Religious Education
Religious Education at Breckon Hill Primary School
Curriculum Intent
Middlesbrough Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education
The principal aim of RE is to engage pupils in systematic enquiry into significant human questions which religion and worldviews address, so that they can develop the understanding and skills needed to appreciate and appraise varied responses to these questions, as well as develop reasons of their own.
We want children to:
- Know about and understand a range of religions and worldviews, so they can:
- Describe, explain and analyse beliefs and practices, recognising the diversity that exists within and between communities and amongst individuals
- Identify, investigate and respond to questions posed, and responses, offered by some of the sources of wisdom found in religions and worldviews
- Appreciate and appraise the nature, significance and impact of different ways of life and ways of expressing meaning.
- Express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religions and worldviews, so they can:
- Explain reasonably their ideas about how beliefs, practices and forms of expression influence individuals and communities
- Express with increasing discernment their personal reflections and critical responses to questions
- Appreciate and appraise varied dimensions of religion.
- Gain and deploy the skills needed to engage seriously with religions and worldviews, so that they can:
- Find out about and investigate key concepts and questions of belonging, meaning, purpose and truth, responding creatively
- Enquire into what enables different individuals and communities to live together respectfully for the wellbeing of all
- Articulate beliefs, values and commitments clearly in order to explain why they may be important in their own and other people’s lives.
Because of this, we feel it is important for the subject to be taught discretely as well as incorporated within other curriculum subjects such as English and Art. There may be times when a topic lends itself to a special RE day or week focus.
Curriculum Implementation
Our RE curriculum follows the RE Today Scheme of work from Reception to Year 6. Each unit of work is based on a key question.
All the units of work focus on the three key ideas:
- Believing (religious beliefs, teachings, sources; questions about meaning, purpose and truth)
- Expressing (religious and spiritual forms of expression; questions about identify and diversity)
- Living religious practices and ways of living; questions about values and commitments).
Reception
Unit | Strand | Religions |
F1: Which stories are special and why? | Believing | Christianity, others |
F2: Which people are special and why? | Beliefs | Christianity, Sikhism |
F3: Which places are special and why? | Expressing | Christianity, Islam |
F4: Which times are special and why? | Expressing | Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism |
F5: Where do we belong? | Living | Christianity, Islam, Hinduism |
F6: What is special about our world? | Living | Christianity, Islam, Judaism |
Year 1
Unit | Strand | Religions |
1.1 Who is a Christian and what do they believe? | Believing | Christianity |
1.5 What makes some places sacred? | Expressing | Christianity, Islam/Judaism |
1.6 How and why do we celebrate special and sacred times? | Expressing | Christianity, Islam/Judaism |
1.7 What does it mean to belong to a faith community? | Living | Christianity, Judaism, Islam |
Year 2
Unit | Strand | Religions |
1.2 Who is a Muslim and what do they believe? | Believing | Islam |
1.3 Who is Jewish and what do they believe? | Believing | Judaism |
1.4 What can we learn from sacred books? | Believing | Christianity, Islam, Judaism |
1.6 How and why do we celebrate special and sacred times? | Expressing | Christianity, Islam/Judaism |
1.8 How should we care for others and the world, and why does it matter? | Living | Christianity, Judaism, other |
Year 3
Unit | Strand | Religions |
L2.1 What do different people believe about God? | Believing | Christianity, Islam/Hinduism, other |
L2.2 Why is the Bible important for Christians today? | Believing | Christianity |
L2.4 Why do people pray? | Expressing | Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, other |
L2.5 Why are festivals important to religious communities? | Expressing | Christianity and another |
L2.7 What does it mean to be a Christian in Britain today? | Living | Christianity |
Year 4
Unit | Strand | Religions |
L2.3 Why is Jesus inspiring to some people? | Believing | Christianity |
L2.5 Why are festivals important to religious communities? | Expressing | Christianity plus others |
L2.6 Why do some people think life is a journey? | Expressing | Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism |
L2.8 What does it mean to be a Hindu in Britain today? | Living | Hinduism |
L2.9 What can we learn from religions about deciding what is right and wrong? | Living | Christianity, Judaism, non- religious (Humanist?) |
Year 5
Unit | Strand | Religions |
U2.1 Why do some people believe God exists? | Believing | Christianity, Non-religious (Humanist?) |
U2.2. What would Jesus do? Can we live by the values of Jesus in the 21st Century? | Believing | Christianity |
U2.4 If God is everywhere, why go to a place of worship? | Expressing | Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism |
U2.6 What does it mean to be a Muslim in Britain today? | Living | Islam |
Year 6
Unit | Strand | Religions |
U2.3 What do religions say to us when life gets hard? | Believing | Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, non-religious |
U2.5 Is it better to express your religion in arts and architecture or in charity and generosity? | Expressing | Christianity, Islam, Non-religious |
U2.7 What matters most to Christians and Humanists? | Living | Christianity, Humanists |
U2.8 What difference does it make to believe in Ahimsa (harmlessness), Grace (the generosity of God) and Ummah (community) | Living | Christianity, Islam, Hinduism |
Due to the diverse nature of our school children may encounter other religions and worldviews at different stages in addition to the scheme of work.
Curriculum Impact
It is our aim that the RE curriculum equips children with key knowledge and skills set out in the Agreed Syllabus.
RE is assessed and developed through the use of the Agreed Syllabus assessment model and tracked twice a year.
The impact of the RE curriculum is monitored by the subject leader and evidenced in an annual portfolio.