Religious Education

All schools are required to make provision for a daily act of collective worship and must teach religious education to pupils at every key stage.

RE is an important curriculum subject. It is important in its own right and also makes a unique contribution to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils and supports wider community cohesion. The Government is keen to ensure all pupils receive high-quality RE.

The importance of RE

Religion and beliefs inform our values and are reflected in what we say and how we behave. RE is an important subject in itself, developing an individual’s knowledge and understanding of the religions and beliefs which form part of contemporary society.

Religious education provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, the self and the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong, and what it means to be human. It can develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of Christianity, of other principal religions, other religious traditions and worldviews that offer answers to questions such as these.

RE also contributes to pupils’ personal development and well-being and to community cohesion by promoting mutual respect and tolerance in a diverse society. RE can also make important contributions to other parts of the school curriculum such as citizenship, personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE education), the humanities, education for sustainable development and others. It offers opportunities for personal reflection and spiritual development, deepening the understanding of the significance of religion in the lives of others – individually, communally and cross-culturally.

Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

Section 78 (1) of the 2002 Education Act states that all pupils should follow a balanced and broadly based curriculum which ‘promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, social, mental and physical development of pupils and of society, and prepares pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life’. Learning about and from religions and beliefs, through the distinct knowledge, understanding and skills contained in RE within a broad-based curriculum, is essential to achieving these aims. Exploring the concepts of religion and belief and their roles in the spiritual, moral and cultural lives of people in a diverse society helps individuals develop moral awareness and social understanding.

Personal development and well-being

RE plays an important role in preparing pupils for adult life, employment and lifelong learning. It helps children and young people become successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens. It gives them the knowledge, skills and understanding to discern and value truth and goodness, strengthening their capacity for making moral judgements and for evaluating different types of commitment to make positive and healthy choices.

Community cohesion

RE makes an important contribution to a school’s duty to promote community cohesion. It provides a key context to develop young people’s understanding and appreciation of diversity, to promote shared values and to challenge racism and discrimination. Effective RE will promote community cohesion at 7 each of the four levels outlined in DCSF guidance.

The school community – RE provides a positive context within which the diversity of cultures, beliefs and values can be celebrated and explored. 

The community within which the school is located – RE provides opportunities to investigate patterns of diversity of religion and belief and forge links with different groups in the local area. 
The UK community – a major focus of RE is the study of diversity of religion and belief in the UK and how this influences national life. 
The global community – RE involves the study of matters of global significance recognising the diversity of religion and belief and its impact on world issues.

RE subject matter gives particular opportunities to promote an ethos of respect for others, challenge stereotypes and build understanding of other cultures and beliefs. This contributes to promoting a positive and inclusive school ethos that champions democratic values and human rights.

In summary, religious education for children and young people:

provokes challenging questions about the meaning and purpose of life, beliefs, the self, issues of right and wrong, and what it means to be human. It develops pupils’ knowledge and understanding of Christianity, other principal religions, and religious traditions that examine these questions, fostering personal reflection and spiritual development 
encourages pupils to explore their own beliefs (whether they are religious or non-religious), in the light of what they learn, as they examine issues of religious belief and faith and how these impact on personal, institutional and social ethics; and to express their responses. This also builds resilience to anti-democratic or extremist narratives 
enables pupils to build their sense of identity and belonging, which helps them flourish within their communities and as citizens in a diverse society  teaches pupils to develop respect for others, including people with different faiths and beliefs, and helps to challenge prejudice 
prompts pupils to consider their responsibilities to themselves and to others, and to explore how they might contribute to their communities and to wider society. It encourages empathy, generosity and compassion.

RE has an important part to play as part of a broad, balanced and coherent curriculum to which all pupils are entitled. High quality learning experiences in RE are designed and provided by careful planning through locally agreed syllabuses and in schools, taking into account the need to offer breadth of content, depth of learning and coherence between concepts, skills and content.

Intent (What we want to do)

The National Curriculum states the legal requirement that:

Every state-funded school must offer a curriculum which is balanced and broadly based, and which:

• Promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society.

• Prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.

