RE Overview

RE has a significant role for the development of our pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Therefore, we promote mutual respect and open-mindedness towards others with different faiths and beliefs and encourage pupils to develop their sense of identity and belonging through self-awareness and reflection. Our principal aim of teaching RE is to engage pupils in an enquiry approach where they can develop an understanding and appreciation for the beliefs, cultural practices and influence of religions, faiths and worldviews in the local, national and wider global community. 

The key aims for religious education are to provide pupils with :

• Rich knowledge of religion and world views
• Expression of ideas
• Skills to investigate  religions and world views

At Greasbrough, we follow the agreed syllabus approved by the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) 2022-2026. It provides a coherent framework for setting high standards of learning in RE, and enabling pupils to reach their potential in the subject. The syllabus is a local, professional, legal and up to date way of delivering all pupils’ RE entitlements. Children are taught to understand and respect the importance of religious beliefs in the world around them. We aim to ensure that the RE curriculum is challenging, dynamic and relevant to pupils of all ages.

Within each year group children should have the opportunity to be taught across the three key strands building on their knowledge and skills from the previous year – 

• Know about and understand religions and world views
• Express ideas and insights into religions and world views
• Gain and deploy the skills for learning from religions and world views

RE subject matter gives particular opportunities to promote an ethos of respect for others, challenge stereotypes and build understanding of other cultures and beliefs. This contributes to promoting a positive and inclusive school ethos that champions democratic values and human rights.

In summary, religious education for children and young people:

provokes 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 narrativesenables 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.

EYFS

Christianity, religions and beliefs represented in our class or school.

In our Early Years Foundation Stage, Pupils encounter religions and world views through special people, books, times, places and objects and by visiting places of worship. They listen to and talk about stories. They are introduced to subject specific words and use all their senses to explore beliefs, practices and forms of expression. They ask questions and reflect on their own feelings and experiences. They use their imagination and curiosity to develop their appreciation of and wonder at the world in which they live. 

KS1

Judaism and Christianity

The Focus of RE for KS1 enables our children to develop their knowledge and understanding of religions and world views. They find out about simple examples of religion that are drawn from local, national and global contexts. They learn to use basic subject specific vocabulary. They 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

Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism and Sikhism.

The Focus of RE for KS2 enables pupils to extend their knowledge and understanding of religions and world views, recognising their local, national and global contexts. They are introduced to an extended range of sources and subject specific vocabulary. They are encouraged to be curious and to ask increasingly challenging questions about religion, belief, values and human life. All pupils 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.

Celebrations in School

Throughout school we are conscious that it is appropriate to celebrate a wide range of religious festivals. We therefore ensure that we have a broad coverage of religious events such as Diwali, Harvest Festival and Chinese New Year. We ensure that these celebrations are carried out alongside the local community and parents/carers are actively encouraged to participate in these events to create real cohesion within our community. We have links with Greasbrough church where we regularly visit and celebrate Christin festivals.