Intent:
We believe that RE plays a key role in the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our children. Through our enquiry-based approach, they will develop a greater understanding of world views and religions. They will develop:
- a sense of belonging by encouraging an awareness of their own beliefs; growing in empathy as they develop a greater consideration of the beliefs of those in their local and the wider global community.
- confidence in communicating through open discussion and contemplation of ideas; establishing a safe environment of open-mindedness where sharing individual views is encouraged and valued.
- a resilient attitude by asking and reflecting on challenging questions and concepts; by looking at evidence to explore the authenticity and veracity of different beliefs; through appreciating the richness and scope that different views and beliefs bring to society as a whole
Implementation:
At Northgate Primary School, we follow the Norfolk Agreed Syllabus. To support our teaching of this scheme, we supplement our lessons with resources from Jigsaw RE (part of the Jigsaw education group).
Through their RE learning, children will explore big questions about life and the world they live in, in order to find out what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that they can make sense of religion and worldviews, and reflect on their own ideas and ways of living. The agreed syllabus requires that all pupils learn from Christianity in each key stage. In addition, children will learn from the principal religions represented in the UK, in line with the law. These are Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Judaism. The main focus of our teaching is built up from the representation of faiths and beliefs within our community and wider local area but non-religious viewpoints are also respected.
EYFS: In Early Years children learn about belonging and special places, people, stories and times. Children will encounter Christianity and other faiths, as part of their growing sense of self, their own community and their place within it. It allows the children to fully experience different religions through story, role-play and various play-based activities. It also allows the children to appreciate and explore their own religions, traditions and customs and develop an awareness and respect towards others.
Years 1-6: During this time they will explore religious ideas through key questions and build on their knowledge and understanding gained from earlier units in the year and in previous years. This enables the children to embed and develop their understanding further and helps to ensure that they have a secure knowledge and understanding when retrieving information when comparing different religions. We value the 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 acknowledge that each religion studied can contribute to the education of all our pupils. Staff will challenge inequalities and discrimination associated with race, religion, culture, gender, or socio-economic group Staff are sensitive to the social and cultural background of the children and families in the school community
Impact
Through their RE learning, the children at Northgate Primary School are able to:
- make links between their own lives and those of others in their community and in the wider world, enabling them to develop an understanding of other people’s cultures and ways of life, which they are then able to communicate to the wider community.
- recall knowledge and understanding of Christian beliefs and practices which enable them to understand the importance of the Bible, and the role of the church and recognise that for Christians their faith provides a way of interpreting life and its meaning.
- understand the beliefs and practices of some of the other principal religions in Britain, and how these have an impact on actions and decisions for people of faith.
- reflect upon personal feelings, responses, and relationships through their understanding of spiritual, and cultural beliefs, and morality, of Christianity and some other world religions