Intent
Why do we teach this? Why do we teach it in the way we do?

The RE curriculum is intrinsic to the outworking of our school’s Christian vision: “Valuing Everyone in our school, in our community and in our world” enabling all pupils to flourish. The RE curriculum also makes a significant contribution to British Values and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

RE is a highly regarded academic subject led by the Headteacher and Assistant Head and it is expected to engage and challenge pupils through an exploration of core concepts and questions. It is expected that progress in RE is significant and attainment high, enabling pupils to develop confident religious literacy.

RE teaching provides fully for the needs of all pupils and supports the development of skills including: enquiry, analysis, interpretation, evaluation and reflection through a Big Question approach. Pupils are given a safe space to explore their own religious, spiritual and philosophical ways of seeing, living, thinking and belonging.

We aim for all pupils to:

• know about and understand Christianity as a diverse global living faith through the exploration of core beliefs using an approach that critically engages with biblical text
• gain knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews appreciating diversity, continuity and change within religions and worldviews being studied
• engage with challenging questions of meaning and purpose raised by human existence and experience
• recognise the concept of religion and its continuing influence on Britain’s cultural heritage and in the lives of individuals and societies in different times, cultures and places
• explore their own religious, spiritual and philosophical ways living, believing and thinking

Implementation
What do we teach? What does this look like?

We have designed a bespoke RE curriculum that meets the requirements as set out in the Locally Agreed Syllabus 2023 and the Church of England's Statement of Entitlement for RE that ensures a carefully planned sequential approach supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression. Resources used to support high quality teaching and learning are Understanding Christianity, Discovery RE and ODBE. Christianity is the majority religion studied in every group, to which at least 50% of RE curriculum time is devoted. Children in Years 1 – 6 also study another religion or viewpoint, with KS1 studying Abrahamic religions: Judaism and Islam and KS 2 studying an Abrahamic religion (Judaism, Islam) alternated with a Dharmic religion (Hinduism, Sikhism) the following year. In Year 6, children also study non-religious viewpoints when studying Creation. In Early Years Foundation Stage, children explore what it means to be me, to be you and to be human through stories from the Bible as well as sharing a variety of moral stories and experiencing aspects of festivals enjoyed by different religions and worldviews (including Holi, Nowruz, Chinese New Year).

Across the year, children in Years 1 to 6 are teacher assessed against
Knowing it: Making Sense of the Text (Theology)
Living it: Understanding the Impact (Philosophy)
Linking it : Making Connections (Sociology) statements

Impact
What will this look like? By the time children leave our school they will:

• respect others, with an understanding of and respect for diverse beliefs and cultures
• understand the nature, role and influence of religions and other worldviews, locally, nationally and globally
• reflect on questions of meaning, purpose and value
• be able to formulate reasoned opinion and argument and express with tolerance and respect for all
• enter into meaningful dialogue with people of different beliefs, worldviews and backgrounds
• hold high self-esteem and self-concept, able to reflect on their experiences and emotions
• be creative thinkers who can apply critical thinking to and reflect meaningfully on spiritual, moral, social and cultural values
• be able to explore and reflect on spiritual and ethical values, helping them to develop qualities, attitudes and dispositions that will help them engage effectively with the world of work and responsible citizens

Progression of Skills in RE
RE Curriculum Overview Reception to Year 6

I like understanding the different stories from the Bible. I like learning about other religions.

I like RE week as we learn different things every time and they are always fun. I like RE because we get to learn about different religions and faiths and how they give commitment.

It's fun to find out what others believe. I like RE because you get to learn about new religions.