Religious Education
‘Religious Education... intends to play an educational part in the lives of children... as they come to speak, think and act in the world. This entails teachers bringing children... to attend to their own experience and that of others, to engage intellectually with material that is new and to discern with others what is valuable with regard to living a religious life or one informed by a non-religious or other perspective.’
(Living Difference IV purpose statement, 2021)
At Dogmersfield CE Primary School, the educational process is rooted in the living faith of the school. Religious Education is not just an academic subject but lies at the heart of our curriculum. We aim to promote the school’s Christian Values and Vision within our Religious Education teaching. Our aims are for our children to:
1. Learn about the beliefs and practices of Christianity, the Anglican tradition and the other principle religions, religious traditions and non-religious perspectives represented in the world.
2. Develop an appreciation of how beliefs, values and traditions can shape the life and behaviour of individuals, communities, societies and cultures.
3. Be able to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues with reference to the teaching of the principal beliefs represented in the world.
4. Enhance their spiritual, moral, cultural and social development by:
developing awareness of the fundamental questions of life raised by human experience, and how religious teaching can relate to them;
responding to such questions with reference to the teachings and practices of religions and to their understanding and experience;
reflecting on their own beliefs, values and experiences in light of their study.
developing their own sense of identity and belonging which will enable them to flourish in their own community
5. Promote the school's Christian Values by:
encouraging respect for other people’s right to hold different beliefs and a positive attitude towards living in a society of diverse faiths and beliefs.
reflecting on how different religions show love, courage and respect.
IMPLEMENTATION
The aims of Religious Education are drawn from the Guidance on RE in Church of England Schools (in particular the Understanding Christianity resource) and the Hampshire agreed syllabus, Living Difference IV.
The Religious Education curriculum is based around an inquiry into key concepts specific to the understanding of the age group, for example in the Foundation Stage the concepts could be celebration, specialness and belonging. The concepts are grounded in the child’s personal experience, and then related to key aspects of Christianity the other principle religions, religious traditions and non-religious perspectives represented in the world.
In KS1, the children study Christianity and Judaism, In KS2 the children study Christianity, Islam, Hindusim and Humanism.
A variety of resources will be used when appropriate, namely: books, artefacts, posters, videos, slides and people from local faith traditions. Our close link with All Saints, Dogmersfield, means that we often use the church as a resource, as well as its people. Each class has their own artefacts box which contains many relevant teaching materials. Artefacts boxes are also borrowed from Hampshire RE service.
The Understanding Christianity resource is used to aid the planning and teaching of Christianity in order to engage in theological enquiry.
The children record their responses in their RE books. However, they will also have the opportunity to respond in a variety of ways that encourages active thinking, some of which will not be written. This may be through: poems, stories, reports on visits, art work, design technology, music, drama, maths work, discussions, debate, displays and through their own behaviour.
IMPACT
The teaching of religious education will develop the way children speak, think and act in the world. Planning enables the children to develop the following key skills and attitudes:
Skills: sharing, communicating, enquiring, responding, empathising, listening, exploring, contextualising, developing respect, responding, evaluating, reflecting, interpreting and applying.
Attitudes: curiosity, open-mindedness, fairness, respect, self-understanding, inquiry, wonder and appreciation.
Children will leave school with an awareness and respect for a range of religions, religious traditions and beliefs. They will be able to make links between their own lives and others in their community and wider world, developing an understanding of other people’s cultures and ways of life.