Curriculum Statement

The RE curriculum is designed to inspire a lifelong wonder and curiosity about the beliefs of people around the world and, in particular, to learn about Christianity as a living faith that influences people worldwide.

Religious Education (RE) is an academic, non-confessional subject, which is taught across school from 3 to 11 years. Our aim for all pupils leaving Beeston Hill St. Luke’s is that they have developed a broad and balanced view of religion, have had the opportunity to develop their critical thinking, and learned how to reflect on their own experiences of religion and those of others.

Introduction

At Beeston Hill St. Luke’s CE Primary School, pupils and their families can expect a high quality RE curriculum that is challenging, rich and varied, enabling learners to acquire a thorough knowledge and understanding of a range of faiths and world views. As a Church of England school, the teaching of Christianity is at the heart of our RE curriculum. Through the Understanding Christianity resource, the use of an enquiry approach engages with significant theological concepts and the pupil’s own understanding of the world as part of their wider religious literacy.

Using the Dioceses of Leeds and York Diocesan Syllabus for RE, we learn about other religions and world views, ensuring that pupils develop mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. Links with our school’s vision, and support for pupil’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development are intrinsic to our RE curriculum and have a significant impact on learners. We provide a wide range of opportunities for learners to understand and make links between the beliefs, practices and value systems of the range of faiths and world views studied.

Christian values permeate every area of school life and therefore, RE has a high profile. We have close links with the local St Luke’s Church and the wider Christian community, and are fortunate to have the faith commitment of governors and staff alike.

Aims and objectives of Religious Education

As stated in the Church of England Statement of Entitlement for Religious Education, our school aims for all pupils:

  • to know about and understand Christianity as a diverse global living faith through the exploration of core beliefs using an approach that critically engages with the biblical text.
  • To gain knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews appreciating diversity, continuity and change within the religions and worldviews being studied.
  • To recognise the concept of religion and its continuing influence on Britain’s cultural heritage and in the lives of individuals and societies in different times, cultures and places.
  • to engage with challenging questions of meaning and purpose and to develop listening, questioning and debating skills.
  • to explore their own religious, spiritual and philosophical convictions, exploring and enriching their own beliefs and values.

Curriculum for Religious Education

RE is an academic subject that has a high profile in our school curriculum. It is a priority for senior leaders, who ensure that the teaching and learning of RE is comparable with other curriculum subjects. An RE specialist teacher teaches the majority of RE lessons across school. Local links with St Luke’s church and other religious faith leaders ensure that the subject covers a range of viewpoints and experience.

This means that the RE curriculum:

  • is intrinsic to the outworking of our distinctive Christian vision in enabling all pupils to flourish. In addition, it contributes to British values and to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
  • is delivered in an objective, critical and varied manner to engage and challenge all pupils through an exploration of core concepts and questions. Lessons provide meaningful and informed dialogue with a range of religions and worldviews.
  • Reflects a good balance between the disciplines of theology, philosophy and human science, to enable pupils to develop their religious literacy. Religious Literacy: Helping children and young people hold balanced and well-informed conversations about religion and belief. (Key Principles of a balanced curriculum in RE.)
  • Enables pupils to acquire a rich, deep knowledge and understanding of Christian belief and practice, including the ways in which it is unique and diverse, whilst engaging with biblical texts and theological ideas.
  • Provides opportunities for pupils to understand the role of foundational texts, beliefs, rituals, and practices and how they help to form identity in a range of religions and worldviews.
  • Supports the development of other curriculum areas and other general educational abilities such as literacy, empathy and the ability to express thoughts, feelings and personal beliefs.
  • Encompasses the full range of abilities to ensure that all flourish academically, using a wide range of teaching and learning strategies which consider the task, outcome, resource, support and pupil grouping as appropriate to pupils’ needs
  • Offers tasks that are age appropriate, challenging and sufficiently demanding to stimulate and engage all pupils, whilst extending the most able and providing support for those who need it.
  • Ensures that all pupils’ contributions are valued in RE as they draw on their own experiences and beliefs.

Curriculum balance and time

The Diocesan Board of Education for Leeds strongly recommends a minimum allocation of curriculum time for RE based upon the law and the Statement of Entitlement from the Church of England Education Office: Schools should aim to be close to 10% of curriculum for teaching RE, but must be no less than 5% in key stages 1-4. At Beeston Hill St. Luke’s, RE is taught for a minimum of 36 hours per year at Key Stage One and 45 hours per year at Key Stage Two (reflecting the % allocation requirements above.) In Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) the teaching is planned within the EYFS framework for our Nursery and Reception pupils through Personal, Social and Emotional Development and The Understanding of the World. In addition, our Reception classes follow the ‘Understanding Christianity’ scheme and the associated Diocesan Syllabus units as per the rest of school.

Parents and pupils are also entitled to expect that, in Church schools, Christianity should be the majority religion studied in each year group and should be at least 50% of the allocated RE curriculum time. At Beeston Hill St Luke’s. the Long Term Plan meets this expectation.

