Religious Education

Intent

As a Church of England school, we want all learners to be actively engaged in learning about both the Christian faith and other faiths whilst developing personally, socially and emotionally.

Our vision is for children to believe ’I can do it.’ We aim for all learners to be both knowledgeable in the subject academically and also able to develop their own belief system in a broader sense.

Our vision is for all children to believe ‘I can grow.’ The curriculum provides opportunity for both the academic study of religion and for reflection and development both as individuals and as an understanding, accepting and loving community.

Our vision is for all children to believe ‘I am accepted’ and ‘I am loved’. All children are expected to have a secure understanding of the key concepts underpinning different faiths and, in the context of Christianity, be able to see the Bible as a ‘big story’ within which the children develop a greater sense of chronology.

Implementation

As a school within the Diocese of Worcester Multi-Academy Trust, schemes of work are written in line with the Locally Agreed Syllabus for Worcestershire and developed alongside ‘Understanding Christianity’ to support the teaching of Christianity. Schemes of work ‘spiral’ through the Key Stages and offer repeated opportunities to return to the same key concepts in more breadth and depth as children move through school. The curriculum gradually expands through the Key Stages to ensure children become fluent in their understanding of different faiths and beliefs. Children are taught about the faiths of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and also non-religious worldviews such as Humanism.

RE is taught weekly throughout the year to ensure depth and breadth appropriate to the year group. Each year group undertakes 7 units of work per year and the allocated time goes above the legal expectation on hours spent on the subject in both Key Stages. Where appropriate, units are planned to coincide with religious festivals. Progression across school is clear and challenge is evident by implementing a spiral curriculum. This is supported in key units, where a concept is taught across all year groups at different depths, with a progression document detailing the expectations for each year group and how these build on the previous year group. Progression is established for texts used, depth of study and vocabulary. Learners are also required to begin to piece together the historical and geographical relationship Christianity has with both Judaism and Islam which are two other faiths taught in more depth. Through the incremental structure of the planning, within and across year groups, learners are actively encouraged to grapple with key questions and continuously make connections. Vocabulary is key to learning in RE. Appropriate and progressive technical vocabulary is taught and revisited alongside these key concepts to ensure religious literacy is built across the year groups.

The teaching of RE is monitored by the RE subject leader and also by the Church School Team and Governors. This overview allows for rigorous monitoring through lesson observations, work scrutiny, staff feedback and pupil voice by both the subject leader and other senior staff within the school which helps to ensure quality first teaching of the subject.

Appropriate links and opportunities can also be identified with the Collective Worship programme which seeks to actively support RE within school. Trips and visits are promoted to provide children with opportunities to engage more actively with a concept. Resources are also well-stocked.

Impact

By the end of Year 6, children will have a clear understanding of key concepts within Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism. All children will be equipped with the appropriate language and skills to grapple with complex questions and respond both academically and with their own reasoned opinions. As children progress through school, they develop knowledge and understanding that is both broad and deep. Work produced in RE books shows progression and high levels of challenge across the school with children showing correct use of vocabulary fluently across various units of work. Children are enthusiastic about the subject and are eager to learn more and engage with difficult and thought-provoking questions. When children leave the school, they are well-equipped to grapple with the RE curriculum for Key Stage 3 and continue to grow as reflective individuals.