Intent

At Badbury Park Primary School, we have designed our R.E. curriculum with the intent that our children will become resilient, accepting, mindful and curious learners. Our R.E. curriculum allows children to discover and gain an insight into religions within the world that we live. We see the teaching of R.E. as vital for children to understand other’s beliefs and make connections between their own values.

 

                                                     The aim of Religious Education in our school is to help children to acquire and develop knowledge and                                                           understanding of Christianity and the other principal religions represented in Great Britain; to                                                                             appreciate the way that religious beliefs shape life and behaviour, develop the ability to make                                                                         reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues and enhance the children’s                                                                    spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

 

                                                          Religious Education is taught throughout the school in such a way as to reflect the overall aims,                                                                        values, and philosophy of the school and it plays an important role, along with all other curriculum areas, particularly PSHCE, in promoting social awareness and understanding in our children.

 

It is our role to ensure pupils are being inquisitive by asking questions about the world around them by allowing pupils to gain high quality experiences. Our curriculum has been designed to encourage creativity, imagination, enquiry, debate, discussion, and independence.

 

Overall, our aim is to deliver a curriculum that:

· Celebrates the diverse and rich community at Badbury Park Primary School.

· Inspires creative learning through excellent teaching practices that build on prior R.E. learning                                                                    and allow for repetition and progression of skills that build upon high starting points.

· Embraces the community in which it is situated, recognising local places of worship.

· Is inclusive, develops self-confidence and identifies that all our children are unique and therefore                                                             we should all be tolerant of each other’s beliefs.

· Encourages our children to be inquisitive about others beliefs developing inquiry based R.E. skills that allow them to be culturally aware of the world around them.

· Promotes equality and understanding of the British values and ensures they are prepared for life in modern Britain.

 

Implementation

We use the Swindon Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education as the basis for our curriculum. At Badbury Park Primary School, it has been agreed that having taken into account the requirements and guidelines presented in the Agreed Syllabus, the following religions have been selected for study:

· Christianity

· Islam

· Judaism

· Hinduism

 

 From the syllabus it is required that: -

In the Early Years Foundation Stage the learning outcomes are referenced to Christianity and as appropriate to a range of other beliefs and cultures

In KS1 - Christianity is studied (and one other principal religion in some depth)

In KS2 – Christianity is studied (and two other principal religions in some depth)

 

Religious Education taught at Badbury Park Primary School will:

• Provide opportunities for children to handle artefacts, respond to images, stories, art, music and dance

• Explore scared texts

• Meet visitors from local religious communities

• Make visits to religious places of worship where possible, and where not, making use of videos and the                                         internet

• Take part in whole school events- (multi-faith days, Harvest Festival, school performances)

• Offer opportunities for personal reflection and pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development as it                              encourages pupils to examine the significance of their learning in relation to themselves and others.

• Enables pupils to explore their own beliefs (whether they are religious or not), ideas, feelings, experiences                                        and values in the light of what they learn.

• Encourages empathy and respect.

• Enables pupils to develop their own sense of identity and belonging.

• Promotes respect for the right of others to hold different beliefs, values and ideas.

• Develops an aptitude for dialogue so that they can participate positively in our society with its diverse religious and non-religious worldviews.

• Enables pupils to have a nuanced and informed understanding of political, social and moral issues that they will need to face as they grow up in an increasingly globalised world.

• Helps pupils deal positively with controversial issues, to manage strongly held differences of belief and to challenge stereotypes and prejudice.

 

Impact

At Badbury Park Primary School, we seek to ensure that all children in our school are educated to develop spiritually, academically, emotionally and morally to enable them to better understand themselves and others and to cope with the opportunities, challenges and responsibilities of living in a rapidly changing, multicultural world. Regular assemblies and celebrations of religious and non-religious festivals and events, implemented alongside weekly R.E. lessons, will help to celebrate the diversity of the wider community in Durham, including their beliefs, traditions, culture, language and history.

We want the teaching of Religious Education to have the following impact on the children:

• Children will have a stronger awareness of the world around them and will be mindful of the beliefs of others.

• Children will feel they are valued as individuals and that their beliefs are valued and celebrated.

• Enjoyment of the R.E. curriculum will promote creativity, achievement, confidence and inquisitive minds.

• Children feel safe to learn new things and share their beliefs with others in an accepting environment.

• Children leave the school with a sense of belonging to a tightly knit community where they have the confidence and skills to make decisions, self-evaluate, make connections and become lifelong learners.

 

To view the Swindon Agreed Syllabus, please click here.

To view our RE skills progression - please click here​.

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