Intent
At St Marys CE Primary School, we believe that it is important for all our pupils to learn from and about religion, so that they can understand the world around them. Religious Education provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, self and the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human. It challenges pupils to reflect on, consider, analyse, interpret and evaluate issues of truth, belief, faith and ethics and to communicate their responses. It promotes respect and open-mindedness towards others with different faiths and beliefs and encourages pupils to develop their sense of identity and belonging through self-awareness and reflection, which plays an important role in preparing pupils for adult life.
Implementation
We have designed our RE curriculum by combining Understanding Christianity, and the Shropshire Agreed Syllabus. “The Church of England’s Statement of Entitlement states that the coverage of Christianity in church schools should be two thirds of the total RE curriculum time. The other third of the curriculum should be focused on a rigorous study of other faiths or generic topics. It is recommended that, in addition to Christianity, Islam and one other faith are studied in depth within key stages one and two. Other faiths and philosophies should be discussed as appropriate, but with less rigour.” (Diocese of Lichfield, Religious Education Guidance, 2017).
By addressing key questions, Understanding Christianity encourages pupils to explore core Bible texts, examine the impact for Christians and consider possible implications. Each unit incorporates the three elements:
- Making sense of the text – Developing skills of reading and interpretation; understanding how Christians interpret, handle and use biblical texts; making sense of the meanings of texts for Christians
- Understanding the impact – Examining ways in which Christians respond to biblical texts and teachings, and how they put their beliefs into action in diverse ways within the Christian community and in the world
- Making connections – Evaluating, reflecting on and connecting the texts and concepts studied, and discerning possible connections between these and pupils’ own lives and ways of understanding the world.
As a school, we focus on three main religions; Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. We have chosen Hinduism as the additional faith to study as Hinduism is not another Abrahamic faith. The children will also have opportunities to learn about Sikhism, Buddhism and Judaism through faith weeks throughout the year.
Impact
The children at St Marys CE Primary School enjoy learning about Christianity and other religions and why people choose, or choose not to follow a religion. Through their R.E. learning, the children are able to make links between their own lives and those of others in their community and in the wider world, developing an understanding of other people’s cultures and ways of life. Our Religious Education Curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression, building upon their subject knowledge as they progress through school.
Long Term Plan – Cycle A and Cycle B
Long Term Plan – Cycle A and Cycle B FINAL
Medium Term Planning
21-20408 SHROPSHIRE Agreed Syllabus_WEB
Adaptive Teaching in RE
RE Adaptive Teaching at St Mary’s