Questful RE: Creative and Challenge
There is a clear, sequenced curriculum that allows pupils to revisit key concepts and build upon prior learning. These areas are revisited at each key stage to enable pupils to retrieve and deepen their knowledge and understanding about the key concepts and practices set down in the Blackburn Diocesan syllabus.The curriculum time allocated to Religious Education is approximately 10% (equivalent to 1 hour per week but may be blocked into different time units as appropriate for children and the timetable). It is taught from reception to year 6. The balance of time allocated to Christianity is 80%, with at least 20% to two other faiths. As recommended by the Diocese, Judaism and Islam are the non-Christian faiths studied, with reference to Hinduism and Sikhism.
This syllabus has deliberately been designed to be creative and challenging and thereby it encourages all who engage with it to recognise that they are effectively on a quest to discover a great deal. Children (and teachers!) will be encouraged to ask lots of questions – even those which seem impossible to answer – and to search together for answers and understanding, because that is the essence of a good journey and meaningful pilgrimage.
Our school community naturally guides pupils to discover answers to their questions. In addition, pupils will experience a range of mainstream worldwide Christian denominations and other world faiths.
In R.E., floorbooks are used as a tool used to record children’s thoughts and ideas enabling the inclusion of all. Everyone has a voice and all make their mark. A variety of approaches will be used to ensure understanding, progression and enjoyment for all, including direct teaching, real experiences through visits and handling artefacts, dance, drama, singing, discussion and art opportunities.The use of Christ Church Treales’s church, clergy and congregation are used where possible to aid teaching and learning in RE.
The Religious Education syllabus is reinforced through Collective Worship, daily acts of prayer and worship within the school and reflection upon the yearly cycle of Christian festivals and seasons.
Understanding Christianity
The teaching of the Christianity strand of our RE syllabus is focused around the Understanding Christianity resource and aims to support pupils as a contribution to their understanding of the world and their own experience within it. Understanding Christianity offers a clear, coherent approach to teaching and learning about Christianity in RE. It is based around a selection of core Christian concepts and structured across the primary age range to support pupils in deepening their understanding. It is designed to get children discussing, thinking and respectfully challenging thoughts and views in a creative way, for example, through dance, art, music or drama.
To support children with their understanding of the Bible and Christianity we use “”The Big Story of the Bible” which is focused around the following narrative:
Creation
Fall
People of God
Incarnation
Gospel
Salvation
Kingdom of God
We use “The Big Frieze” to help us understand the Bible narrative. The Big Frieze presents a view of the Bible as more than a collection of different texts – one which has an overarching coherence. Children relate their learning in both RE and worship to the part of the Big Frieze they are learning about. It is designed to make children aware of the wider context of each concept as shown above.
Diversity Dexterity
It is vital that religious education encourages pupils to develop positive attitudes to their learning, and to the beliefs and values of others. Continually throughout our lives we encounter things that are unusual, strange and sometimes puzzling. We meet people who are different to ourselves. In order to be able to makes sense of these experiences and build an understanding of equity, diversity and justice across the world community, we all need, as human beings, to develop the following four attitudes.
Self-awareness in religious education includes pupils
- feeling confident about their own beliefs and identity and sharing them without fear of embarrassment or ridicule.
- developing a realistic and positive sense of their own religious, moral and spiritual ideas.
- recognising their own uniqueness as human beings and affirming their self-worth.
- becoming increasingly sensitive to the impact of their ideas and behaviour on other people.
Respect for all in religious education includes pupils
- developing skills of listening and a willingness to learn from others, even when others’ views are different from their own.
- being ready to value difference and diversity for the common good.
- appreciating that some beliefs are not inclusive and considering the issues that this raises for individuals and society.
- being prepared to recognise and acknowledge their own bias.
- being sensitive to the feelings and ideas of others.
Open-mindedness in religious education includes pupils
- being willing to learn and gain new understanding.
- engaging in argument or disagreeing reasonably and respectfully (without belittling or abusing others) about religious, moral and spiritual questions.
