Religious Education
Proverbs 22:6
“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old, they shall not turn from this.”
Intent
“Religious Education in a Church school should enable every child to flourish and ‘to live life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10). It will help educate for dignity and respect, encouraging all to live well together.” Statement of Entitlement C of E.
Religious Education at St. Michael’s will feel alive for all children, helping them to understand the world around them and how people are influenced or guided by their beliefs. This will start through Collective Worship each day which will give all a sense of belonging and connectedness, while curriculum content will be focussed on Christianity and one other World Faith / view per year. Over a year, children will learn how these beliefs or ways of life impact on individuals and communities, and as such build up a better understanding and appreciation for all people. Across their time at St. Michael’s, the children will regularly experience the school’s Christian Vision based on Proverbs 22:6 “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old, they shall not turn from this” in practical terms across the curriculum and within Religious Education recap previous years’ learning so that they build up a picture of how different religions / belief systems work.
Lessons can take many forms, as writing is not the be all and end all of Religious Education. The aim is to engage the children so that through a key question, learning can take place both within a lesson, across a series of lessons, and as the children’s understanding of religion grows, connection and comparisons made between the religious (and non-religious) beliefs and practices
The Church of England Religious Education statement of entitlement expects pupils, by the end of Year 6:
- to develop religious literacy
- have the ability to hold informed and balanced conversations about religion and beliefs.
- to flourish and to live life in all its fullness.
- to have dignity and respect encouraging all to live well together.
EYFS Curriculum Building Blocks
Building relationships ELG:
- Show sensitivity to their own and to others’ needs.
- People, Culture and Communities ELG: Know some similarities and differences between different religious and cultural communities in this country, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class;
Implementation
- Religious Education is taught weekly in discrete lessons from Y1 to Y6. In the Foundation Stage, Religious Education is a part of ‘Understanding of the World’ and may be taught through themes, stories or experiences.
- Links will be made to other areas of the curriculum including art, history and PSHE.
- We ensure high standards of teaching and learning in Religious Education where CDP is strongly encouraged.
- We implement a curriculum that is progressive from Foundation Stage to Year 6. Units of work build knowledge of both Christianity as well as other world view or faith each year and are structured around a big question.
- Links between the faiths and world views take place throughout the year and at the end of each year, a direct comparison made of the previous year’s studied faith, for example in Y2, children will study Islam but recap on the Y1 learning of Sikhism, comparing both the Christian units taught through both years.
- Each question is focussed through one of three ‘lenses’: Philosophy, Theology or Human & Social Sciences
- The questions themselves are designed to generate curiosity and discussion, so that all children feel that they can take an active role in the lessons even when it is not a faith or world view, they themselves hold.
RE Progression Documents