Thornton Hough Primary School

                                                                                                “Learning for life”

 Religious Education Curriculum.

Intent:

At Thornton Hough School, we believe that RE prepares pupils to engage in the development of the rapidly changing world and for life in modern Britain. We aim for our children to appreciate the way in which religious beliefs shape people’s lives and behaviour, whilst respecting their right to believe. Our teaching of Religious Education is closely linked to our values based curriculum and reflects the school’s mission statement, aims and values both for the pupils as individuals and as part of a whole school community.

Through the study of RE, the intent is for pupils to develop an understanding of how to be social, moral, spiritual and cultural individuals who are engaged in the community and the world around them. Encouraging pupils to make positive choices and changes to improve their quality of life and friendships. We encourage an enquiry-based and reflective approach by welcoming questions and discussions about the world and connecting them to our own beliefs, values and experiences, helping children to learn about religions and worldviews as well as from them. There are opportunities to develop their questioning skills and express their views in a safe environment.

We acknowledge the significant links to British Values throughout our teaching of RE; for example, promoting the idea that individuals have freedom to choose what they believe, but that not everyone is the same, enabling an understanding of rules and laws put forward by different religions. We also model respect and democracy, allowing children to speak, ask questions and debate. This engages children in their learning and they understand the importance of listening to the views of others, knowing that they have a right to a point of view.

Implementation:

RE is taught in Thornton Hough School according to the ‘Wirral Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education’. Pupils in the EYFS are taught RE through the Knowledge and Understanding of the World strand, as an integral part of the play-based learning covered during the academic year.

In Key Stage One and Two we follow the Wirral RE revised Scheme of work and each unit of work we deliver identifies prior learning and shows how this is built upon. Lessons are designed to develop the knowledge and skills outlined and these have been carefully mapped out to ensure that there is clear progression from F2 to Year 6. This programme of study reflects the fact that religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian, and as a result, Christianity is taught across all key stages. Pupils develop their knowledge of Christian beliefs and practices so that they understand the importance of the Bible, the role of the church and recognise that for Christians, their faith provides a way of interpreting life and its meaning.

We also recognise the importance of teaching pupils about the diverse nature of worldviews and so from KS1 onwards, other principal religions are introduced; Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Islam and Judaism. In learning about other religions, pupils develop British values by showing mutual respect and tolerance for alternative beliefs. Our curriculum ensures that pupils acquire knowledge about religious beliefs, teachings, ways of life, practices and forms of expression. Within each topic we support pupils to understand and use specialist religious vocabulary, such as, fasting, Ramadan and prophet (Year 5 topic on Islam).

RE has a significant role in helping pupils to engage with challenging spiritual, moral, social and cultural questions that may arise in their lives. Our RE curriculum therefore is carefully designed so that children learn about religion in order to learn from religion. For example, when listening to the story of the Good Samaritan, pupils reflect on how they could respond in situations where they encounter somebody who is hurt or upset. Where possible, meaningful links are made between religious teachings and our school values. In the example of the Good Samaritan, pupils are reminded of kindness and love.

As part of our RE Curriculum, all children gain ‘real-life’ experiences to help them embed knowledge and extend their learning. Whenever possible, we provide experiences that foster links with our local community. For example, visiting our two village churches to learn more about Christmas, Places of Worship and Easter. The local Vicar leads our Year 4 unit on the Bible and we invite parents in to share their religious traditions and customs. We also have regular assemblies delivered by the Reverend from the local church and workshops from MEAS (Minority access Achievement services)

Our teaching in RE uses a variety of strategies, including:

• exploring sacred texts and artefacts
• taking part in workshops delivered by members of community faith groups
• using imaginative play or drama to express feelings and ideas
• responding to images, stories, videos, art and music
• taking part in whole school events (Harvest Festival, Easter, Christmas , School performances)
• participating in moments of quiet reflection
• using ICT to explore religion and belief globally
• debating and communicating religious beliefs, worldviews and philosophical ideas and answering and asking ultimate questions posed by these
• Taking part in fundraising for local and national charities on a termly basis

Collective worship is delivered daily through assemblies or circle time activities within class. Worship has a variety of aims, including, reflecting on our school values; celebrating special occasions together; considering and responding to ultimate questions of life; developing a community spirit and reflecting on readings/stories from religious texts.

Impact:

Assessment criteria have been developed in line with the expectations laid out in the Wirral Agreed Syllabus, to enable teachers to assess the progress of the children as they move through the key stages. A variety of activities/methods are used to ensure that the planned curriculum has been taught and understood by our pupils.

At different points throughout a unit of work the teacher will use assessment activities such as a verbal discussion, group presentation, drama activity or mind map. This formative assessment helps teachers to identify which elements of the unit of work are well developed and which may need further reinforcement. It also helps to inform further differentiated support needed for pupils.

At the end of a unit the teacher will devise a range of assessment tasks, appropriate to the children’s stage of development, to assess the pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding. For example, a topic quiz, an art activity, an ICT presentation, a drama activity or a class discussion. This assessment is recorded on our RE assessment grids and used to plan the next unit of work. Assessment of SEND pupils is carefully considered to allow pupils to demonstrate their understanding. Outcomes will demonstrate that pupils reach the end of key stage expectations in RE.

The subject leader, alongside SLT monitors the impact of our RE curriculum at various times in the Year. These activities include looking at pupils’ work, spending time in lessons to get a feel for what it’s like to be a pupil learning RE in the class, speaking with pupils about their learning and about how their teacher helps them to develop their skills and remember content. There are also discussions with the teachers delivering the lesson, and viewing displays, photographic evidence and details on the school website.

The aim of these activities is to build up a connected view of how well the curriculum is learned by our pupils. This will enable us to evaluate regularly the overall effectiveness of our RE curriculum, making improvements as and when appropriate, so that pupils leave ready for the curriculum at Key Stage 3 and for life as an adult in the wider world.