How is R.E taught?

R.E is a compulsory part of the basic curriculum for all Primary aged children. We plan our religious education curriculum in accordance with the Gloucestershire Agreed Syllabus. Alongside this we use the Understanding Christianity resource pack to help us plan and teach the units on Christianity that are set out in the Gloucestershire Agreed Syllabus.  The class teacher uses plans for each lesson which contain the specific learning objectives for that lesson. RE is planned as a discreet subject and where appropriate is included in the teaching of the creative curriculum.  The table below shows which units from the Gloucestershire Agreed Syllabus are taught when.

EYFS

R.E sits firmly within the areas of personal, social and emotional development and understanding the world. This framework enables children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others, and to learn how to form positive and respectful relationships. They will do this through a balance of guided, planned teaching and pursuing their own learning within an enabling environment. They will begin to understand and value the differences of individuals and groups within their own immediate community. The children will have the opportunity to develop their emerging moral and cultural awareness. They will encounter religious and non-religious worldviews through special people, books, times, places and objects and by visiting places of worship. They will listen to and talk about stories and be introduced to subject-specific words and use all their senses to explore beliefs, practices and forms of expression. We will encourage them to ask questions and reflect on their own feelings and experiences. They will use their imagination and curiosity to develop their appreciation of, and wonder at, the world in which they live.

KS1

Children will develop their knowledge and understanding of religions and worldviews, recognising their local, national and global contexts. They will use basic subject-specific vocabulary, raise questions and begin to express their own views in response to the material they learn about and in response to questions about their ideas.

KS2

Children will extend their knowledge and understanding of religions and worldviews, recognising their local, national and global contexts. They will be introduced to an extended range of sources and subject-specific vocabulary and be encouraged to be curious and to ask increasingly challenging questions about religion, belief, values and human life. The children will learn to express their own ideas in response to the material they engage with, identifying relevant information, selecting examples and giving reasons to support their ideas and views.

Inclusion

We recognise the fact that all classes in our schools have children of differing abilities, and so we provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child.

Parents have the right to withdraw their child/children wholly or partly from Religious Education provided that they give the school written notification of their intention to do so. We would expect that parents would discuss this matter with the head teacher to ensure that they understand the aims and value of RE before honouring this.

Extra - Curricular Provision

We have special Harvest, Easter and Christingle services at the local church and year 6 children attend the leaver’s service at Gloucester Cathedral. Classes are encouraged to visit local places of worship so that the children can have real life experiences of different places of worship. We invite people in to talk about their own faiths, beliefs and practices and children often celebrate different cultural festivals within their own classes. Children are also encouraged to help plan and deliver worship and they take an active role in helping the Open the Book team with re-enacting Bible stories during worship.