Intent
Religious Education (RE) plays a unique role in developing well-rounded and informed individuals who celebrate the similarities and differences within our school and wider community. Our school is part of a diverse and multicultural community where different religions and races live, learn and play together. Our curriculum allows our children and their families to learn about and from a wide range of religions and cultures. At Village Infants School we aim to harness our pupil’s natural curiosity and wonder at the world through enriching experiences to help them become more inclusive, accepting and tolerant of others. We want children to develop a cultured world view that encourages them to self-reflect and develop empathy for others regardless of race or religion. Through inclusive learning, their understanding of enables children to think critically, reason and justify their own ideas about spiritual, cultural and moral concepts as well as being able to challenge the ideas of others in a respectful manner. The skills and knowledge gained through the RE curriculum promotes core British values and the core values of our school.
Implementation
At Village Infants School the pupils follow the Agreed Borough wide curriculum from SACRE which is reviewed every five years. This is in line with statutory and government guidelines that follow the national requirement to teach a broad and balanced curriculum. In weekly lessons, learning objectives are shared with the children and referred to throughout RE lessons. Pupils are given opportunities to explore the main religions found in the UK including, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism, as well as non-religious beliefs, such as atheism and humanism. Teachers differentiate lessons and activities as appropriate to meet the needs of all learners and ensure appropriate challenge. Children are given hands on enriching experiences through role play e.g a baptism ceremony, and trips to religious places of worship, such as a church, mosque and gurudwara. To further develop their knowledge and skills, children also explore religious artefacts such as a Muslim prayer mat, figures of Hindu Gods and special books including the Qur’an and Bible. Key vocabulary relating to Religious Education is planned for progressively across the school. Children are taught how to use this vocabulary in context through discussions. RE has links to PSHE lessons, assemblies, cultural celebrations and national events such as Remembrance Day and Harvest.
Through our approach, children will:
- Develop respect for others
- Ask questions about a range of religions and religious beliefs
- Listen to each other’s views and opinions in order to formulate their own
- Learn about a range of religious beliefs and places of worship
- Work with local religious leaders and visit places of worship
Impact
At Village Infants School, pupils progress in RE is monitored in line with the skills set out in the Agreed Syllabus. An assessment will be completed at the end of each unit by individual class teachers and at the end of the year teachers will assess children against all of these skills. In addition to this, the subject leader will carry out pupil interviews and work sampling half termly in order to monitor progress and outcomes across the year group. The floor book will reflect the RE journey and progression in subject across the school. Through their RE learning, the children are able to make links between their own lives, and those of others in their community and in the wider world, developing an understanding and tolerance of other people’s cultures and ways of life.
