Statement  for Religious Education

Introduction

At Thames View Primary School, we take an enquiry approach to Religious Education where, each term, the children apply their knowledge to a big question using their critical thinking skills.

As well as developing the children’s critical thinking skills, we believe that using an enquiry-based model increases their motivation to learn and enhances their knowledge and understanding of, and empathy with people and their beliefs, religious or otherwise. Our philosophy is that children are free to make their own choices and decisions concerning religion and belief. RE does not try to persuade but rather to inform and develop the skills with which evaluation can take place.

Christianity is taught in every year group, with Christmas and Easter given new treatment each year, developing the learning in a progressive way. Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism are also covered.

Reception

In Reception, children must learn about Christianity and a limited number of other religions chosen by the school. No specific time allocation is given, although most time should be given to work on Christianity.

Years 1 and 2

In Key Stage 1, children must learn about at least two different principal religions. These must include Christianity and Judaism.

The expectation is that 36 hours* (around 1 hour per week) is allocated for the teaching of RE.

By the end of Key Stage 1, children should be able to:

1. Recall in a simple fashion some basic beliefs and practices of Christianity and Judaism including some information about Jesus, Moses, festivals, worship, rituals, symbols and ways of life.
2. Retell and suggest the meanings of some religious and moral stories mostly from Christianity and Judaism, especially those found in the Christian Bible and Tanakh (Jewish Bible).
3. Recognise some similar features in both Christianity and Judaism and some differences between them.
4. Show an emerging understanding of what it means to belong to the religions of Christianity and Judaism.
5. Begin to express their own views in conversation and writing about what they are learning about Christianity and Judaism.
6. Begin to reflect on some of the ideas about right and wrong (moral/ethical teaching) of Christianity and Judaism.

Years 3-6

In Key Stage 2, children must learn about at least four different principal religions. These must include Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Sikhism.

The expectation is that 39 hours* (around 1 hour per week) is allocated for the teaching of RE.

By the end of Key Stage 2, children should be able to:

1. Describe some connections between different features or dimensions within each of the religions and worldviews studied.
2. Describe in greater detail the beliefs and practices of the four religions prescribed for study and any other worldviews and groups studied.
3. Demonstrate a greater awareness of the similarities and differences between the diverse religions studied with an emerging understanding of the distinctive features of each religion.
4. Demonstrate some understanding of the varied beliefs, practices and ways of life of some major groups within specific individual religions and any other worldviews.
5. Describe, understand and begin to reflect on a wider range of stories and writings found in the four prescribed religions and any other worldviews and groups studied.
6. Present their own and others’ views on some of the questions about belonging, meaning, purpose, values and truth which arise from their studies, where possible giving reasons for these views.
7. Present their own and others’ views about right and wrong and on some moral/ethical issues along with varied responses to them.
8. Demonstrate some understanding of the notion of ultimate questions, especially in relation to questions about the idea of God and some of the different response to these questions.

*Collective Worship is not part of the taught RE curriculum and so cannot be considered as part of the recommended time for teaching RE at any key stage.

The Owl Crew help the children to engage with the process of enquiry. The number of feathers on the chest shows which year group they belong to. Children can ask the owls questions and the owls can also ask questions and provide information to support learning. The owls all have names that mean wisdom or intelligence in a range of languages, reflecting how they support the children’s learning in RE.