- being willing to go beyond surface impressions
- distinguishing between opinions, viewpoints and beliefs in connection with issues of conviction and faith.
Appreciation and wonder in religious education includes pupils
- developing their imagination and curiosity.
- recognising that knowledge is bounded by mystery.
- appreciating the sense of wonder at the world in which they live.
- developing their capacity to respond to questions of meaning and purpose.
Skills for learning in RE
Pupils’ learning about the content of RE takes place alongside the development of their skills. In RE pupils need general skills such as gathering information, expressing ideas or evaluation sources. There are some skills that RE particularly needs to develop and use.
| Skills for learning in RE: | T. Teaching should enable pupils to: |
| Investigate/Enquire – this includes: – asking relevant questions. – knowing how to use different types of sources as a way of gathering information. – knowing what may constitute evidence for understanding religions. |
– ask increasingly deep and complex questions about religion and what it means to be human. – use a widening range of sources to pursue answers. – focus on selecting and understanding relevant sources to deal with religious and spiritual questions with increasing insight and sensitivity. – evaluate a range of responses to the questions and issues raised. |
| Express – this includes: – the ability to explain concepts, rituals and practices. – the ability to identify and articulate matters of deep conviction and concern. – the ability to respond to religious issues through a variety of media. |
– explain what words and actions might mean to believers. – articulate their own reactions and ideas about religious questions and practices. – clarify and analyse with growing confidence aspects of religion that they find valuable or interesting or negative. – explain in words and other ways their own responses to matters of deep conviction. |
| Interpret – this includes: – the ability to draw meaning from artefacts, music, works of art, poetry and symbolism. – – the ability to suggest meanings of religious texts. |
– say what an object or a symbol means. – use figures of speech or metaphors to speak creatively about religious ideas. – understand different ways in which religious and spiritual experience can be interpreted. – explain the role of interpretation in religion and life. |
| Reflect – this includes: – the ability to reflect on feelings, relationships, experience, ultimate questions, beliefs and practices. – the ability to use stillness, mental and physical, to think with clarity and care about significant events, emotions and atmospheres. |
– identify some places and experiences that help them to think deeply. – describe how actions and atmospheres makes them feel. – experience the use of silence and thoughtfulness in religion and in their own lives. – respond with insight to religious and spiritual issues. |
| Empathise – this includes: – the ability to consider the thoughts, feelings, experiences, attitudes, beliefs and values of others. – developing the power of imagination to identify feelings such as love, wonder, forgiveness and sorrow. – the ability to see the world through the eyes of others and to see issues from their point of view. |
– see with sensitivity how others respond to their actions, words or behaviour. – connect their feelings, both positive and negative, with those of others, including those in religious stories and contexts. – imagine with growing awareness how they would feel in a different situation from their own. – identify thoughtfully with other people from a range of communities and stances for life. |
| Apply – this includes: – making the association between religions and individual community, national and international life. – identifying key religious values and their interplay with secular ones. |
– see links and simple connections between aspects of religions. – make increasingly subtle and complex links between religious material and their own ideas. – apply learning from one religious context to new contexts with growing awareness and clarity; – apply their learning from different religious sources to the development of their own ideas. |
| Analyse – this includes: – distinguishing between opinion, belief and fact. – distinguishing between the features of different religions. |
– see what kinds of reasons are given to explain religious aspects of life. – join in discussion about issues arising from the study of religion. – use reasons, facts, opinions, examples, arguments and experience to justify or question a view of a religious issue. – analyse the religious views encountered with fairness, balance, empathy and critical rigour. |
| Synthesise – this includes: – linking significant features of religion together in coherent ways. – trying to connect different aspects of life into a meaningful whole. |
– notice similarities between stories and practices from religions. – use general words (e.g. sacred book, festival) to describe a range of religious practices from different faiths; – make links between different aspects of one religion, or similar and contrasting aspects of two or more religions. – explain clearly the relationships, similarities and differences between a range of religious arguments, ideas, views and teachings. |
| Evaluate – this includes: – the ability to debate issues of religious significance with reference to evidence and argument. – weighing the respective claims of self-interest, consideration for others, religious teaching and individual conscience. |
– talk about what makes people choose religious ways of life and the reasons they give for these choices. – describe how and why religious people show the importance of symbols, key figures, texts or stories. – weigh up with fairness and balance the value they see in a range of religious practices. – evaluate skilfully some religious responses to moral issues and their own responses. |
Our Promise
At Treales CE Primary School we promise that during their time at school our children will have enjoyed several key Christian experiences. As a result pupils will:
- Be able to confidently talk about their own beliefs and opinions.
