Religious Education
The Religious Education element of our school curriculum is designed to engage, inspire, challenge and encourage pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to ponder challenging questions, explore different religious beliefs, values and traditions and develop a more rigorous understanding of the numerous religious traditions, beliefs and practices that are followed in our multi-cultural society. We teach our children to know how religious education enables pupils to combat prejudice, preparing them for adult life, employment and life-long learning.
Our curriculum is accessible to all and maximises the outcomes for every child so that they know more, remember more and understand more. As a result of this, they will become independent and responsible members of a society who understand and explore big questions about life, to find out what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that they can make sense of religion, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living. We provide our children with opportunities for them to learn about and from religions and worldviews in local, national and global contexts, to discover, explore and consider different answers to these questions. They will be equipped with systematic knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews, enabling them to develop their ideas, values and identities. Our children are encouraged to develop an aptitude for dialogue so that they can participate positively in our society, with its diverse religions and worldviews.
Religious Education Curriculum Design
The Medway Locally Agreed Syllabus indicates that pupils should extend their knowledge and understanding of religions and worldviews, recognising their local, national and global contexts. They should be introduced to an extended range of sources and subject specific vocabulary. They should be encouraged to be curious and to ask increasingly challenging questions about religion, belief, values and human life. Pupils should learn to express their own ideas in response to the material they engage with, identifying relevant information, selecting examples and giving reasons to support their ideas and views.
‘The principal aim of RE is to enable pupils to acquire a knowledge and understanding of different religious and other worldviews along with the skills to appreciate and evaluate the varied worldviews and responses to ultimate questions, so as to be better able to develop and express their own informed worldview.’
Medway Locally Agreed Syllabus 2018-Reflecting on Religion
Teachers use the Medway Locally Agreed Syllabus and long-term planning to plan units of work and deliver individual lessons. These units of work are based on Beliefs and Practices which offer an in-depth study of specific religions and how followers express their faith and themed units of work such as Pilgrimage and Places of Worship which allow children the opportunity to explore the religious significance of these themes across a range of religions or non-religious worldviews.
At Brompton Westbrook we ensure that RE teaching develops thinking and results in the acquisition of knowledge, through appropriate subject knowledge, skills and understanding and ensures children recognise and celebrate cultural diversity.
We offer RE opportunities which result in children understanding what it means to be a British Citizen or, someone from another country who lives in Britain, developing an awareness and tolerance of living in a multi-cultural society and being mutually respectful towards the beliefs of others. We create a safe and stimulating environment in which children are entitled to question, evaluate and express themselves through debate and discussion to “disagree agreeably.”
We focus on:
- Theology (this is about believing): looking at where beliefs come from - how they have changed over time, how they are applied differently in different contexts and how they relate to each other
- Philosophy (this is about thinking): finding out how and whether things make sense; dealing with questions of morality and ethics; taking seriously the nature of reality, knowledge and existence
- Social Sciences (this is about living): exploring the diverse ways in which people practise their beliefs; engaging with the impact of beliefs on individuals, communities and societies.
Children and young people will have a knowledge and understanding of:
- The major world religions and non-religious worldviews:
- Theology: key texts and traditions; beliefs, teachings/doctrines and sources; practices and ways of life; forms of expression; identity and belonging;
- Philosophy: how religion has influenced humanities’ search for meaning and purpose;
- Social Sciences: investigate and observe lived religious practices within local, national and international contexts; and consider how they have shaped and continue to shape society.
- Historical, geographical and scientific contexts.
Children develop the skills to:
As theologians:
- Analyse a range of primary and secondary sources
- Understand symbolic language
- Use technical terminology effectively
As philosophers:
- Interpret meaning and significance
- Evaluate and reflect upon beliefs and ethics and how they impact upon the lives of others and themselves
- Refine the way they think about the world and their place in it
- Consider moral principles, including the nature of good and evil
As social scientists:
- Respectfully critique and value the wide range of beliefs and cultural influences that have
- Shaped their own heritage and that of others, considering both differences and commonalities
- Recognise bias and stereotype
- Represent a range of views, other than one’s own, with accuracy
R.E in EYFS includes:
- Learning from other views, cultures and beliefs and supports children in developing their views and beliefs about themselves, their family and community.
- Learning about other views, beliefs and cultures and supports children in developing positive attitudes towards them.
- The EYFS Curriculum refers to spiritual wellbeing, acknowledging the fact that children have experiences beyond the purely emotional. Their spiritual wellbeing is enhanced by recognising that children develop spiritually by exploring answers to their questions, developing their sense of place in the world and beyond.
- In finding out about others, young children start reflecting on belief, culture and practice and explore faith through: stories, visuals, toys and puppets, handling real artefacts role play creativity (dance drama, art and design), non-fiction books, using IT and discussion.
R.E in Key Stage 1 and 2 includes:
- Using a range of teaching and learning styles, including activities such as discussion, role-play, religious stories, games, circle-time, problem-solving activities, use of artefacts and outdoor learning.
- Teaching in termly blocks and children are informed about a variety of religious festivals that take place throughout the year to demonstrate how people with different religious beliefs live and worship alongside each other.
- Educational Visits to local places of worship to provide rich first hand experiences for our children and visitors are encouraged to come into school to deliver workshops and question and answer sessions linked to units of work.
- Reflecting on what children have been taught in previous units of work and in previous year groups and making links
- Providing children with frequent opportunities to review their own learning to provide timely feedback and consolidation from previous learning, using a variety of teaching strategies
- Providing realistic and relevant information
- Teaching specify key vocabulary
- Providing opportunities for the children to work interactively, using other curriculum areas e.g. music, drama, art, with the teacher acting as the facilitator
- Promoting Individual reflection on the learning
Pedagogical approaches
- Direct teacher instruction; modelling of skills and techniques; demonstration
- Inquiry based learning
- Teacher modelling, questioning, mix of individual, paired and group discussion
- Pupil led learning opportunities
- Being introduced to the key vocabulary relating to RE so that all children can express their understanding, views and opinions confidently
- Learning opportunities to reflect on individual learning
We follow the Medway agreed syllabus for Religious Education. In all year groups our core theme is based on Christianity. Children learn about beliefs, morals, ceremonies and places of worship and through this children learn about British Values.
Children will also learn about beliefs and values in the following religions:
Judaism
Islam
Hinduism
Sikhism
Religious Education learning happens through whole class teaching, collective worship and through a cross curricular approach.
For further information about the Medway agreed syllabus please use the following link:
