Religious Education
“We may have different religions, different languages, different coloured skin, but we all belong to one human race.” – Kofi Annan
Religious Education Lead - Miss Becca Rollason
Intent
At St Dennis Primary Academy, we hold a firm belief in the significance of learning about and from the diverse array of world religions. In an increasingly interconnected world, it is essential that we impart knowledge of the traditions, festivals, and values upheld by various faiths to our pupils. We encourage children not only to engage with these teachings but also to share their own experiences and celebrate their individual beliefs.
Religious Education (RE) plays a pivotal role in preparing our students to become responsible citizens, equipping them to consider local, national, and global concerns sensitively and thoughtfully. Our golden rules serve to underscore the shared values taught by different faiths, while our daily assemblies bring to life a multitude of moral lessons, collectively enriching our school community.
The vision of our school, 'Everyone matters, everyone succeeds, every moment counts', along with our core values of Aspiration, Courage, Achievement, Friendship, Teamwork, and Responsibility, serves as the foundation for our whole school curriculum. We implement a wellbeing-focused, engaging, and creative curriculum that nurtures the spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development of every child.
The intent behind teaching Religious Education at St Dennis is in alignment with the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education (NATRE) curriculum, complemented by the Cornwall Syllabus. Our principal aim is to encourage children to explore the beliefs of others and to reflect on how these beliefs shape our lives, thereby cultivating the knowledge, understanding, and skills necessary for grappling with questions of faith. This reflective practice not only fosters personal growth but also nurtures a broader understanding of the diverse world around us.
Our scheme of work adheres closely to the NATRE curriculum and the Cornwall Agreed Syllabus for 2020-2025, progressively enhancing the children’s grasp of significant theological concepts while encouraging their own self-understanding and awareness of the world in which they live.
Implementation
The Implementation of the School’s programme of study for RE is also in accordance with ‘ NATRE and the Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education in Cornwall 2020-2025.’ All religions and their communities are treated with respect and sensitivity and we value the links that can be made between home, school and a faith community. We acknowledge that each religion studied can contribute to the education of all our pupils. We promote teaching in Religious Education that stresses open enquiry and first-hand experiences wherever possible for both staff and children.
Our Religious Education Curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. The syllabus is implemented in school through a sensory approach, where children may look at and handle religious artefacts, hear religious music or taste food from a religious tradition. Work in Religious Education builds on the children’s own experiences and uses contemporary issues to stimulate discussion. Reflection on learning is a key aspect to each RE lesson. Children make sense of a range of beliefs, understand the impact and make connections.
Substantive knowledge is taught through ensuring tasks are provided to enable children to gather, understand and deploy knowledge about religions and beliefs. Disciplinary knowledge is developed through children having opportunities to make sense and interpret religions and beliefs for themselves. It is also developed through children being able to show they can see things from another point of view.
We also talk about key skills of being a theologian and these are in children’s books as a reminder.
Our long term plan encompasses units of work from Understanding Christianity where the teaching and learning approach enables children to move from an understanding of the biblical text and how to handle it, to an understanding of what this means for Christians within the Church and in Christian living. It includes opportunities for children to examine and evaluate connections between these ideas and the wider world.
SEND
Our RE curriculum is ambitious for all pupils. We therefore consider ways of minimising and reducing barriers so that all pupils are included. The areas where we consider varying approaches and adaptations include maintaining an inclusive learning environment, using multi-sensory approaches (including ICT), working with additional adults, managing peer relationships, communication, formative assessment, motivation, and memory or consolidation.
Enrichment
At St Dennis Primary Academy, the enrichment activities in Religious Education provide students with a profound understanding of diverse beliefs and practices. Through engaging workshops, visits to local places of worship, and interactive discussions, pupils explore the rich tapestry of religions, fostering both respect and curiosity. The use of technology, such as virtual reality experiences of religious sites, allows students to immerse themselves in different cultures from the classroom. These enrichment opportunities empower students to engage thoughtfully with pivotal questions about faith, morality, and identity, thereby shaping them into well-rounded individuals who appreciate the importance of diversity in our global community.
Impact
Our Religious Education curriculum provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, the self and the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human. It develops children’s knowledge and understanding of Christianity, other principal religions, other religious traditions and other worldviews that offer answers to questions such as these.
It offers opportunities for personal reflection and spiritual development. It enhances children’s awareness and understanding of religions and beliefs, teachings, practices and forms of expression, as well as of the influence of religion on individuals, families, communities and cultures.
Religious Education encourages pupils to learn from different religions, beliefs, values and traditions while exploring their own beliefs and questions of meaning. It challenges pupils to reflect on, consider, analyse, interpret and evaluate issues of truth, belief, faith and ethics and to communicate their responses.
Religious Education has an important role in preparing pupils for adult life, employment and lifelong learning. It enables pupils to develop respect for and sensitivity to others, in particular those whose faiths and beliefs are different from their own. It promotes discernment and enables pupils to combat prejudice.
