Our Religious education teaching aims to ensure that all pupils develop knowledge and understanding of sources of wisdom and their impact whilst exploring personal and critical responses. Teaching covers eight key areas:
Pupils in EYFS will encounter Christianity, religions and beliefs represented in the class, school or local community. Religious Education will support a growing sense awareness of self, their own community and their place within this.
Pupils in Year 1 and 2 (KS1) will study a minimum of two religions – Christianity and at least one other religion.
Pupils in KS2 will study a minimum of four religions. Christianity and at least three principal religions chosen from Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and Sikhism will be studied in depth.
Recommended faiths for Year 3 and 4 (lower KS2) are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism.
Recommended faiths for Year 5 and 6 (upper KS2) are Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism.
Content, skills and knowledge of each year Key Stage
EYFS
Beliefs and practices Pupils should share their own beliefs, ideas and values. (PSED: making relationships, self-confidence and self-awareness, managing feelings and behaviour; understanding of the world: people and communities)
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Identity and belonging to a family Pupils should explore how people know that they belong to a family and other groups, including religious groups. (PSED: making relationships, self-confidence and self-awareness, managing feelings and behaviour) |
Sources of wisdom Pupils should listen and respond to a range of stories that engage them including faith stories. (Communication and language: listening and attention, speaking; understanding of the world: people and communities) |
Ultimate questions Pupils should experience aspects of the natural world, using their imagination and curiosity about life and develop their appreciation and wonder of the world in which they live. Ask questions that are philosophically challenging and consider answers. (Understanding of the world: expressive arts and design: being imaginative) |
Symbols and actions Pupils should directly experience religion, its symbols and actions. Engage with artefacts, people and places. Explore local places of importance, including at least one place of significance, for a religious family. They should share their own experiences of places which are important to them. (Understanding of the world: people and communities)
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Human responsibility and values Pupils should be taught to explore some of the ways in which people express care and concern for each other and the importance of this for relationships. They should develop an awareness of their own value and that of others. (Communication and language: speaking)
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Prayer, worship and reflection Pupils should learn about key figures in their own lives and key members of a local religious group. Listen and respond to visitors from faith communities. Talk about prayer and worship and experience times of quiet and stillness. (Understanding of the world: people and communities) |
Justice and fairness Pupils should understand what is right and wrong and why. Consider the consequences of their words and actions for themselves and others. (PSED: making relationships, managing feelings and behaviour) |
Key Stage One
Beliefs and practices Pupils should recall and name different beliefs and practices including festivals, worship, rituals and ways of life in order to find out about the meanings behind them. |
Identity and belonging Pupils should notice and talk about how groups express their identity and belonging: listen to and talk with people, including leaders who belong to a faith community, about how their commitment affects their lives. |
Sources of wisdom Pupils should retell and suggest meanings to some sources of wisdom and stories of faith and belief, exploring and discussing sacred writings and sources of wisdom and recognising the traditions from which they come. |
Ultimate questions Pupils should explore questions about belonging, meaning and truth so that they can express their own ideas and opinions using creative media. |
Symbols and actions Pupils should recognise how and why symbols and actions express religious meaning, appreciating some similarities between communities. |
Human responsibility and values Pupils should respond to stories and real life examples of how and why people show care and concern for humanity and the world. |
Prayer, worship and reflection Pupils should respond and reflect on what individuals and communities do and why, so that pupils begin to understand what prayer, worship and reflection means to a religious community. |
Justice and fairness Pupils should reflect on ideas about what is right and wrong and consider how spiritual and moral values influence the behaviour and choices of themselves and of others. |
Key Stage Two
Beliefs and practices Pupils should describe, make connections and reflect upon different features of the religions and worldviews studied, discovering more about the significance of pilgrimage, worship and the rituals which mark important points in life including the joy of celebrations. |
Identity and belonging Pupils should understand the challenges of individual commitment to a community of faith or belief. Pupils should examine the role of religious leadership and why belonging to religious communities may be valuable in their own lives. |
Sources of wisdom Pupils should investigate, interpret and respond to a range of stories, sacred writings and sources of wisdom and authority, reflecting on the impact of beliefs and teachings as ways of seeing the world in different communities.
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Ultimate questions Pupils should discuss and present thoughtfully, through creative media, their own and others’ views and challenging questions about belonging, meaning, purpose and truth. |
Symbols and actions Pupils should explore and describe a range of beliefs, practices and symbols in order to understand different ways if expressing meaning.
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Human responsibility and values Pupils should consider and apply ideas about ways in which diverse communities can live together for the wellbeing of all. Pupils should respond thoughtfully to ideas about values, respect and human responsibility. |
Prayer, worship and reflection Pupils should observe and understand varied examples of how people of faith communicate their beliefs through sacred spaces, worship, prayer, reflection, meditation and stillness.
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Justice and fairness Pupils should discuss and apply their own and others ideas about ethical questions, reflecting on ideas about what is right and wrong and what is just and fair. |
More information on Religious Education