RE

Intent

Our Religious Education (RE) curriculum is based on the Southwark Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education 2018, because an agreed syllabus for religious education sets out what all schools in a local authority should include in their RE programme.

We at Heber deeply value and take full advantage of the issues RE allows us to tackle, and we aim to enthuse learners and encourage open mindedness, tolerance and acceptance, leading to deeper understanding and a greater awareness of the world. We aim to contribute to the spiritual, moral, social, emotional, cultural and intellectual development of pupils through RE learning.

Overall aims and principles

1. Learn about and understand a range of religions and worldviews, so that they can:
• describe, explain and analyse beliefs and practices, recognising the diversity which exists within and between communities and amongst individuals;
• identify, investigate and respond to questions posed, and responses offered by some of the sources of wisdom found in religions and worldviews;
• appreciate and appraise the nature, significance and impact of different ways of life and ways of expressing meaning.
2. Express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religions and worldviews, so that they can:
• explain reasonably their ideas about how beliefs, practices and forms of expression influence individuals and communities;
• express with increasing discernment their personal reflections and critical responses to questions and teachings about identity, diversity, meaning and value, including ethical issues;
• appreciate and appraise varied dimensions of religion or a worldview.
3. Gain and deploy the skills needed to engage seriously with religions and worldviews, so that they can:
• find out about and investigate key concepts and questions of belonging, meaning, purpose and truth, responding creatively;
• enquire into what enables different individuals and communities to live together respectfully for the wellbeing of all;
• articulate beliefs, values and commitments clearly in order to explain why they may be important in their own and other people’s lives.

And so, RE at Heber aims to:

• encourage pupils to have confidence in their own growing sense of identity as well as valuing and respecting diversity in others;
• help pupils in their search for meaning and purpose in life;
• provoke challenging questions about the meaning and purpose of life, beliefs, the self, issues of right and wrong, and what it means to be human;
• teaches pupils to develop respect for others, including people of different faiths and beliefs, and helps challenge prejudice;
• neither promote nor undermine any particular religious, spiritual or secular stance;
• be accessible to pupils and teachers of any religious stance or none;
• encourage pupils to be confident and able to safely express their views and opinions. It encourages empathy, generosity and compassion.

Key Stage 1

The curriculum must ‘reflect that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian, whilst taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain’ (The Education Act 1996), for both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

During Key Stage 1, pupils are beginning to develop an awareness of themselves and others and to recognise that there are stories, people, places, times and values that are especially important to themselves and to others.
They are also beginning to develop their questioning skills to help them to make sense of and respond to the world in which they live. Through this process of questioning, they will begin to:

• be aware that some questions are puzzling and may not have easy or right answers, even for adults;
• understand that people’s beliefs and values affect the way in which they live; and
• make links between their own experiences and those of others.
As pupils progress through this key stage, they will begin to make more sense of key concepts and should be encouraged to establish a vocabulary of words related to religion.
Pupils will be developing an ability to express their own feelings, reactions and responses. They will also be learning to respond to others in appropriate ways.

Key Stage 2

Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4)

During lower Key Stage 2, pupils will be developing their interest in, as well as knowledge and understanding of, different religious beliefs and practices as well as secular world views. They will begin to recognise diversity within, as well as between, religious and cultural traditions.

Most pupils’ ways of thinking and responding will be developing, though some will be more open to different levels of meaning - within a story, for example - than others.

Information gathering skills are developing and pupils will be able to use religious and other specialist vocabulary with growing confidence, building on and consolidating their learning from Key Stage 1.

Pupils will be able to talk about and respond to questions about their own beliefs and lifestyles, making comparisons with other people’s experiences.

Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5 and 6)

During upper Key Stage 2, pupils will be developing an understanding of the connection between beliefs and actions. They will increasingly understand some of the ways in which cultural and social influences affect how people practice their religion and will be able to compare their own beliefs and lifestyles with those of others.

Most pupils will be able to identify underlying ideas. They will be able to use religious and technical vocabulary with greater confidence, explaining symbolism and abstract ideas with increasing depth of understanding.

They will be able to research independently, using a wider range of sources. Pupils will recognise increasingly that some questions do not have answers or could have a range of answers, depending on beliefs and life experience.