RE is delivered flexibly and in a range of ways using art, drama and music as well as writing. It also incorporates visits to different places of worship, In addition to the Whole School Curriculum Plan, the Understanding Christianity unit ‘Salvation’ is taught in every year group in KS2 as an ‘RE Week’ in Term 2B (just before the Easter holidays). The allocation of time does not include collective worship.

Teaching and Learning

At Beeston Hill St. Luke’s, RE is taught in a creative, enthusiastic and balanced way, which helps to generate respect for different views and interpretations. Our RE teaching 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. All pupil contributions are treated with sensitivity and respect.

Learners develop and use a wide range of skills including enquiry, analysis, interpretation, evaluation and reflection to deepen their understanding of the impact of religion. Key cross- curricular skills such as reading, writing, enquiry and debate are practised regularly. Pupils are encouraged to share their experiences of religion in a safe space and help others to understand what it means to be a person of faith living in Britain today.

The teaching of RE offers a wide variety of learning experiences, understanding that our diverse pupil population learn in different ways. Pupils will experience opportunities to learn and express themselves through an enquiry-based style of learning by:

  • Listening to and asking questions of the teacher and each other
  • Posing and discussing ‘big’ questions which may have no concrete answer
  • Engaging in partnered or small group work and discussion
  • Reading and analysing texts
  • Interpreting information from other sources e.g. art, photographs or artefacts
  • Researching information for themselves in libraries and on computers
  • Using a range of media such as music, drama and artwork
  • Visiting the place of worship of each of the five major world religions
  • Welcoming visitors to our school
  • Taking time to reflect

Scheme of work

A detailed scheme of work is available for teachers and other interested people alongside this policy.

It has been written to include units of work from the Diocese of York and Leeds RE syllabus, and from the Understanding Christianity Programmes of Study. These units are supported by the RE Today Curriculum. The scheme of work includes a Whole School Plan,  a Pupil’s Journey in RE (showing the coverage of all the units across the year groups) and Journey by Strand for each theme (showing the progress pupils make in each strand).  Appropriate learning outcomes for each key stage ensure progression.

EYFS:

Nursery – EYFS themes emerging from the EYFS Framework through PSHE and Understanding our World

Reception – EYFS themes emerging from the EYFS framework and formal teaching using the Understanding Christianity resources (Creation, Incarnation, Salvation) as well as thematic units from the Diocesan syllabus.

Children will begin to understand and value the similarities and differences between people in their community and beyond. They will use books, music, visitors and objects to begin their learning journey of other religions. Work, such as photographs, drawings and pupil comments will be recorded in whole class floor books which progress through school with the cohort. Specific, accurate and age appropriate RE vocabulary and terminology will be introduced in EYFS.

KS1:

Year 1 – Christianity and Judaism, Belonging and Our World
Year 2 – Christianity, Islam, and Special Places

During KS1, we aim to develop pupil knowledge of Christianity and to broaden their understanding of the Christian faith. Using subject-specific vocabulary, pupils are encouraged to ask questions and begin to express their own views.

Following the Dioceses of Leeds and York Diocesan Syllabus, RE teaching and learning should enable pupils to:

  • Identify the core beliefs and concepts studied and give a simple description of their meaning
  • Give examples of ways in which believers put their beliefs into practice
  • Give a good reason for the views they have and the connections they make.

Children record work on unit-based worksheets which are then stuck into RE books. Practical activities can be recorded on SeeSaw.

KS2:

Year 3 – Christianity, Judaism, Sikhism, and Ways of Life
Year 4 – Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Our World
Year 5 – Christianity, Judaism, Sikhism, and Ways of Life
Year 6 – Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Ways of Life

During KS2, we aim to develop pupil knowledge of Christianity through an extended range of sources and vocabulary. Increasingly challenging and more open-ended questions are asked to encourage discussion and curiosity. Pupils are encouraged to share and explain their opinions verbally and in writing. Understanding Christianity aims to:

  • enable pupils to know about and understand Christianity as a living world faith, by exploring core theological concepts
  • to enable pupils to develop knowledge and skills in making sense of biblical texts and understanding their impact in the lives of Christians
  • to develop pupils’ abilities to connect, critically reflect upon, evaluate and apply their learning to their own growing understanding of religion and belief (particularly Christianity), of themselves, the world and human experience.

Following the Dioceses of Leeds and York Diocesan Syllabus, RE teaching and learning should enable pupils to:

  • Identify and explain the core beliefs and concepts studied, using examples from texts and to show awareness of different interpretations
  • Show how and why people put their beliefs into practice in different ways
  • Consider and weigh up how ideas studied in this unit relate to their own experiences and experiences of the world today

Children record work on worksheets, either as hard copies or on SeeSaw.  Practical activities can also be recorded on SeeSaw.

