Intent
Through the teaching of Religious Education, children at St Luke’s will explore and learn about the different beliefs and practices of people in their communities and around the world. At St Luke’s, we aim to enable children to build their sense of identity and belonging, which in turn helps them to flourish within their communities and as citizens in a diverse society. Our RE curriculum teaches pupils to develop respect for others, including people with different faiths and beliefs, and helps to challenge prejudice. It provides a space for children to express and discuss their own and others opinions and allows for agreeable disagreement. We believe that the skills we equip children with at St Luke’s will enable them to go into the world as confident and independent thinkers who have respect for themselves and others and consider any views that they are exposed to.
The aim of teaching RE at our school is:
- To find many opportunities for children to show love to others, as Jesus did, as well as loving themselves.
- To develop the courage to challenge prejudice and to discuss opinions in a safe learning environment.
- To give and instil hope that they have the knowledge and skills to flourish as citizens within a diverse society.
Implementation
At St Luke’s the Early Years Framework and the Agreed Syllabus is the core of our RE curriculum.
The following religions have been selected for study:
- Christianity- through ‘Understanding Christianity’, which focuses on core theological concepts that are revisited and built upon as the children move through the school.
- Hinduism (EYFS & year 3 & year 5), Judaism (year 1 & year 2), Islam (year 4 & year 6)- through DiscoveryRE, which uses an enquiry based approach to answer big questions.
Our RE curriculum is taught in a progressive manner throughout our school and aims to develop children’s skills and knowledge through challenge and careful differentiation.
Each topic will contain elements of:
- Making sense of the text
- Understanding the impact
- Making connections
Impact
The outcomes of the teaching of RE across the school can be seen within the class reflection book in EYFS and in children’s individual RE books throughout the rest of the school. Teachers regularly assess through marking and feedback, using the RE marking clouds. Assessments are recorded at the end of each half term regarding the children’s knowledge and skills and not on their own religious beliefs or spiritual development.