RE
Religious Education at Morland Area C of E (VA) Primary
Mrs Harrison – Religious Education and Collective Worship Leader
‘A small school for all making a big difference’
Set children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it – Proverbs 22:6
At our school, RE expresses and strengthens our vision, ethos and values that are at the heart of all we do in every aspect of school life that offers flourishing for all. The importance placed on the development of the whole child, spiritually, morally, culturally and intellectually, is reflected in our RE curriculum that is rich and varied and studies a range of world religions and worldviews. At the heart of RE in our school is the teaching of Christianity that enables our children to develop a thorough knowledge and understanding of the Christian faith. As we encourage our children to explore their own religious, spiritual and philosophical ways through living, believing and thinking, our curriculum inspires them to explore, develop and affirm their own faiths, worldviews and values whilst having the respect for the faiths and beliefs of others. We support our children to grow and respect the diversity of the world and appreciate the skills and talents of all.
Curriculum for RE
As a Voluntary Aided school we are not required to follow the Cumbria Agreed Syllabus (see link), but we refer to the document to support our planning. We base our planning on two resources – Understanding Christianity and Discovery RE.
Our very talented staff develop these into interactive, creative, and spiritual experiences for the pupils. There are clear learning outcomes for all units of work, based on the high expectations that we have for all. Our RE curriculum is sequential and builds on prior learning, which ensures that there is continuity and progression for all pupils as they move through the school.
Curriculum Balance and Time
In our school, the faiths/worldviews taught in RE are:
KS 1 – Christianity and Judaism
KS 2 – Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam and Humanism
RE has at least 5% of curriculum time - this is 50 minutes in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, increasing to 1 hours per week in Key Stage 2.
Our RE taught focuses 60% on Christianity and 40% on other faiths and worldviews. Our focuses on these religions and worldviews, are based on our belief that our staff use lessons to deliver RE to celebrate diversity within Christianity, other faiths, and worldviews, and to develop our pupils as global citizens with a respectful and secure understanding of beliefs and practices of their neighbours across the country and around the world.
A range of visitors support the teaching of RE, and whenever possible, we plan visits to places of worship and other places of interest. We have RE resource boxes for all the faiths studied, these are used to develop pupil’s understanding of each faith.
Recording, Feedback and Assessment
Each pupil from Year 1 to Year 6 has their own RE book to record their work in. The RE Subject Leader has and agreed system for the Assessment of RE, and teachers carry out assessment through ongoing formative assessment and end of unit tasks. Pupils are assessed at the end of each half term unit of work and the great majority are expected to be working at age related expectations or above. Assessments are used by staff and the RE Subject Leader to monitor progress and have discussions about RE teaching in the school. As we continue to strive for higher standards, the RE subject leader will carry out a work scrutiny, at least once a year. Progress and achievement in RE is reported to parents/carers in a written report at the end of the academic year.
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, the focus for RE is through stories, songs, visits, and practical tasks. Photographs are taken and notes are made each week of what has taken place in the lesson, these are sometimes shared on Tapestry. Pupil’s responses are linked to the EYFS curriculum areas.
Collective Worship
The children engage in a daily act of collective worship as a whole school, and once a week in class. These are led by staff, our local vicar, a NISCU schools worker and Class 4 pupils. Our collective worship gives us the opportunity to come together as a whole school community, for the children to develop their own spirituality, personal reflection, and thankfulness for the world around them.
We use the resource ‘Roots and Fruits’ to deliver our weekly collective worship, which focuses on different Christian values each half term, and events from the Church Liturgical Calendar. The children get the opportunity to explore these values further in class through prayer spaces, set up each half term, and ‘Fruits from the Roots’ reflection activities. We also have a larger prayer space, linked to our value, for the children to use, this is set up by the diocesan youth worker.
Class 4 pupils, throughout the year, plan and deliver inspiring collective worship with a focus on the different Christian values, events from the Church Liturgical Calendar, work of different charities and Global Neighbours.
Our subject leader for collective worship meets regularly with the collective worship group to review and support collective worship in the school and the use of prayer and reflection spaces.