Religious Education

Religious Education Intent:

“The ability to understand the faith or belief of individuals and communities, and how these may shape their culture and behaviour, is an invaluable asset for children in modern day Britain. Explaining religious and non-religious worldviews in an academic way allows young people to engage with the complexities of belief, avoid stereotyping and contribute to an informed debate” – Why RE Matters -The RE Council.

Through RE teaching we promote equality, diversity and understanding of the breadth of choices that individuals make. Children learn about and from religion and belief. Our intention is:

to develop religious literacy;
to acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the other principal religions and world views represented in the United Kingdom;
to develop an understanding of the influence of the beliefs, values and traditions on individuals, communities, societies and cultures;
to develop attitudes of respect towards other people who hold views and beliefs different from their own;
to develop the ability to make reasoned and informed judgments about religious issues, with reference to the principal religions and world views represented locally and in the United Kingdom.

Religious literacy is the knowledge of, and ability to understand, religion, beliefs, practices, spiritual insights and secular world views. It plays an important part in preparing pupils for life in modern Britain. Its importance is increasing as globalisation has created greater links and migration between societies of different faiths and cultures. Someone who is religiously literate is able to talk with fluency and understanding about religion and belief. It is firmly rooted within educational practice.

Implementation:

Throughout the RE curriculum, pupils will be encouraged to explore religions, engage with their knowledge, and reflect on their learning and their lives.

Visits and visitors are incorporated into aspects of the RE curriculum to bring the faiths alive.

Our RE curriculum enables children:

to develop their skills;
to ask questions;
to discover information
to approach new material with empathy;
to reflect on their learning.

Religions studied in KS1 have been chosen as they are relevant to the experience of the pupils and local demographic. Christianity and Hinduism are studied. By the end of KS2 all major religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism) and a secular world view (humanism) are studied. We revisit and repeat learning about different religions year on year so children can build on their understanding and therefore truly learn.

The 2018 syllabus recommends that all key stages use ‘Enquiry’ methods when planning and delivering units of work. When planning units of work, a range of approaches to learning that match different types of enquiry are used, for example:

‘Big Questions’ are used as the focus of an enquiry (every topic starts with a “Big Question”)
use experiential and creative activities where pupils can develop their insight into the ‘experience’ of religion
use reasoned argument and debate where pupils can explore controversial issues
using investigative and interpretative skills where pupils need to gather, analyse and present information
planning sequences enquiries to make sure pupils build effectively on prior learning and can see the relevance of their investigations
the enquiry process allows pupils to progress in RE and this progression is defined and assessed.

Impact:

Our curriculum design will promote equality, diversity and an understanding of all of the different religions for all pupils.Our children will leave Cogenhoe with an open mind and heart and have a strong understanding of the importance of celebrating differences. They will have the skills and knowledge to equip them to make a positive contribution to our society.

There are two attainment targets in RE:

Learning about religion and belief – Enquiring into, investigating and understanding religions and beliefs. This includes thinking about and interpreting religious beliefs, teachings, sources, practices, ways of life and ways of expressing meaning with reference to the specific beliefs and religions studied.
Learning from religion and belief – Questioning, exploring, reflecting upon and interpreting human experience in the light of religions and beliefs studied. This includes communicating reflections, responses and evaluations about questions of identity, belonging, diversity, meaning, purpose, truth, values and commitments, making increasingly insightful links to the specific religions studied.

The teachers of children at the end of Key Stage One and Two (Years Two and Six) are required to submit the levels of attainment for their children to SACRE in July each year. The following vocabulary is used:

working towards,
working at,
exceeding,

Religious Education Whole School Overview

“Staff have responded positively to the much higher expectations and were quick to tell the inspector about their pride in working at Cogenhoe and about the successes they are achieving together.”

“Pupils wear their uniform with pride and are very supportive of each other.”

“Pupils throughout the school have consistently good attitudes to learning and they work hard. They respect their teachers highly and say that learning is exciting.”

Our After School Club runs everyday from 3.15pm until 6pm.

Cogenhoe Primary School is a small primary school that prides itself on high expectations, up-to–the minute learning opportunities and a happy environment for children and adults.