Religious Education (RE) Policy
Aims and objectives
1.1 Religious education enables children to investigate and reflect on some of the most fundamental questions asked by people. At Mab’s Cross Primary School we develop the children’s knowledge and understanding of the major world faiths, and we address the fundamental questions in life, for example, the existence of a divine spirit. We enable children to develop a sound knowledge not only of Christianity but also of other world religions, especially those that are the main faiths of children within our school. Children reflect on what it means to have a faith and to develop their own spiritual knowledge and understanding. They develop their sense of identity and belonging, preparing them for life as citizens in a multicultural society. We help the children learn from religions as well as about religions.
1.2 The aims of our religious education is to help children:
- develop an awareness of spiritual and moral issues in life experiences;
- develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other major world religions and value systems found in Britain;
- develop an understanding of what it means to be committed to a religious tradition;
- be able to reflect on their own experiences and to develop a personal response to the fundamental questions of life;
- develop an understanding of religious traditions and to appreciate the cultural differences in Britain today;
- develop investigative and research skills and to enable them to make reasoned judgements about religious issues;
- have respect for other peoples’ views and to celebrate the diversity in society.
RE does not seek to urge religious beliefs on pupils nor compromise the integrity of their
own beliefs by promoting one religion over another.
The legal position of religious education
2.1 Our school curriculum for religious education meets the requirements of the 1988 Education Reform Act (ERA). The ERA stipulates that religious education is compulsory for all children, including those in the reception class who are less than five years old. The ERA allows parents to withdraw their child from religious education classes if they so wish, although this should only be done once the parents have given written notice to the school governors. The ERA also allows teachers to refuse to teach religious education, but only after they have given due notice of their intention to the school governors. The religious education curriculum forms an important part of our school’s spiritual, moral and social teaching. Our school RE curriculum is based on the Wigan Agreed Syllabus and it reflects the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are broadly Christian in nature, whilst taking account of the teachings and practices of other major religions including Judaism, Islam and Hinduism.
Teaching and learning style
3.1 We base our teaching and learning in RE on the key principle that good teaching in RE allows children both to learn about religious traditions and to reflect on what the religious ideas and concepts mean to them. Our teaching enables children to extend their own sense of values and promotes their spiritual growth and development. We encourage children to think about their own views and values in relation to the themes and topics studied in the RE curriculum.
3.2 Our teaching and learning styles in RE enable children to build on their own experiences and extend their knowledge and understanding of religious traditions. We use their experiences at religious festivals such as Easter, Diwali, Passover etc. to develop their religious thinking. We organize visits to local places of worship and invite representatives of local religious groups to come into school and talk to the children.
3.3 Children carry out research into religious topics. They study particular religious faiths and also compare the religious views of different faith groups on topics such as rites of passage or festivals. Children discuss religious and moral issues using computers and working individually or in groups. Sometimes they prepare presentations and share these with other members of the school in assemblies.
3.4 We recognise the fact that all classes in our school have children of widely differing abilities, and so we provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child. We achieve this in a variety of ways, for example, by:
- setting common tasks which are open-ended and can have a variety of responses;
- setting tasks of increasing difficulty (we do not expect all children to complete all tasks);
- grouping the children by ability in the room and setting different tasks for each ability group;
- providing resources of different complexity, adapted to the ability of the child;
- using classroom assistants to support the work of individuals or groups of children.
Curriculum planning in religious education
4.1 We plan our religious education curriculum in accordance with the Wigan Agreed Syllabus. We ensure that the topics studied in religious education build upon prior learning. We offer opportunities for children of all abilities to develop their skills and knowledge in each unit, and we ensure that the planned progression built into the scheme of work offers the children an increasing challenge as they move through the school.
4.2 We carry out the curriculum planning in religious education in three phases (long-term, medium-term and short-term). The long-term plan maps the religious education topics studied in each term during each key stage. The RE subject leader works out this plan in conjunction with teaching colleagues in each year group. We try and teach religious education topics on a cross-curricular basis.
4.3 Our medium-term plans give details of each unit of work for each term. The RE subject leader keeps and reviews these plans on a regular basis.
4.4 The class teacher writes the plans for each lesson and lists the specific learning objectives for that lesson. S/he keeps these individual plans and often discusses them on an informal basis with the RE subject leader.
4.5 Throughout key stage 1, pupils explore Christianity, Judaism and Islam. They learn about different beliefs about God and the world around them. They encounter and respond to a range of stories, artefacts and other religious materials. They learn to recognise that beliefs are expressed in a variety of ways, and begin to use specialist vocabulary. Pupils are encouraged to ask relevant questions and develop a sense of wonder about the world, using their imagination. They talk about what is important to them and others, valuing themselves, reflecting on their own feelings and experiences and developing a sense of belonging.
4.6 In Key stage 2, pupils learn about Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism, recognising the impact of religion and belief locally, nationally and globally. They make connections between differing aspects of religion and consider the different forms of religious expression. They recognise the challenges involved in distinguishing between ideas of right and wrong, and valuing what is good and true. They are encouraged to consider their own beliefs and values and those of others in the light of their learning in religious education.