We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:
- Revisiting previous learning through a ‘Memory Master' task at the beginning of a unit
- Whole class feedback and feedforward at the beginning of every lesson
- Formative assessing of on-going learning and children’s understanding of locational and place knowledge, human and physical geography and how to communicate geographically using technical vocabulary
- A cumulative quiz that builds each week during a unit
- Summative assessment through end of unit 'Show what you know' tasks to assess critical knowledge, skills and understanding
- Weekly dedicated retrieval time for RE, where the subject leader has planned questions using a 'Four from Before' approach
- Images and videos of the children’s practical learning
- Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice) with their books
How does RE promote British Values?
Democracy - In RE at St Dennis pupils learn the significance of each person’s ideas and experiences through methods of discussion. In debating the fundamental questions of life, pupils learn to respect a range of perspectives. This contributes to learning about democracy, examining the idea that we all share a responsibility to use our voice and influence for the wellbeing of others. An example of this practice in Key Stage 1 is a unit of study focuses on the question “How should we care for others and the world and why does it matter?” Within this unit, the children debate the benefits and responsibilities of friendship and give examples of how they care for friends and families in different ways. An example of this practice in Key Stage 1 is a unit of study focuses on the question “How should we care for others and the world and why does it matter?” Within this unit, children debate the benefits and responsibilities of friendship and give examples of how they care for friends and families in different ways.
The Rule of Law - At St Dennis, pupils examine different examples of codes for human life, including commandments, rules or precepts offered by different religious communities. They learn to appreciate how individuals choose between good and evil, right and wrong, and they learn to apply these ideas to their own communities. They learn that fairness requires that the law apply equally to all, irrespective – for example – of a person’s status or wealth. An example of how the rule of law is taught in Lower Key stage 2 is through the unit “What is it like to follow God?” In this unit children discuss agreements, pacts, covenants and the 10 commandments. Children make a list of what the world could do without from today’s world to make it a better place. From here children need to debate the items and split them into groups of things we can stop and things we cannot stop.
Mutual Respect - In the RE curriculum at St Dennis attention focuses on developing mutual respect between those of different faiths and beliefs, promoting an understanding of what a society gains from diversity. Pupils at St Dennis learn about diversity in religions and world views and will be challenged to respect other persons who see the world differently to themselves. Recognition and celebration of human diversity in many forms can flourish where pupils understand different faiths and beliefs and are challenged to be broad-minded and open-hearted. An example of this practice in Key Stage 2 is a unit of study focuses on the question “What matters most to Humanists and Christians?” Respectful attitudes are developed through this unit by considering the similarities and differences between the values of Christians and Humanists where they often share similar values but the belief behind them is different.
Individual Liberty - In RE, at St Dennis, pupils consider questions about identity, belonging and diversity, learning what it means to live a life free from constraints. They study examples of pioneers of human freedom, including those from within different religions, so that they can examine tensions between the value of a stable society and the value of change for human development. Individual liberty is achieved in RE at St Dennis in upper Key stage 2 through the unit “Why do some people believe in God and some people not?” In this unit children discuss and reflect on the possible benefits and challenges in believing or not believing in God in Britain today. This supports the children to reflect upon on their views and how they view people with beliefs different to theirs.
Tolerance - St Dennis does not accept intolerant attitudes to members of the community; attitudes which reject other people on the basis of race, faith, gender, sexual orientation or age are rightly challenged. A baseline for a fair community is that each person’s right to ‘be themselves’ is to be accepted by all. Tolerance may not be enough - at St Dennis RE challenges children to be increasingly respectful and to celebrate diversity, with tolerance is a starting point. Mutual tolerance in RE is achieved at St Dennis through allowing children to think and talk for themselves. We look at newspapers and websites together and watch age appropriate current affairs programmes and discuss what is happening. The children are encouraged with effective well-placed questions such as, “Why do you think that happens?” “What do you mean by that?” and “What do you think others would say about it?”
How does RE promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development?
At St Dennis, pupils experience and search for meaning, the purpose in life and the values by which we live. In learning about different religions and why people believe, RE provides the pupils with a space to reflect on pupils’ own values and views, as well as those of others, and to consider the impact of these values.
In RE, at St Dennis, pupils learn about shared and differing moral values, while debating moral dilemmas about right and wrong, good and bad. Pupils discuss issues such as people’s responsibility towards the world and future generations. At St Dennis, pupils have the opportunity to make a personal response and to consider other peoples’ responses. In exploring the views of others, pupils are well prepared in RE to appreciate the uniqueness of all humans and their moral value, and to act in the world and towards others accordingly.
Children explore similarities and differences in religions and cultures through which they should begin to link religion to personal action in everyday life. This is reflected in their relations with others in the classroom and their ability to work together co-operatively. Through the study of different religions, pupils at St Dennis are given a chance to reflect on where ideas about how we should behave come from, in order to more fully understand social and behavioural norms.
Children learn about other religions, giving them an opportunity to see what it means to belong, to develop confidence in themselves and be able to respond positively to similarities and differences in our multi-faith, changing society. They are given the opportunity to understand and appreciate of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage and that of others. RE explores Britain’s rich diversity of cultures through festivals, music, art and architecture.
How to help at home
The best way to support your child with their RE learning at home is through discussions and open conversations. There are lots of great websites which have content and activities to share with your child. Here are some to explore together: