Furness Primary School

Intent

RE is an important curriculum subject at Furness. It is important in its own right and also makes a unique contribution to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils and supports wider community cohesion. At Furness Primary School, the aim of religious education is to learn about and from spiritual insights, beliefs and religious practices and to explore fundamental questions of human life.

This will include helping children and young people to:

• Understand and respect different theistic and non-theistic religious traditions as well as other ethical traditions (such as humanism) by exploring issues within and between them
• Develop knowledge and understanding of beliefs, values, traditions and religious institutions and their influence on the life of the believer and on communities and societies
• Look for and learn from the wisdom contained in the stories, sayings and customs of religious and ethical traditions
• Understand how meaning is conveyed through religious texts, ritual, symbolism, and the arts
• Recognise the integrity of truth claims, value the search for truth and manage conflicts which may arise from differing views
• Develop the ability to make reasoned and informed choices concerning belief and behaviour
• Enhance and reflect on their own spiritual, moral, emotional and cultural development
• Develop a positive self-image through reflecting on their own beliefs and home traditions while respecting the right of others to hold beliefs different to theirs
• promote ‘British values’

The RE curriculum reflects the fact that religious traditions in England are in the main Christian whilst taking account of the teaching and practices of other principal religions.

Implementation

The RE curriculum at Furness must be a balanced and broadly based one which ‘promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils and of society, and prepares pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. 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 
• Sikhism
• Buddhism

EYFS - Opportunities are provided for our youngest learners to develop their vocabulary start to learn about their own beliefs as well as others through topics within the domain of ‘Understanding the World’.  For example, in the summer term children focus on ‘special people and places’, which helps familiarise them with vocabulary and features they will also be exposed to in KS1.  The learning is enhanced through exploratory play, and drama activities to help express their feelings.

Key Stage 1 & 2 – The RE teaching at Furness equips our pupils with systematic knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews, enabling them to develop their ideas, values and identities. It develops in pupils an aptitude for dialogue so that they can participate positively in our society with its diverse religions and worldviews. Our pupils gain and deploy the skills needed to understand, interpret and evaluate texts, sources of wisdom and authority and other evidence. Children have the opportunity to handle and inspect artefacts from different religions and beliefs as well as reading different sacred texts in order to understand deeper meanings within each religion.

Progression and Challenge - 8Es – Lesson plans and / or teaching resources such as slides reflect our academy’s pedagogical principal of the 8Es:  Embed ,Explore, Explain, Examples, Expand, Enrich, Evaluate and Expertise.  In doing so, this shared common language helps to reinforce children’s approach to learning, allowing them first to draw upon what they know and their own ideas (explore), before the teacher brings new facts and information to the fore (explain & examples) and they are provided with learning opportunities that allow for greater progression and a deeper understanding of the topic at hand (expand & enrich).  To end each lesson, children are given a reflective question as part of their plenary (Evaluate) to develop their reasoning and consolidate the learning.

Since retrieval is a crucial aspect of religious education in primary schools, it has been added to the weekly RE lessons as Embed in order to strengthen memory retention and foster deeper understanding of religious concepts.  By recalling information learnt previously, pupils reinforce their knowledge base and make connections between different topics within religious studies. Additionally, retrieval practice encourages critical thinking as students reflect on their beliefs, values and interpretations of religious teachings. This process not only enhances academic achievement but also cultivates empathy, tolerance, and respect for diverse religious perspectives, which are essential skills for navigating and increasing interconnected and multicultural world. Therefore, integrating retrieval exercises into religious education lessons is instrumental in facilitating holistic learning experiences for primary school students.

PlanBee units of work and KAPOW scheme of work – The units of work are aligned with NNC objectives and clearly address the teaching of key skills as well as knowledge.  Lessons also contain a variety of differentiated resources to provide greater challenge for more able pupils and support for those that need it.  Providing these resources has helped strengthen teaching and learning, and ensured all pupils across KS1-2 receive a more consistent provision of education in the humanities, however teachers still have the autonomy and flexibility to adapt the plans and content of lessons as they see fit.

Cross Curricular Reading – Children are given opportunities to do their own reading/research within each RE topic, allowing them to see the value of reading to learn and discover.  Children use a variety of reading material to support knowledge acquisition in each topic, including high-quality class reference books, printed resources and websites.  Inference and retrieval skills are also developed through the use of multimedia resources.

