Religious Education

“A friendly study of the world’s religions is a sacred duty.”  Mahatma Gandhi

INTENT

Religious Education (R.E.) encourages pupils to learn from different religions, beliefs, values and traditions while creating a safe space for them to explore their own beliefs and questions of meaning.  We have linked the intent of our R.E. teaching to our whole school values.

Togetherness –  We want pupils at Nunney First school to work together to develop an understanding of the beliefs, cultural practices and influence of principle religions and worldviews in the local, national and wider global community.  We want them to appreciate the diversity of the expression of beliefs, continuity and change within those religions and world views.

Happiness – We aim for R.E. to play a key role in the development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. We want our pupils to engage with challenging questions of meaning and purpose.  We want to contribute to the healthy development of pupils’ own spiritual/philosophical convictions, exploring and enriching their own beliefs and values.

Respect – We encourage pupils to foster respect and open-mindedness towards others with different faiths and beliefs and develop their sense of identity and belonging through self-awareness and reflection. Respect and tolerance of those with different faiths (or no faith) underpins our approach to the RE curriculum.

 

Independence – We strive for pupils to develop independent thinking, being able to communicate their ideas confidently in discussions and through written activities.  R.E. will help prepare them to engage and contribute to our diverse society, through showing understanding and being mindful of the wide spectrum of beliefs.

Variety – we will provide pupils at Nunney First School the opportunity to explore and learn about a variety of faiths that will develop a broad understanding of religious and non-religious views.  They will be offered a variety of experiences throughout their time including special trips and visitors to deepen their learning.   Our curriculum will draw on the richness and variety of religious experience worldwide.

 

Excellence – Excellent teaching will inspire a desire to learn about other people’s beliefs and develop a strong knowledge base. Pupils will develop a range of skills such as enquiry, analysis, interpretation, evaluation and reflection to help them become successful learners for life.

IMPLEMENTATION

At Nunney First School we teach Religious Education in accordance with the Local Education Authority’s Agreed Syllabus ‘Awareness, Mystery and Value 2019’. It is broadly Christian in character but reflects the importance of the role of religious belief in the wider world today. Through this syllabus, children learn about a variety of faiths and religious beliefs in order to encourage understanding and tolerance of the beliefs of others.  We have tailored our curriculum specifically to make it relevant to our school community and further encourage tolerance and respect.

 

  • In Reception, children are introduced to different beliefs through looking at special stories and festivals. They reflect on what’s special about people and learn about special places.
  • In Key Stage 1, children learn about, and from, the religions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism as well as about non-religious views.
  • In Key Stage 2, children learn about, and from, the religions of Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism as well as about non-religious views.
  • In addition to the focus on the religions indicated above, learning may include additional studies of religions and beliefs, as appropriate and according to local or specific curriculum interests/topics.
  • In Key Stage one and two we follow a rolling two year programme to ensure each child receives a full and complete study to meet the statuary requirements. (see image below for our two year long term plan)
  • The units in Key Stage 2 build on the knowledge and skills gained in Key Stage One to allow children to acquire a rich, deep knowledge and understanding of different religious and non-religious beliefs and practices.

R.E. is taught in a ‘whole class’ setting with flexibility to allow for discussion, questioning and reflection in small groups and individually.  Class and Whole school assemblies also take place to compliment R.E teaching and promote the development of SMSC in Nunney First School.

A variety of teaching approaches are encouraged:

  • Teacher presentations, role play, drama and story telling
  • Questions and answer sessions, discussions and debates
  • Photographs, videos, pictures and maps
  • IT, film, podcasts, radio, websites, to research and communicate ideas.
  • Visits to local churches and other places of worship are encouraged
  • Visitors may come in person or virtually to share their beliefs.

We make links with our school ‘Big Ideas’ – encouraging the children to see how lessons for example develop our understanding of ‘humankind’ and ‘significance’.  As well as making cross curricular links in our teaching and questioning.

More information can be found on the Somerset Awareness, Mystery and Values Website

For our units of working on Humanism we have also drawn upon the expertise and resources of The Humanist Society.

Here is our R.E. policy

This is our  progression of knowledge in R.E.  document and our Progression of skills in R.E.  document.    SAMV also produced a skills in R.E. document

This is our Long term overview of R.E. document.

These are our vocabulary lists for R.E. for each unit in Year 1 & 2 and R.E. for each unit in Year 3 & 4

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION AND THE DAILY ACT OF WORSHIP: The school’s Religious Education Policy has been drawn up in accordance with the Local Authority’s non-denominational Agreed Syllabus and the Daily Act of Worship is designed to reflect this country’s Christian tradition. It is, however, intended that our pupils should gain awareness and understanding of other religions. The 1988 Education Reform Act allows parents to withdraw their child from RE and the Daily Act of Worship. Any parent wishing to do so is asked to make a written request to the Head Teacher.