How we teach Religions and Beliefs at Wick C of E Primary

INTENT

• We follow the South Gloucestershire Agreed Syllabus 2016 as well as Understanding Christianity. From September 2022, the updated Agreed Syllabus will be phased in. Using these schemes ensure progression through each year group across the school and coverage of all the three strands of RE: believing, expressing and living.
• The principal aim of Religious Education is to engage children in thinking about the 'big' questions of life which are addressed by religious and world views: the ultimate meaning and purpose of life; beliefs about God; issues of right and wrong; and what it means to be human.
• The subject helps children develop skills such as empathy, analysis and evaluation. It promotes attitudes such as curiosity, fairness, respect and open-mindedness. It enables children to discover more about themselves and others.
• Religious Education is concerned with learning about and from religions. At no point in RE lessons should children be indoctrinated to or from a religious tradition. They are given the freedom to think for themselves and make their own decisions about whether to follow a faith or none in their own time.

Aims

In Religious Education at Wick CE Primary School we aim that pupils might:-

• Develop a knowledge and understanding of Christianity and its impact on our local community, and on our society today.
• Develop a knowledge and understanding of the other principal religious traditions represented in Great Britain today as well as non-religious perspectives.
• Develop a sense of respect for religious traditions, beliefs and practice.
• Grow in their spiritual development.
• Develop skills and attitudes which will support their personal, moral, social and cultural development.
• Explore questions of meaning and consider their own responses to them in the light of religious and secular responses.
• Think about their own beliefs and values in the light of the beliefs of others, both religious and non-religious, and the values of the school community.
• Support the development of what have been described as 'Fundamental British Values' of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith.

IMPLEMENTATION

• Religious Education has equal standing in relation to core subjects of the National Curriculum in that it is compulsory for all registered pupils.
• Using suitable schemes of work for each year group, pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 receive a one-hour Religions and Beliefs lesson every week (about 5% of curriculum time). 
• In Key Stage 2, the four classes are taught by the same teacher, helping to ensure continuity of approach and progression.
• Each unit plan is taught over a half term period and begins with a key question E.g Why does Christmas matter? Each individual lesson then also begins with a question or a clear learning objective.  
• Children's learning may be recorded in exercise books, through photos, on sticky notes to contribute to class discussions, through art and through drama. As often as possible, classes are taken outside to develop spirituality and a sense of wonder in the world.
• Learning in EYFS (Badgers Class): 

• Coverage:

Children can be taught about any religious tradition and secular responses, but we typically have the following traditions as foci:

Badgers (EYFS): Christianity and any other faiths as appropriate

Key Stage 1: Christianity, Judaism and Islam

Lower Key Stage 2: Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism

Upper Key Stage 2: Christianity, Islam and Sikhism.

Thematic units in KS2 allow for learning across a wider range of traditions.

By the end of their time at Wick CEVC Primary the children should have studied all five of the six main world religions: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism and Sikhism as well as engaging with non-religious worldviews such as Humanism. (See the Overview above for more details.)

• Visits and Visitors:

If pupils are to understand what it means to take a religion seriously it is important that they meet and engage with people with commitments to differing beliefs. Visitors from different faiths are welcomed to the school to enrich the children’s experiences and to provide a wider religious picture.

Visits to places of worship bring to life the learning children have done in the classroom and encourage a greater understanding and respect for others – so essential if we wish to live in a society founded on tolerance and consideration. The programme of trips and visitors that we run in our school has been widely recognised as good practice and celebrated in our latest SIAMS report as a major contribution to the Christian values of the school. It underpins our work on developing Fundamental British Values and helps with our Prevent Duty to counter extremist views. You can see some of our visitors on the visitors page on this website. 

IMPACT

• Each unit will have specific objectives, agreed by SACRE, which will enable the teacher to assess whether pupils in each year group have achieved the ‘expected’ standard. To have reached this standard, pupils will have demonstrated they have achieved the objectives for each topic. Effort levels are reported to parents in the pupil’s annual report.
• The Religions and Beliefs teachers carry out assessments during and at the end of each topic. In Key Stage 1, these are carried out by the class teachers; in Key Stage 2, by the subject leader.

Note: Right of Withdrawal

The right of withdrawal was first granted when RE was Religious Instruction. RE at Wick Primary School is non-confessional. We wish to be an inclusive community, however, the legal right remains. Any parent / guardian considering this should contact the head teacher to discuss any concerns about the policy, provision and practice of Religious Education at our school. Children withdrawn should have work set appropriate to their needs supplied by their parents / guardians to be completed in an alternative workspace where they can be supervised. If no such space is available they may have to remain in the classroom. 

Syllabus for RE in South Gloucestershire

• South_Gloucestershire_Agreed_Syllabus_2016_Final.pdf
• South Glos Appendices.pdf

Prayer Spaces

It was great to have Jane Gillis, Rev Tim and members of their team in school to help use various prayer spaces in our school. Please watch the video to see all the great opportunities we had and what we learnt from the experience.

https://youtu.be/kuoWHGRXFFs