Religious Education

Intent

At Birchfields, our vision for RE comes from: our core values, of equality, respect, honesty, kindness, resilience, and good health, our learning behaviours of team player, articulate, courageous, tenacious, inquisitive, creative and self-confident (TACTICS) and our commitment to the Diverse Curriculum Charter. In RE lessons, we want children to be curious, asking questions and discussing ideas about religion and to be able to explore, express and celebrate their own and other’s beliefs in a confident, articulate and creative manner.

Through their learning in RE, we want the children of Birchfields Primary School to:

• Acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christians, Muslims, Jewish people, Sikhs, Hindus and people who hold non-religious world views
• Demonstrate positive and respectful attitudes towards others, regardless of their religion
• Develop the skills to live harmoniously within a diverse society
• Respect the right of others to hold beliefs which are different from their own
• Develop the ability to make and articulate reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues

The content of our RE Curriculum

We aim to give the children of Birchfields a grounded understanding of the following world faiths: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Sikhism. The language of the curriculum (Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jewish people and Sikhs) reflects the fact that RE starts with encounters with living faiths rather than belief structures of traditions. As the children progress through school, they will encounter different religions and world-views in more detail.

Implementation

RE at Birchfields is led by a member of the Middle Leadership Team with a team of staff from across the school. The RE curriculum follows the SACRE Agreed Syllabus 2022-27, in line with requirements set out in the National Curriculum. In Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 the curriculum is taught discretely. It is organised into units (outlined in the Long Term Plan) which are taught throughout the year during blocks of 3 consecutive, hour long lessons in KS2 and over 6 half hour lessons in Key Stage 1. In EYFS, the RE curriculum is integrated into learning through Understanding The World and children have a wide range of opportunities to express their learning creatively throughout the provision.

The units have been selected and planned to ensure progression in learning from one year to the next and from unit to unit where appropriate. Guidance promotes a range of learning outcomes that facilitate the development of children’s learning behaviours (TACTICS). From the Early Years to Year 5, year groups present one assembly per year to the school and parents, showcasing their work in one of the units they have studied in RE lessons.

Acquiring and using language appropriately and confidently is a fundamental part of RE learning throughout school. In Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, key language for each unit is recorded on a half termly word mat, introduced at the beginning of each unit and used in every lesson. Children return to this word mat, annotating with any definitions or key learning from each lesson.