“We may have different religions, different languages, different coloured skin, but we all belong to one human race.”

Kofi Annan

 

Curriculum Intent

At Bladon Church of England Primary School we aim to help children learn about and begin to understand religious beliefs and practices to develop their own spiritual awareness, and to understand the influence of religion on people’s lives. We want our children to gain knowledge about the world’s main religions as well as learning from religion, we believe that people from different faith perspectives can learn from each other. We intend to give our children the opportunity to meet people from different faiths and visit places of worship to help deepen their understanding.

Religious education enables our children to explore and question spiritual and religious experiences and to develop a sense of belonging, meaning and purpose in life. It can help children to develop critical thinking skills and draw their own conclusions.

The purpose of the RE Diocesan Scheme of Work that we use, is to give pupils from EYFS through to Year 6 a coherent picture of Christian worldviews and a range of other worldviews as appropriate to the Oxfordshire Locally Agreed Syllabus. It will take pupils on a journey through a range of concepts driven by three core strands: Beliefs and questions, Community and identity and Reality and truth. These strands will create connections between substantive and the disciplinary knowledge, and the units will include opportunities for the development of personal knowledge. The aim is to develop curiosity in pupils and equip them for future learning about, as well as enabling them to make sense of, the complex world of religious and non-religious worldviews.
Beliefs and questions will focus on theology, looking at the core beliefs and diverse interpretations of text, symbols and teachings of the chosen religions and worldviews.
Community and identity will focus on Human and Social Science and using data and other sources to examine practices and human expressions of religious and non-religious beliefs.
Reality and truth will focus on philosophy and ethics, looking at how people decide what is true and reliable drawing on the worldviews covered in the other units. It is in these units that
pupils will have the opportunity to explore the wider concept of what a worldview is and how people reach these ideas.

 

Implementation

We use the Diocesan scheme of work which covers the requirements of the locally agreed Oxfordshire syllabus. It brings together learning about and from religion, questioning and spiritual development in a comprehensive scheme of learning. Teaching strategies are varied and are mindful of preferred learning styles and the need for differentiation. The curriculum is presented as a series of enquiry-based units and as such children will be encouraged to explore and accept that some questions are difficult to answer. Children will be challenged to approach a topic with an open mind, express their views clearly, justify their viewpoint and accept the opinions of others with courtesy. Each enquiry starts from the children’s own life experiences using these as a bridge into the investigation of the religion being studied. Learning is assessed and children have opportunity to express their own thoughts and beliefs and empathise with believers of that religion or belief position.

RE gives many 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. 

RE is taught weekly by the class teachers ensuring sufficient dedicated curriculum time is given to RE reflecting the Church of England Statement of Entitlement. This is planned on a two-year cycle for mixed-age classes to ensure full coverage of the curriculum.

At Bladon CE School, there is an emphasis on the teaching of Christianity as a world faith. Our curriculum draws pupils into deeper understanding of the Bible, explores how Christian belief and practice are shaped, makes connections with other areas of belief and understanding, and encourages reflection, evaluation and application. We also learn about three other world religions: Hinduism, Judaism and Islam.

In Acorn Class (EYFS/Yr 1), one year of the cycle focusses on key themes and what they mean for different religions e.g. How do people celebrate? Looking at Christianity and Hinduism as well as religious and non-religious worldviews. The second year of the cycle focusses on two main religions, Christianity and Judaism.

In Chestnut Class (Yr 2/3), one year of the cycle is split equally between studying Christianity and Islam. The second year of the cycle is split equally between learning about Christianity and Judaism. They also learn about religious and non-religious worldviews.

In Maple Class (Yr 4/5), the first year of the cycle is split equally between studying Christianity and Hinduism. The second year is split equally between learning about Christianity and Islam. They also learn about religious and non-religious worldviews.

In Orchard Class (Yr 6), the children learn about Christianity and Hinduism as well as religious and non-religious worldviews.

Assessment

Teachers are eager to ensure children are making progress with their learning throughout their RE. Therefore, each enquiry has built-in assessment. This task is the formal opportunity for teacher assessment of the children’s knowledge of that religion, depth of critical thinking, and ability to answer the enquiry question. This stand-alone evidence is used in conjunction with other evidence such as records of discussions and annotations from other lessons within the enquiry to assist the teacher in assessing whether a child is working at the expected level or towards or beyond it.

 

Impact

• The children acquire a keen sense of enthusiasm as they learn about different cultural and religious backgrounds
• They are confident to question the world around them and appreciate the diversity it offers
• The children’s understanding and acceptance of differences and similarities between religions, enables them to discuss issues respectfully and appreciate the diversity of the modern world
• Learning how to articulate their thoughts is heightened as they broaden their vocabulary and power of expression
• Explore ultimate questions of beliefs and values in relation to a range of contemporary issues in an ever-changing society