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 wid
Aims and Objectives for Religious Education
In line with the Church of England Statement of Entitlement, our RE curriculum enables pupils to:
- Know and understand Christianity as a diverse global living faith
- Engage critically with biblical texts through Understanding Christianity
- Gain knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews
- Recognise religion’s influence on Britain’s cultural heritage and society
- Develop skills of enquiry, interpretation, evaluation and reflection
- Explore their own spiritual and philosophical convictions
Christianity makes up at least 50% of curriculum time, as expected in Church of England schools.
Our RE curriculum is intrinsic to the outworking of our distinctive Christian vision, of seeing our lives filled with God’s ‘colour’ and being part of bringing God’s ‘colour’ into the world around us. As such, it makes a significant contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
Implementation
We follow:
- The Dioceses of Leeds and York Diocesan Syllabus for RE.
- The Understanding Christianity resource.
Time Allocation
- KS1: Minimum 36 hours per year
- KS2: Minimum 45 hours per year
- EYFS: Delivered through Understanding the World and RE units
This reflects diocesan guidance and statutory requirements.
Curriculum
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.
Whole School RE Plan
Colour Key
🟦 Christianity
🟩 Judaism
🟨 Islam
🟪 Hinduism
🟧 Sikhism
⬜ Ways of Life
EYFS (Reception)
| Term | Unit | Key Question |
| Autumn 1 | 🟦 Creation | Why is the word ‘God’ so important to Christians? |
| Autumn 2 | 🟦 Incarnation | Why do Christians perform nativity plays at Christmas? |
| Spring 1 | ⬜ Being Special | Where do we belong? |
| Spring 2 | 🟦 Salvation | Why do Christians put a cross in an Easter garden? |
| Summer 1 | ⬜ Special Places | Which places are special and why? |
| Summer 2 | ⬜ Special Stories | Which stories are special and why? |
Year 1
| Term | Unit | Key Question |
| Autumn 1 | 🟦 Creation | Who do Christians say made the world? |
| Autumn 2 | 🟦 Incarnation | Why does Christmas matter to Christians? |
| Spring 1 | 🟩 Judaism | Who is Jewish and how do they live? |
| Spring 2 | 🟦 God | What do Christians believe God is like? |
| Summer 1 | ⬜ Belonging | Who am I? What does it mean to belong? |
| Summer 2 | ⬜ Our World | How should we care for our world and for others? |
Year 2
| Term | Unit | Key Question |
| Autumn 1 | 🟦 Gospel (Part 1) | What is the good news that Jesus brings? |
| Autumn 2 | 🟨 Islam (Part 1) | Who is a Muslim and how do they live? |
| Spring 1 | 🟦 Gospel (Part 2) | What is the good news that Jesus brings? |
| Spring 2 | 🟦 Salvation | Why does Easter matter to Christians? |
| Summer 1 | 🟨 Islam (Part 2) | Who is a Muslim and how do they live? |
| Summer 2 | ⬜ Special Places | What makes some places sacred? |
Year 3
| Term | Unit | Key Question |
| Autumn 1 | 🟦 People of God | What is it like to follow God? |
| Autumn 2 | 🟦 God/Incarnation | What is the Trinity? |
| Spring 1 | 🟧 Sikhism | What does it mean to be a Sikh in Britain today? |
| Spring 2 | 🟩 Judaism | How do festivals and family life show what matters to Jewish people? |
| Summer 1 | 🟦 Creation | What do Christians learn from the Creation story? |
| Summer 2 | ⬜ Ways of Life | How and why do people mark the significant events of life? |
Year 4
| Term | Unit | Key Question |
| Autumn 1 | 🟦 Gospel | What kind of world did Jesus want? |
| Autumn 2 | 🟦 Kingdom of God | When Jesus left, what was the impact of Pentecost? |
| Spring 1 | 🟪 Hinduism | What do Hindus believe God is like? |
| Spring 2 | 🟦 Our World | How and why do people try to make the world a better place? |
| Summer 1 | 🟨 Islam | How do festivals and worship show what matters to a Muslim? |
| Summer 2 | 🟪 Hinduism | What does it mean to be a Hindu in Britain today? |
Year 5
| Term | Unit | Key Question |
| Autumn 1 | 🟦 God | What does it mean if God is holy and loving? |
| Autumn 2 | 🟦 Incarnation | Was Jesus the Messiah? |
| Spring 1 | 🟦 Gospel | What would Jesus do? |
| Spring 2 | 🟩 Judaism | Why is the Torah so important for Jewish people? |
| Summer 1 | 🟧 Sikhism | What does it mean to be a Sikh in Britain today? |
| Summer 2 | ⬜ Ways of Life | What matters most to Humanists and Christians? |
Year 6
| Term | Unit | Key Question |
| Autumn 1 | 🟦 Creation & Science | Creation and Science: conflicting or complementary? |
| Autumn 2 | 🟦 People of God | How can following Jesus bring freedom and justice? |
| Spring 1 | 🟦 Kingdom of God | What kind of king is Jesus? |
| Spring 2 | 🟪 Hinduism | Why do Hindus want to be good? |
| Summer 1 | 🟨 Islam | What does it mean to be a Muslim in Britain today? |
| Summer 2 | ⬜ Ways of Life | Why do some people believe in God and some people not? |
Easter Week (KS2)
Each year, KS2 pupils take part in a dedicated Salvation “RE Week” in Spring 2, focusing deeply on the theological meaning of Easter.
Impact
Religious Education at Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School is central to the outworking of our distinctive Christian vision. RE enables pupils to flourish intellectually and spiritually through rigorous theological enquiry and meaningful engagement with a range of faiths and worldviews.
The curriculum:
- Secures deep understanding of Christianity as a living and diverse faith
- Promotes dignity and respect for all
- Develops courageous advocacy and moral awareness
- Strengthens pupils’ ability to reflect on their own beliefs and values
- Contributes significantly to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
Through high-quality teaching, strong leadership and close links with St Luke’s Church and the wider community, RE has a high profile and measurable impact across school life.
Pupil voice, assessment data, monitoring and work scrutiny demonstrate clear progression and high engagement.
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.
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.