrate Harvest? How and why do Buddhists celebrate Buddha’s birthday? | What do stories from the Bible teach us about Jesus and God? | What are we thankful for? (Harvest) | What is the good news Jesus brings? (to include parables) | What do Christians (and other religious people) learn from the Creation Story? | What do stories from religion teach religious people about how to live their lives? | What can we learn from religious leaders? | What can people learn from women in the Bible? | |||
Autumn 2 | Why is giving presents important at Christmas? | How and why do Christians celebrate Jesus’ birthday? | Christmas | Why does Christmas matter to Christians? | Why do people give gifts? | How is Advent and Christmas celebrated in different countries? | How and why are rites of passage celebrated (in places of worship?) | What does light represent for different religious believers? | Should Christmas be banned for people who are not Christian? | |||
Spring 1 | How do people show they belong? | What is happening in the natural world this term? | What does it mean to belong? (including Baptism) | Why is the prophet Muhammed inspirational to Muslims? | What do places of worship teach us about religion? (mosque and church) | Who and where is God? | What do different beliefs teach about care and respect for others? | What do different people believe about God? | ||||
Year Group | Nursery | Reception | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 |
Spring 2 | Which symbols are associated with Easter? | How and why do we celebrate Easter? | Signs and symbols of belonging: What do they mean to a believer? | Why are some books and stories special? | What can we learn from stories about people of God and religious leaders? (Moses, Muhammed and others) | What is the importance of food and symbols in celebrations (including Easter)? | When can beliefs be difficult? | What can we find out about key figures in religion from Spring Festivals? |
Summer 1 | How do people express care and concern for others? | Why is the word ‘God’ so important to Christians? | What does prayer mean for Christians and other faiths? | How do Muslims express their faith? (belonging to Islam) | Who was the Buddha and what did the Buddha teach? | What answers might be given about life by Buddhists and others? | Why do people make pilgrimages? How and why is life like a journey? | What religious groups and places are found in our community? |
Summer 2 | Feelings | Which local places are special to me and holy to religious families? | Who made the world? (and how do we show that we appreciate the world?) | What does it mean to belong to a church for Christians? | What kind of world did Jesus want? (to include forgiveness) | Can Christians Aid and Islamic Relief change the world? (charity) | How can faith be expressed through art, drama and song (incl. Meditation)? | What would Jesus do? (to include What is fair and unfair in life?) |
Curriculum Progression in Religious Education
Know about and understand | At the end of KS1 pupils will be able to: | At the end of KS2 pupils will be able to: |
A1. Describe, explain and analyse beliefs, and practices, recognising the diversity which exists within and between communities. | Recall and name different beliefs and practices, including festivals, worship, rituals and ways of life, in order to find out about the meanings behind them. | Describe and make connections between different features of the religions and worldviews they study, discovering more about celebrations, worship, pilgrimages and the rituals which mark important points in life, in order to reflect on their ideas. |
A2. Identify, investigate and respond to questions posed by, and responses offered by, some of the sources of wisdom found in religions and worldviews. | Retell and suggest meanings to some religious and moral stories, exploring and discussing sacred writings and sources of wisdom and recognising the communities from which they come. | Describe and understand links between stories and other aspects of the communities they are investigating, responding thoughtfully to a range of sources of wisdom and to beliefs and teachings that arise from them in different communities. |
A3. Appreciate and appraise the nature, significance and impact of different ways of life and ways of expressing meaning. | Recognise some different symbols and actions which express a community’s way of life, appreciating some similarities between communities. | Explore and describe a range of beliefs, symbols and actions so that they can understand different ways of life and ways of expressing meaning. |
B1. Explain reasonably their ideas about how beliefs, practices and forms of expression influence individuals and communities. | Ask and respond to questions about what communities do, and why, so that they can identify what difference belonging to a community might make. | Observe and understand varied examples of religions and worldviews so that they can explain, with reasons, their meanings and significance to individuals and communities. |
B2. Express with increasing discernment their personal reflections and critical responses to questions and teachings about identity, diversity, meaning and value. | Observe and recount different ways of expressing identity and belonging, responding sensitively for themselves. | Understand the challenges of commitment to a community of faith or belief, suggesting why belonging to a community may be valuable, both in the diverse communities being studied and in their own lives. |
B3. Appreciate and appraise varied dimensions of religion. | Notice and respond sensitively to some similarities between different religions and worldviews | Observe and consider different dimensions of religion, so that they can explore and show understanding of similarities and differences between different religions and worldviews. |