Foundation Stage
5.1 We teach religious education to all children in the school, including those in the reception class. We relate the religious education aspects of the children’s work to the objectives set out in the Early Learning Goals. (Refer to Appendix 1 for more detail).
5.2 In reception classes, religious education is an integral part of the topic work covered during the year. Children begin to explore the world of religion in terms of festivals, special people, times, books and objects. They listen to and talk about stories and reflect upon their own feelings and experiences. They use their imagination and curiosity to develop their appreciation and wonder of the world in which they live. They should be introduced to religious words and use their senses in exploring religions and beliefs and practices. (Refer to Appendix 1 for more detail).
Contribution of religious education to the teaching of other subjects
6.1 English
Religious education contributes significantly to the teaching of English in our school by actively promoting the skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Some of the texts that we use in the Literacy Hour have religious themes or content.
6.2 Information and communication technology (ICT)
We use ICT where appropriate in religious education. The children find, select and analyse information, using the internet and CD ROMs. They also use ICT to review, modify and evaluate their work and to improve its presentation.
6.3 Personal, social and health education (PSHE) and citizenship
Religious education plays a significant part in promoting PSHE & C through pupils:
- developing confidence and responsibility and making the most of their abilities by learning about what is fair and unfair, right and wrong and being encouraged to share their opinions;
- developing good relationships and respecting the differences between people by learning about the diversity of different ethnic and religious groups. They are also encouraged to talk about relationships, feelings and encountering people whose beliefs, views and lifestyles are different from their own;
- enabling pupils to justify and defend personal opinions about issues, problems and events;
- exploring the rights, responsibilities and duties of citizens locally, nationally and globally.
6.4 Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
Through teaching religious education in our school, we provide opportunities to promote spiritual development through:
- discussing and reflecting on key questions of meaning and truth such as, life after death, beliefs about God, honesty and truth;
- learning about and reflecting on important concepts, experiences and beliefs that are at the heart of religions and other traditions and practices;
- considering how beliefs and concepts in religion may be expressed through creative and expressive arts;
- valuing relationships and developing a sense of belonging;
- developing their own views and ideas on religious and spiritual issues.
We promote moral development through:
- enhancing the values identified within the school’s mission statement and the National Curriculum, particularly valuing diversity and engaging in issues of justice and trust;
- exploring the influence of family, friends and media on moral issues and how society is influenced by beliefs, teachings, sacred texts and guidance from religious leaders;
- considering what is of ultimate value to pupils and believers through studying the key beliefs and teachings from religion;
- considering the importance of rights and responsibilities and developing a sense of conscience.
Religious Education provides opportunities to promote social development through:
- considering how religious and other beliefs lead to particular actions and concerns;
- investigating social issues from religious perspectives and articulating pupils’ own and others’ ideas on a range of contemporary issues.
Children consider and respond to questions concerning the meaning and purpose of life. We help them to recognise the difference between right and wrong through the study of moral and ethical questions. We enhance their social development by helping them to build a sense of identity in a multicultural society. Children explore issues of religious faith and values and, in so doing, they develop their knowledge and understanding of the cultural context of their own lives.
Teaching religious education to children with special needs
7.1 In our school we teach RE to all children, whatever their ability. The teaching of RE is a vital part of our school curriculum policy, which states that we provide a broad and balanced education for all our children. When teaching RE we ensure that we provide learning opportunities matched to the needs of children with learning difficulties. We take into account the targets set for individual children in their Individual Education Plans (IEPs).
Assessment and recording
8.1 We assess children’s work in religious education by making informal judgements as we observe them during lessons. We mark a piece of work once it has been completed and we comment as necessary. On completion of a unit of work, we make a summary judgement about the work of each pupil in relation to the national curriculum levels of attainment. We record the attainment grades in our mark books, which we use as a basis for assessing the progress of each child, for setting new goals, and for passing information on to the next teacher at the end of the year.
8.2 The RE subject leader keeps samples of children’s work in a portfolio. This demonstrates what the expected level of achievement is in RE in each year of the school.
Resources
9.1 We have sufficient resources in our school to be able to teach all our religious education teaching units. We keep resources for religious education in a central store where there is a box of equipment for each unit of work. There is a set of bibles for both key stages and a collection of religious artefacts which we use to enrich teaching in religious education. The school library has a good supply of RE topic books and computer software to support the children’s individual research.
Monitoring and review
10.1 The RE subject leader is responsible for monitoring the standards of the children’s work and the quality of the teaching in religious education. She is also responsible for supporting colleagues in the teaching of religious education, for being informed about current developments in the subject, and for providing a strategic lead and direction for the subject in the school. The RE subject leader presents the headteacher with an annual report which evaluates the strengths and weaknesses in the subject and indicates areas for further improvement. She has specially-allocated time for carrying out the vital task of reviewing planning and samples of the children’s work. .
Signed:
Date: July 2010
Review Date: July 2013