Religious Education

Intent

At Templefield Lower School we aim to deliver a spiraled Religious Education curriculum that will support children in acquiring and developing deeper knowledge and understanding of religious and non-religious beliefs and views as they progress through the school. Teaching will equip pupils with systematic knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and beliefs, enabling them to develop their ideas, values and identities. We believe that the Religious Education of all pupils within our school provides the opportunity for them to be respectful and open minded towards others with different faiths and beliefs and to develop their own sense of identity and belonging through self-awareness and reflection.

Our pupils will be allowed to explore what people believe and begin to understand what difference this makes to how they live. They will understand that beliefs do not belong to everyone within a particular religion and that only ‘some’ may believe in a particular concept or tradition.

Implementation

We believe that our children need to understand one another and the community in which they live and this is delivered through our weekly Religious Education lessons which follows the agreed syllabus for our local authority ensuring consistency across the school.

Key Stage 2 will cover a new ‘key question’ each half term whereas Key stage 1 will have a split double unit allowing them to build upon prior learning throughout the year. EYFS will develop their understanding through discussion and practical activities.

Throughout each ‘key question’ there will be three core elements:

Making sense of religious and non-religious beliefs
Understanding the impact and significance of religious and non-religious beliefs
Making connections between religious and non-religious beliefs

Our whole school approach to teaching Religious Education involves the following:

Using the ‘Identities, meanings, values’ The RE agreed syllabus, 2018 – 2023 Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Luton as the core of our curriculum.
Using ‘Understanding Christianity’ as a supplement scheme to support lessons on Christianity.
Providing opportunities for systematic (learning about the key religion) and thematic (linking knowledge to a range of religions) learning through a spiralled curriculum.
Visiting Religious places of worship where possible – Local Churches, three faith tour in Bedford
Providing opportunities for children to look at / handle replicas of religious and non-religious artefacts to gain a visual perspective.
Participating in whole school events – Harvest Festival, Christmas performances, whole school theme days, for example Diwali, which also links to our Collective Worship opportunities.
Inviting visitors from local religious communities / parents to share their practices and experiences.
Using class floor books to present their experiences and progression of learning.
Linking assemblies to Religious events and celebrations and participating in ‘Open the Book’ assemblies.

Impact

Through Religious Education, our pupils will develop their knowledge and understanding of a range of cultures, beliefs and ways of life within an everchanging and diverse society. Through their learning, our pupils will be able to make links between their own lives and those of others in their community and in the wider world. They will begin to understand that people may choose not to follow a specific religion but their thoughts and beliefs are valued equally. Teacher assessment at the end of each unit will monitor the progression of individual children. Our school values will be demonstrated through our pupils being respectful and tolerant of other’s beliefs and practices, a skill that will help them when they enter into society later on in life. Measurements of the impact will be monitored through pupil and staff voice, learning walks and planning moderations against the intended outcomes will be carried out alongside the evidence obtained through class floor books.