Religious Education at The Pines

"The important thing is to never stop questioning."

Albert Einstein

Vision and Intent

At The Pines, our vision for the teaching of Religious Education (RE) is that children will have their eyes opened to learning about a variety of key world religions as well as some non-religious viewpoints. The foundational knowledge they acquire will give children the tools they need to understand and celebrate the similarities and differences between themselves and others.

We aim to:

• Provide an engaging RE curriculum that promotes an understanding and compassion for other cultures
• Develop a strong understanding of Christianity alongside the key concepts of Islam, Judaism, Sikhism and Hinduism
• Provide the opportunity to learn about a non-religious world view such as Humanism
• Provide the opportunity to explore religious artefacts and visit religious settings

Our Curriculum Drivers are reflected through our RE curriculum as it:

 Helps children understand THEIR PLACE IN OUR WORLD, enabling them to understand and celebrate the rich and diverse cultures not only in our community, but around the world.
Gives children the opportunity to develop LANGUAGE & ORACY skills through discussions around their own beliefs and those of others.
Enables children to LEARN the SKILLS of investigation, analysis and evaluation. They will develop their thinking skills as well as skills of reflection.
Promotes understanding of the importance of religion in influencing life choices which support a HEALTHY BODY AND HEALTHY MIND.

Implementation

Religious Education at The Pines follows the RE Berkshire Syllabus. The syllabus is updated every 5 years to reflect the changing cultures within the region we live. It states that Christianity should be taught in every year group, whilst other key world religions are taught alongside. These compulsory religions are

• Islam
• Hinduism
• Sikhism
• Judaism

Although optional, we have chosen as a school to teach Humanism as a non-religious world view. We believe this is equally as important and reflects the background of the local community.

Over their time in KS1 and KS2, children will explore various aspects such as worship, symbols, stories, religious leaders and texts and places of worship. They will discuss how religion influences people's lives and can be a source of support. We will do this by asking key questions to explore the roles of Belief, Belonging and Behaving, which are the fundamental aspects of the Berkshire Syllabus.

Impact

The impact of our teaching of Religious Education is evidenced through teacher assessment, questioning and lesson observations. Discussions with children and pupil voice surveys provide evidence of confidence, engagement and attitudes towards their learning. The written and spoken outcomes of children’s learning demonstrate that they know more, can do more and remember more in RE.

• Children at The Pines have a secure foundational knowledge of the key religions
• Children’s knowledge of key vocabulary linked to the main beliefs are on a par with or exceed that of their peers as they move to secondary school
• Children have improved their oracy skills through their class discussions
• Children have a positive attitude towards learning about world religions