R.E
HCPS RE Policy HCPS R.E Progression Document HCPS R.E Long Term Plan
Religious Education at HCPS is led by Mrs S. Billam.
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| Mrs S. Billam |
Intent
We believe at Hornsea Community Primary School (HCPS) that Religious Education both supports and strengthens what we aim to do in every aspect of school life. Our caring ethos and the value which we place on the development of the whole child: spiritually, morally, culturally and intellectually is reflected in the RE curriculum. Our vision and educational aims for religious education are to offer a broad and rich curriculum that is ambitious, challenging, enriching and inclusive. This is also in line with the school’s aim to encourage high aspirations in order to maximise children’s progress and to enable all pupils to experience the joy of success.
Our school believes that religious education should provide a contemporary study of religion, preparing children for later life and 'to support pupils' personal search for meaning by engaging enquiry into the question 'what is it to be human?' and by having the opportunity to explore answers offered by religion and belief. Religious Education is taught throughout the school in such a way as to reflect the overall aims, values, and philosophy of the school, through topics such as Justice and Freedom and Heroes/Heroines in everyday life. It plays an important role, along with all other curriculum areas, particularly PSHCE, in promoting social awareness and understanding in our children. We encourage our pupils to ask questions about the world and to reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences. We include and promote British values, ensuring that children are aware of their rights and responsibilities as UK citizens. Our curriculum is designed to encourage creativity, imagination, enquiry, debate, discussion and independence.
The school has adopted the LEA’s Religious Education Policy and is now working from: The New Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education in the Humber area. The intent is to make sure that children understand the relevance of RE in today’s modern world and how it affects our lives and that the RE curriculum enables pupils to hold balanced and informed conversations about Religion and Worldviews.
Implementation
The school bears in mind that the British Isles is a multicultural nation which has Christianity as one of the main religions of the population. As a result, Christianity receives the appropriate weighting within the religious education curriculum. Faiths studied in addition to Christianity are Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, as well as different World views such as Humanism. R.E. is taught according to a five-year plan. This ensures a correct balance and clear development of pupils' knowledge and understanding. Areas, which are necessarily repeated such as Christmas and Easter, are planned so that increasingly complex issues are covered each year. Different aspects of Christianity are taught every year.
From the syllabus it is required that: In the Early Years Foundation Stage, the learning outcomes are referenced to Christianity and as appropriate to a range of other beliefs and cultures
KS1 - Christianity is studied (and one other principal religion in some depth)
KS2 – Christianity is studied (and two other principal religions in some depth)
There are many different disciplines used to explore the phenomena of religion. For the purpose of this syllabus, the focus is on three mutually supportive disciplines - Theology, Philosophy and Social Sciences. Sometimes described as lenses, the three disciplines help RE to be seen from different perspectives, giving a balanced approach to teaching and learning. This model is adapted from the RE Syllabus in a broad and balanced Curriculum: Looking at RE through these disciplines helps to structure the learning and differentiates RE from PSHE and Citizenship, giving academic rigour to the study of religion and worldviews.
There are no presumptions made as to the religious backgrounds and beliefs and values of the children and the staff. 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 are extremely lucky that members of the local churches of St Nicholas’s, and the United Reformed Church regularly visit our school to carry out assemblies.
The school follows the unit guidelines of the County's Agreed Syllabus. Visits are organised to related places of worship. This shared experience across all years is carried through into the marking of significant festivals and events of the chosen faith. In addition, a programme of visits facilitates visiting Christian Sites including, St. Nicholas Church and Hornsea United Reformed Church, The Hindu temple and Islamic Mosque in Pearson Park Hull.
“It is not the purpose of Religious education to lead children to adopt a faith but to gain an understanding of the world of Religion and Worldviews in order to form their own responses and opinions.” (New East Riding Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education.2019.)
RE lessons offer a structured and safe space during curriculum time for reflection, discussion, dialogue and debate. We encourage pupils to learn to think for themselves about British values. We actively promote the British values of: democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect, tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. Respect, tolerance and understanding for the beliefs of others are promoted as part of our programme. Pupils explore religions in a variety of different ways; through experiencing visits to religious sites, through their community and through personal development and wellbeing.
The lessons have an intention of providing a high quality, coherent and progressive experience of the subject, with scope for cross-curricular learning.
Through each unit, children will know about and understand a range of religions and world views. They will be able to identify, investigate and respond to a variety of issues. SMSC, personal growth and community cohesion are featured throughout each statutory strand and are there to ensure opportunities for children to develop positive attitudes and values and to reflect on and relate their learning in RE to their own experiences. We ensure that the RE classroom is democratic where all pupils have an equal right to be heard and democracy is modelled by the teacher and expected of every pupil. In RE pupils examine different codes for living and consider the value of the rule of law where all people are equal before the law. They consider questions about identity and belonging, the balance between individual liberty and the greater good.
RE challenges pupils to be increasingly respectful and to celebrate diversity of different cultures, faiths and beliefs. (Assemblies in school are broadly Christian in nature, but regularly contain other religious views and festivals or different world views such as Humanism The Baha’i Faith, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Jehovah’s Witnesses).
Impact
The children at Hornsea Community Primary School enjoy learning about other religions and why people choose, or choose not to follow a religion. Through their R.E. learning, the children are able to make links between their own lives and those of others in their community and in the wider world, developing an understanding of other people’s cultures and ways of life. As such, R.E. is invaluable in an ever-changing world.
The children will discover how they can learn from and work alongside each other to create community cohesion. All children in school will be able to talk confidently about their wellbeing, moral and cultural development for the society in which they live.
The RE curriculum will promote inquisitive minds, respect, tolerance and understanding for all those around them including themselves. The planned lessons will enable high quality 'thoughtful' work to be produced and evidenced, which showcase a deep understanding of the main religions and other non-religious beliefs of their community and World. This evidence will be seen through the correct use of vocabulary, explanations and respectful opinions, as well as cross-curricular evidence; for example, religious and cultural art work, visits and visitors, drama, craft and presentations.
Impact will be seen by all teachers and children enjoying the experience of teaching and learning RE and understanding how it can help them in their future and find their place in the World.