Cross Curricular Writing – Opportunities for writing are embedded throughout each RE topic; each lesson should have a written outcome, even if this is a brief summary of the learning or an opportunity to ask RE related questions.  Towards the middle or end of a topic in KS2, at least one opportunity to write at length is provided for.  This provides a platform for children to showcase their knowledge of the topic whilst incorporating and consolidating skills being developed in English lessons.  In some cases, year groups choose to incorporate their RE topics directly into their English planning to further develop non-fiction writing skills.

Artwork:  Across Key Stages, in some RE lessons, pupils are given opportunities to respond to what they have learnt through drawing and artwork. By encouraging pupils to create visual representations of religious stories, beliefs or concepts, they can deepen their understanding and connection to the subject matter. Pupils listen stories and draw story boards or illustrate art. Artwork provides a creative outlet for the children to express their interpretations of different religions, fostering a respectful and inclusive learning environment.  One topic in year 6 ‘Expressing Faith through Arts’ is specifically give the pupils opportunity to express their knowledge and beliefs through art.

ICT:  During some RE lessons, pupils use educational websites to explore religious texts or artifacts. They can also create multimedia presentations or story boards on different religious beliefs and practices, encouraging creativity and digital literacy in religious education.

Spanish & MFL:  Pupils learn to sing Christmas songs in Spanish, for example the well-known Christmas songs Feliz Navidad and Noche De Paz.  They also discuss different religious traditions in Spanish speaking countries.

Educational Visits/Visitors – These form an integral part of the learning experience for children whilst building upon their ‘cultural capital’ by exposing them to religious people, places of worships and attending ceremonies they may otherwise not have the opportunity to be involved with.  We are fortunate enough to be able to easily take advantage of the wealth of resources that the capital has to offer, for example visiting local churches or the local Hindu temple. We have also had opportunities for religious community leaders to visit the school and share with the children their way of life.

Whole School Events – Throughout the school year, Furness celebrates festivals from every major religion through whole school assemblies. (For example: Diwali, Harvest Festival, Chinese New Year, Eid, Christmas, Easter, Passover).  This provides a brilliant opportunity for children to appreciate the diversity of beliefs within the school and also in the wider community. Every class in the school will perform an assembly based on their RE learning which will include songs, drama, art and presenting key findings.

Collective Worship – Every day our children have an opportunity to sit and reflect for a few moments and engage in collective worship. During whole school assemblies this happens at the end as the children mediate on what they have learnt or been exposed to. Collective worship represents a powerful way to develop and establish our school’s ethos and values.

Assessment

Religious education is clearly included in curriculum planning. The study units are developed through our medium-term planning.

Progression in Religious Education is through the interrelationship between formative and summative assessments. Formative assessments take place during each lesson and summative assessments at the end of each unit. Learning about religion and beliefs and Learning from religion and belief. Observations and careful questioning enable teachers to adjust lessons.

Children receive effective feedback through teacher assessment, either orally or through written marking work. Feedback is encouraging and positive, but constructive, thereby moving children forward. At the end of a unit or work, summative assessment takes place in the form of a short quiz or discussion. 

Performances as recorded as evidence of the pupils’ attainment.  According to the assessment criteria, children are judged to be either are working within, below or above the expected standard for their age. This data is uploaded to Target Tracker so it can be compiled and analysed by the subject lead so it can be used to inform subsequent planning and identify trends or commonalities in attainment outcomes across the school.

Impact

The impact of our Religious Education Curriculum is that the majority of children, in our school, are able to;

• Provoke challenging questions about the meaning and purpose of life, beliefs, the self, issues of right and wrong, and what it means to be human.

• It develops pupils’ knowledge and understanding of Christianity, other principal religions, and religious traditions that examine these questions, fostering personal reflection and spiritual development
• encourages pupils to explore their own beliefs (whether they are religious or non-religious), in the light of what they learn, as they examine issues of religious belief and faith and how these impact on personal, institutional and social ethics; and to express their responses. This also builds resilience to anti-democratic or extremist narratives
•  enables pupils to build their sense of identity and belonging, which helps them flourish within their communities and as citizens in a diverse society
• teaches pupils to develop respect for others, including people with different faiths and beliefs, and helps to challenge prejudice
• prompts pupils to consider their responsibilities to themselves and to others, and to explore how they might contribute to their communities and to wider society. It encourages empathy, generosity and compassion.

• Extend their knowledge and understanding of religions and beliefs.
• Develop a religious vocabulary and interpret religious symbolism in a variety of forms.
• Reflect on questions of meaning, offering their own thoughtful and informed insights into religious and world-views.