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Religious Education

Religious education should enable every child to flourish and to live life in all its fullness. (John 10:10).

It will help educate for dignity and respect encouraging all to live well together. Such an approach is offered through a commitment to generous hospitality, being true to our underpinning faith, but with a deep respect for the integrity of other religious traditions (and worldviews) and for the religious freedom of each person. (Religious Education Statement of Entitlement February 2019)

 

Through teaching Religious Education, we aim to help children to understand how religion and peoples’ beliefs impact on the way they live. They will have the opportunity to consider their own beliefs and practices, contemplating the meaning of life and being, as well as listening to, and learning about, the beliefs and practices of others.

We believe that through teaching RE, children will grow up to be knowledgeable and accepting of similarities and differences around the world, respecting diversity and beliefs different to their own. They will gain a deeper insight and understanding into the differences of the communities in which they live and communities around the world.

We hope that through our curriculum, pupils will leave us at the end of Year 6 informed and knowledgeable about the world in which they live – understanding and respecting their own beliefs as well as the beliefs and values of others.

 

Aims and purposes of Religious Education at Lanchester EP Primary School

At Lanchester EP Primary School School we follow the 2020 Durham Agreed RE Syllabus, alongside the scheme “Understanding Christianity”.

 Our syllabus identifies the following aims for our children:

  • Acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the other principal religions represented in the United Kingdom.
  • Develop an understanding of the influence of religious and non-religious worldviews, values and traditions on individuals, communities, societies and cultures, locally, nationally and globally.
  • Develop the ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues, with reference to the teachings and diversity within the religious and non-religious worldviews represented in the United Kingdom.
  • Enhance their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development by:
    • developing awareness of the fundamental questions of life raised by human experiences, and of how religious teachings and other beliefs can relate to them;
    • responding to such questions with reference to the teachings and practices of religions and worldviews relating them to their own understanding and experience;
    • reflecting on their own beliefs, values and experiences in the light of their study;
  • Develop positive attitudes of respect towards other people who hold views and beliefs different from their own, and towards living in a society of diverse religions and worldviews.
 

 Legal Requirements and Time Allocation

It is recommended that RE is taught for a minimum of 36 hours per year at Key Stage One, and 45 hours per year at Key Stage Two. The weekly time allocated for teaching RE at Lanchester EP Primary School is:

EYFS Planned within the EYFS Framework
Key Stage 1 1 Hour
Key Stage 2 1 Hour 15 Minutes

Our RE curriculum time does not include assembly or collective worship, even when the assembly provides a starting point for curricular work. Christmas and Easter production rehearsals and performances are not RE. 

 

Coverage:

A detailed scheme of work is available for teachers and other interested people alongside this policy. It has been written in according to the Durham Agreed Syllabus 2020. Our Christianity units are supported by the Understanding Christianity resource. Other teaching is supported by the RE Today resource.

EYFS Themes emerging from the EYFS framework
Key Stage 1 Christianity, Buddhism and Islam
Lower Key Stage 2 Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism
Upper Key Stage 2 Christianity, Judaism and Islam

 

Teaching and Learning Strategies

Our policy is to aim to ensure the use in RE of art, drama, thinking skills, speaking and listening as well as reading and writing activities, visits, posters, photographs, videos, ICT use, display work and other active learning strategies. Cross curricular work is encouraged, in line with whole school policy on teaching and learning. We recognise the importance of teaching syllabus in a creative, knowledge-rich, broad and balanced way.

Pupils experience opportunities to learn and express themselves through an enquiry- based style of learning by:

  • Posing and discussing ‘big’ and challenging questions.
  • Reading and critically analysing texts.
  • Interpreting information from different sources.
  • Researching information for themselves in libraries and on computers.
  • Listening to and discussing with the teacher and other pupils.
  • Engaging in pair and group work.
  • Exploring a range of media such as artefacts, pictures, photographs, music and drama.
  • Experiencing visits and visitors.
  • Taking part in outdoor learning.
  • Taking time for reflection.
Teaching in RE challenges stereotypes, misinformation and misconceptions about race, gender and religion. Lessons seek to present religions and world views in all their richness and diversity in terms of beliefs, traditions, customs and lifestyle in a sensitive and accurate way in order to encourage a positive attitude towards diversity. Questions, views, and opinions are treated with sensitivity and respect. Teaching enables pupils to gain something of personal value from their study of religious belief and practice, for example, the way that they might apply insights gained from religious stories to their own lives.
 
 
Visits and Visitors 
 
We are able to visit places of worship in the immediate vicinity of the school and surrounding areas, where faith leaders and other members of the community are willing to meet with children and be involved in the teaching of RE. We aim to use this valuable resource for all classes. Pupils have the opportunity to visit places of worship and participate in visits of a representative to their RE class. The RE subject leader supports class teachers to organise these educational visits.

 

Resources

We have a wide range of resources, to support our RE teaching, that we continue to develop. The main resources used to plan from are;  “Understanding Christianity” and the Durham Agreed RE Syllabus. The school is also a member of NATRE and uses high quality resources recommended, including RE Today and RE Quest

 

Assessment

We report on pupils’ progress and attainment in RE to parents, as required by law. The Durham Agreed Syllabus provides descriptions of progress and attainment, which the school has agreed to use as a basis for reporting at the end of each key stage. We make specific, individual, accurate comments on each child's progress in RE in annual reports, based on regular monitoring of work and transfer this information to new schools when pupils leave us.

Assessment in religious education will:

  • Involve identifying suitable opportunities in schemes of work such as Understanding Christianity and RE Today units.
  • Be directly related to the expectations of the Durham Agreed Syllabus 2020.
  • Seek to identify development in the different areas of learning in the subject and not only in the acquisition of factual knowledge.
  • Recognise the range of skills and attitudes which the subject seeks to develop.
  • Employ well defined criteria for marking and assessment which identify progress and achievement as well as effort, following the school’s marking policy.
  • Enable effective tracking of pupil progress to identify areas for development in pupil’s knowledge and understanding.
  • Enable effective reporting to parents.

 

Staff training and CPD

All staff have access to RE CPD in line with the subject leader’s identified areas for development. This is either ‘in house’ or through diocesan support. The RE subject leader also attends local network meetings. 

 

Withdrawal

We note the Human Right of parents to withdraw their children from RE and of teachers to withdraw from teaching the subject. We aim to provide an open curriculum which can be taught to all pupils, by all staff. Teachers are asked to refer to the head teacher any questions from parents about withdrawals. Requests for full or partial withdrawal from RE should be made in writing to the Head Teacher and a record kept of them.