Visits and visitors

During their time at school, our pupils will visit and receive visitors in to their class every year. We are fortunate to have strong links within our local community and wider region enabling faith leaders and other members of the community to meet with children and be involved in the teaching of RE.

Children will have the opportunity to make the following visits during their time at our school:

Year 1: Church
Year 2: Church and Mosque
Year 3: Synagogue (new topic – trip to be arranged)
Year 4: Hindu temple (new topic – trip to be arranged)
Year 5: Sikh Temple
Year 6: Mosque

Cross-curricular links

Cross-curricular work is encouraged and celebrated, in line with our whole school policy for teaching and learning. RE supports the development of general educational abilities such as literacy, empathy and the ability to express thoughts, feelings and personal beliefs. RE also makes a major contribution to pupils’ SMSC development. It addresses issues which arise in a range of subjects, such as English, art, drama and history, geography, computing, music as well as personal, social and emotional education and citizenship.

Assessment

We use a variety of strategies to evaluate and assess the knowledge, skills and understanding that our children gain as they progress through school. These include, but are not limited to, the expectations of ‘Understanding Christianity’ and the Dioceses of Leeds and York Diocesan syllabus for RE. In line with how other subjects are assessed in school, RE focuses on the acquisition of ‘Fab Four’ (also known in RE as ‘Sticky Knowledge’) – knowledge and building blocks that are essential to make progress through the themes in the Whole School Plan.  We will record assessments using an end-of-unit assessment, data collected in a Big Quiz (KS2), ongoing informal professional judgements, work scrutiny and SeeSaw evidence.

Assessment in RE will:

  • Involve identifying suitable opportunities in schemes of work such as Understanding Christianity.
  • Be related to the expectations of the Dioceses of Leeds and York Diocesan Syllabus
  • Recognise the range of skills and attitudes which the subject seeks to develop.

Tracking of pupils’ acquisition on knowledge to ensure the building blocks are in place in order to move on to the next unit in the theme.

  • Include pupil self-assessment.
  • Enable effective tracking of pupil progress to identify areas for development in pupils’

knowledge and understanding, as well as whole school areas for development.

  • Enable the modification of planning in light of assessment data.
  • Enable effective reporting to parents.

Role of the RE subject leader

The subject leader will:

  • Ensure that all pupils receive their legal entitlement of RE and that curriculum time is sufficient.
  • Ensure RE provision reflects the Church of England Statement of Entitlement.
  • Produce and regularly review a subject policy to ensure that it remains up to date.
  • Take the lead in implementing schemes of work and identifying topics and religions for each year group to ensure progression and continuity across the school
  • Ensure all teachers know what should be taught in RE, what resources are available, and what standards of attainment are expected at the end of each Key Stage.
  • Devise appropriate procedures for planning, assessment and recording.
  • Monitor the quality and effectiveness of teaching and learning in RE and pupil progress through meetings, lesson observations and regular ‘pupil voice’ sessions.
  • Monitor planning, checking for clarity of outcomes and aspects of differentiation
  • Support colleagues by sharing new ideas and pedagogy, to help develop their subject confidence and expertise through CPD opportunities, support sessions and staff meetings.
  • Support non-specialist teachers and staff
  •  Oversee the RE budget and monitor RE resources to ensure they are kept and stored respectfully and replaced where necessary

Monitoring, Evaluation and Review

We intend that this policy should operate for the next three years, and then be fully reviewed by all staff and governors. The subject leader’s role includes monitoring and evaluation of this policy in practice. The subject leader for RE will assess and review the subject’s strengths and areas for development. This will be in line with SIAMS and OFSTED guidance about self-evaluation and review.

Staff training and CPD

The staff have regular access to the expertise of the RE Specialist Teacher. As well as delivering the majority of lessons across school, the Specialist Teacher will share planning with those teachers who are delivering the lessons themselves, ensuring they understand the concepts and aims of the lesson. Staff know that they can come to the Specialist Teacher and/or the RE Subject Leader for clarification and help. When there are changes to the curriculum or updates made, these are shared in staff meetings.

Legal Requirements

RE must be provided for all registered pupils in full time education except those withdrawn at their parents’ request. (DfE Circular 1 / 94, paragraphs 44 & 49, and Non-Statutory Guidance 2010 page 28) The law relating to RE for pupils who are not yet in key stage 1 is different from that relating to subjects of the National Curriculum. As RE must be taught to ‘all registered pupils at the school’, it includes pupils in reception classes, but not those in nursery classes.

Right to Withdraw

Our school complies with any request from a parent to withdraw their child and parents are not required to give their reasons for wanting to do so. However, in view of the importance placed on RE as a core subject at Beeston Hill St. Luke’s, we would hope that all children admitted will participate fully in RE. We aim to provide an open curriculum, which can be taught to all pupils, by all staff. Teachers must refer any questions from parents about withdrawals to the head teacher. We ask that anyone wishing to withdraw their child would discuss this with the head teacher before making this decision. Requests for full or partial withdrawal from RE should be made in writing to the head teacher and a record kept.