Religious Education

 

The aims of the syllabus are for pupils:

 • to develop religious literacy.

• to acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the other principal religions and world views represented in the United Kingdom.

• to develop an understanding of the influence of the beliefs, values and traditions on individuals, communities, societies and cultures.

• to develop attitudes of respect towards other people who hold views and beliefs different from their own.

• to develop the ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious issues, with reference to the principal religions and world views represented locally and in the United Kingdom.

Religions deal with some of the most profound and difficult questions in human life, questions such as:

• What is the purpose of life?

• How should people treat each other?

• How do we explain and cope with death and suffering? Religions approach these issues in complex ways, in ways of life, culture and action, as well as ritual, tradition, story, symbol and belief.

Religious Education must take account of this depth and complexity, helping pupils to an understanding appropriate to their age and aptitude.

Intent: 

At Hazel Leys Academy, we believe that it is important for all our pupils to learn from and about
religion, so that they can understand the world around them. 

 

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 their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This ties in directly with our school values: respect each other, respect yourself, respect our environment and community.

Religious Education is taught throughout the school in such a way as to reflect the overall aims, values, and philosophy of the school.

We encourage our pupils to ask questions about the world and to reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences. Our curriculum is designed to encourage creativity, imagination, enquiry, debate, discussion and self-reflection. 

 Implementation:

At Hazel Leys we follow our locally agreed syllabus using Jigsaw RE. Jigsaw RE is an enquiry-based scheme of work, covering the principal world faiths and humanism in a progressive way from early years to Year 6.

At Hazel Leys, the following religions have been selected for study: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism There are no presumptions made as to the religious backgrounds and beliefs and values of the children and the staff.  We value the diverse religious background of all members of the school community and hope that this will encourage individuals to share their own experiences with others freely. All religions and their communities are treated with respect and sensitivity and we value the links, which are, and can be made between home, school, and a faith community. We promote teaching in Religious Education that stresses open enquiry and first-hand experiences wherever possible for both staff and children. Children are encouraged to ask questions as part of their learning through the use of learning owls. This gives the teacher a greater insight in to children’s thinking as well as providing ongoing assessment opportunities.

In the early years, the learning is closely matched to Development Matters to contribute meaningfully to your child’s holistic development. Throughout all the enquiries, the children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is carefully considered.

Each enquiry lasts for half a term and begins with a “big” question such as “What is the best way for a Christian/Jew/Muslim etc. to show commitment to God?” The children then start discussing the theme of the enquiry (in this case, commitment) from their own experience. What have they shown commitment to? Brownies? Cubs? Their sporting team? Playing an instrument?

Only when the children fully understand the concept they are considering, do they then move on to investigating what the people following the studied religion or worldview believe about it. They will spend approximately 3 lessons on this, learning in a variety of ways, so they can adapt their responses and come to a measured conclusion. In week 5 they will complete an activity which can assess their learning, by answering their “big” question. The assessment activities are child friendly and can be answered in a variety of ways, as long as the child can justify their view with the knowledge they have gained throughout the enquiry. This demonstrates the level of critical thinking that the children can apply – a valuable skill for them throughout the school curriculum.

The final week in every enquiry gives the children time to reflect on what they have learnt about the concept and apply to it their own lives, thus allowing them to form their own beliefs and identity. For example, learning that Sikhs share their food with all who attend has taught me ……… about sharing that I would like to take forward with me. These lessons are often very creative and children have opportunities to make items to express themselves in ways other than just writing.

Jigsaw RE gives schools a choice of which religions to teach in different year groups. At Hazel Leys Academy we have chosen the following options as we feel these best suits the needs of our children. Please click on the documents below for a full overview.

 Impact:

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Assessing children’s understanding of topic linked vocabulary before and after the unit is taught.
• Summative assessment of pupil discussions about their learning.
• Images of the children’s practical learning.
• Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice).
• Moderation staff meetings where pupil’s books are scrutinised and there is the opportunity for a dialogue between teachers to understand their class’s work.
• Annual reporting of standards across the curriculum.
• Marking of written work in books.
• Through their R.E. learning, the children are able to make links between their own lives and those of others in their community and in the wider world, developing an understanding of other people’s cultures and ways of life. As such, R.E. is invaluable in an ever-changing and shrinking world.