At Saint James Primary School, we believe that RE provides children with the opportunity to courageously think beyond ourselves and respectfully consider opinions and beliefs that may be different to our own and foster love and respect of others in our local community in the wider world. This will then make us more respectful and loving members of any community we become a part of in our lives. It provides them with an understanding and awareness of the beliefs, values and traditions of different world religions. They develop emotional resilience and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs by considering different viewpoints. Children learn to describe and explain theological concepts, acquiring key knowledge and following the cycle.
I embody the spirit on an RE specialist, I...
• Communicate my personal experiences.
• Discuss and apply others’ viewpoints.
• Investigate and inquire a variety of different religious words.
• Contextualize real life examples of religious traditions.
• Evaluate the meaning of the concept for others and for myself.
Children in Early Years learn about People, Culture and Communities as part of ‘Understanding the World’. They learn about simple similarities and differences between different religions and cultural communities. They draw on their own experiences and also what has been read in class.
• Children learn about Christianity and Hinduism in Year 1 and 2; Christianity and Judaism in Year 3 and 4 and Christianity and Islam in Year 5 and 6. This provides the children with a rounded view of different religions throughout their time at the school.
• RE is taught once per half term over one week. This allows the children the time to be fully immersed in the day (recommended 36 hours in KS1 and 45 hours in KS2 for RE)
• We follow the Hampshire RE syllabus, Living Differences IV, that centres around an inquiry based approach.
• We use materials from the ‘Understanding Christianity’ resource to enrich and explore RE.
• All RE units explore a big idea or concept. Each big idea is explored using a 5-step cycle of communicate, apply, inquire, contextualise, evaluate. This encourages the children to delve deeper with their thinking and share their own experience of particular concepts.
• RE teaching is recorded in RE books that go with the children as they progress through the school. Additional photographic evidence is collected where necessary.
• Links are made in RE to our School values and also promote the fundamental British values of mutual tolerance and respect.
• Key knowledge is revisited throughout the year and links to prior learning are made to strengthen understanding.
• Children are taught key religious vocabulary.
• Observations and assessments of the children are made throughout the RE teaching.
• Key knowledge and skills are assessed against the inquiry cycle.
• Observations of the children’s attitudes and reflections towards RE are also made over time.
• Children will have opportunity to discuss their understanding and tolerance of the world around them.
• Children will develop as citizens and make a positive contribution to the wider world.
• Children will become inquisitive about the world around them and deepen their understanding through discussion and debates.
By law, parents have the right to withdraw their child from all or part of the RE curriculum. Parents will be asked to indicate the areas they require their children to be withdrawn from.
A summary of the RE curriculum can be downloaded, or viewed in the accordian container below:
Who, for some Christians, made the world?
Christianity
Why is the nativity journey’s end important to Christians?
Christianity
Why is generosity important to Hindu traditions?
Hinduism
Why was Jesus welcomed by a crowd?
Christianity
What good news did Jesus bring?
Christianity
Why is Prashad important for Hindus?
Hinduism
Why did God need to rest?
Christianity
Why does Christmas matter to Christians?
Christianity
Is it important for Hindus to have a special place?
Hinduism
Why does Easter matter to Christians?
Christianity
How does good news impact praying?
Christianity
What is special about Hinduism’s holy books?
Hinduism
What do Christians learn from the creation story?
Christianity
How might images impact understanding?
Christianity
Why do Jewish people remember Passover?
Judaism
Why is the cross an important symbol for Christians?
Christianity
What kind of world did Jesus want?
Christianity
How does a sense of identity affect our lives?
Judaism
Why and how do Christians show they want to be close to God?
Christianity
Why is the Trinity important to Christians?
Christianity
Why is Purim important to Jewish people?
Judaism
Why do Christians call the day Jesus died ‘Good Friday’?
Christianity
Why is authority in the Torah important for Jewish people?
Judaism
When Jesus left, what was the impact of the Pentecost?
Christianity
Creation and science: conflicting or complementary?
Christianity
Was Jesus the Messiah?
Christianity
Why is belonging important in Islam?
Islam
What did Jesus do to save human beings?
Christianity
What does it mean to be a Muslim today?
Islam
What kind of king was Jesus?
Christianity
How might Psalm 8 impact Christians?
Christianity
How does interpretation impact understanding?
Christianity
How and why are rituals important to Muslims?
Islam
What does Easter mean?
Christianity
Why is peace important in Islam?
Islam