- Be able to talk knowledgeably and with understanding about Christianity.
- Respect people of all faiths and none.
- Be able to talk knowledgeably and with understanding about faiths other than Christianity.
During their time at school children will have experienced being loved, valued and respected as a child of God through:
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Key Experience |
The way by which this experience is achieved |
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Praying meaningfully as an individual and as part of a larger group |
Prayer and reflection events |
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To have been in a place/situation where they have had an opportunity to meet God |
Visiting the local church and meeting members of the church Visiting a cathedral Go to church on a Sunday |
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Forgiveness and new start |
A school behaviour policy rooted in Christian values |
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A feeling of a sense of belonging the church family and the church school family |
Easter – to have celebrated Holy Week and Easter so that pupils have an understanding of the deep meaning of these celebrations Taking part in a church service The celebration of Christmas including taking part in a traditional nativity play Taking part in a Christian charity/community service school project Creating a Christian banner/display/artwork Leading worship as part of a team in a variety of situations Meeting a Bishop and clergy other than the parish priest Experience a communion service |
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Awe and wonder including silence and stillness, amazement at God’s creation, art and music |
Worshipping outdoors in our Spiritual Garden Be part of decorating the church for a festival with members of the church Take part on a Graveyard trail |
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During their time at a Church of England School pupils should learn and know… |
The way by which this experience is achieved |
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God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and that this is the Trinity |
Focus on the Trinity during Whole School Worship delivered by our clergy and through our Religious Education Syllabus for Church Schools Unit 6.6 Ideas about God |
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Lord’s Prayer in either traditional or modern format. To know that Jesus taught his disciples this prayer and that it is said by Christians worldwide. |
Taught as part of daily Whole School Worship and through our Religious Education Syllabus for Church Schools The Lord’s Prayer |
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A variety of Bible stories, OT and NT including Creation, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, the Nativity, Easter and Pentecost, Feeding of the 5000, Healing of Bartimaeus Zacchaeus, and Calling of the Disciples. |
Taught as part of Whole School Worship and through our Religious Education Syllabus for Church Schools |
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Christian Symbols- recognise the cross, crucifix, fish and icons. |
Taught as part of Whole School Worship and through our Religious Education Syllabus for Church Schools Unit 2.4 Easter Celebration and Symbols. Also encouraged during our RE Creative Week: Multi-cultural Christianity |
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Christian values and the fruits of the spirit. |
Taught as part of Whole School Worship, displays and through our Religious Education Syllabus for Church Schools |
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Liturgical responses such as: The Lord be with you, And also with you. Alleluia Christ is risen. He is risen indeed , alleluia. Peace be with you. And also with you. This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God |
Taught as part of Whole School Worship and through our Religious Education Syllabus for Church Schools |
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How to reference a Bible and be able to talk about the contents of the Old and New Testaments and variety of genre of writing in the Bible. |
Taught as part of Whole School Worship and through our Religious Education Syllabus for Church Schools Unit 2.1 The Bible and Unit 5.1 How and why do Christians read the Bible? |
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The Grace |
Taught as part of Whole School Worship |
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That Christianity is a world faith |
The focus of our RE Creative Week: Multi-Cultural Christianity. |
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A variety of worship songs and hymns |
Taught as part of Prayer and Praise Whole School Worship and Class Worship |
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The Church year, colours and rites of passage. |
Taught as part of Whole School Worship and through our Religious Education Syllabus for Church Schools Unit 2.5 The Church Unit 4.5 The Church inc. the Church Year
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