At Wath C of E each child receives a high standard of education that is broad, challenging, exciting and inspires creative thinking. We aim to encourage children to be safe, independent and respectful towards others and make a positive and meaningful contribution to the community of which they are a part and to develop the skills they need to respond to and meet the challenges of an ever-changing world and global society.

In RE pupils will be taught an increasing knowledge and understanding of religions and world views through a curriculum which allows them to systematically review and build on their learning. They will gain and use the skills needed to engage seriously with religions and world views, whilst learning to express and communicate ideas and insights about their nature, significance and impact.

All children will have access to the RE curriculum through quality-first, inclusive teaching and any barriers to pupils participating in all RE learning will be and minimised and where possible removed.

Summary

• Know about and understand religions and world views.

• Express ideas and insights into religious and world views.

• Use and deploy the skills for learning from religious world views.

Implementation (How we will do it)

At Wath C of E RE is taught in accordance with the Rotherham Agreed Syllabus for RE and Understanding Christianity.

RE has an important part to play as part of a broad, balanced and coherent curriculum to which all pupils are entitled. High quality learning experiences in RE are designed and provided by carefully sequenced planning based on the Rotherham Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education alongside Understanding Christianity which forms the basis of the Christian content of our syllabus. The schemes of work are adapted as appropriate for each class and, in order to make RE a lively, active subject, we employ a variety of teaching methods including art, music, discussion, opportunities to develop thinking skills, drama, the use of artefacts, pictures, stories and periods of stillness and reflection when appropriate.

Where possible we want our pupils to have opportunities to encounter local faith communities through visits to local places of worship or visits from members of local faith communities.

• In KS1 pupils study Christianity and Judaism

• In Lower KS 2 pupils study Christianity and Hinduism

• In Upper KS 2 pupils study Christianity and Islam

In the Foundation Stage RE is planned through the Educational Programmes in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is implemented through purposeful play and a mix of adult guided and child-initiated activity through the 7 areas of learning.

‘Quality first’ teaching in RE includes reasonable adjustments, scaffolds and adaptations to ensure all children can access learning and includes opportunities for children to express their learning in a variety of ways.

All lessons have planned opportunities for retrieval, allowing children to review and build on important knowledge over time. The timetable for RE means that lessons are regular, consistent in approach and support children’s recall and memory.

Summary

RE lessons are carefully planned and structured within a logical and progressive sequence, with clear content and planned opportunities for retrieval, allowing children to build on their knowledge and experiences, make connections with previous learning and engage with RE in a deep and meaningful way.

Impact (What impact will it have?)

Pupils’ learning over time will reflect the intended curriculum. At Wath C of E the RE curriculum will impact pupils by allowing and supporting them to:

have knowledge and understanding of Christianity, other principal religions, and religious traditions that examine these questions, whilst fostering personal reflection, growth and spiritual development.
have a sense of identity and belonging, which helps them flourish within their communities and as citizens in a diverse society.
have respect for others, including people with different faiths and beliefs and help to challenge prejudice.
consider their responsibilities to themselves and to others, and to explore how they might contribute to their communities and to wider society.
have empathy, generosity, compassion and kindness.
have a sense of awe and wonder and mystery.

These outcomes will be measured using ongoing planned unit assessment which goes beyond recall of factual information but also takes account of children’s ability to express their own ideas and insights and their own religious, spiritual and/or philosophical ways of seeing, living and thinking, believing and belonging. At the end of each unit of work, teachers will assess the children based on their work and contribution’s during class activities. On occasions, where relevant, an assessment task may be given.

Attainment of groups of children will be recorded on the year group RE assessment sheets provided for each unit where progress throughout each year can be monitored. The curriculum is designed to allow all children to make at least good progress and be successful in meeting or exceeding expectations. Pupils with SEND make progress in RE. When expected progress is not made, plans are put in place to address this and allow for accelerated progress through additional provision in class, external agency support and family discussions.

Summary

The impact of our RE curriculum at Wath C of E will be seen not only in measurable attainment and progress but in children who are polite, well-mannered caring members of our school community who understand and respect everybody’s differences and needs.