‘Religious education emphasises respect for others, regardless of their beliefs, race or social status.’

Victoria Purcell

 

INTENT

At Barnburgh Primary Academy, our Religious Education curriculum is based upon the Doncaster Agreed Syllabus. By teaching R.E. through a variety of media, including art and drama, we aim for children to become creative and reflective learners who are able to express themselves fluently and confidently. We aim to develop children’s understanding of how religion affects people’s lives and through studying Christianity and other world religions, pupils will be encouraged to celebrate diversity and respect others’ beliefs.

Our Core Values provide the platform on which we have built our curriculum offer at Barnburgh Primary Academy. Our R.E. curriculum is underpinned by our Core Values in the following ways;

COURAGE

• To have the courage to confidently articulate their ideas about religion, beliefs and spirituality and then to change their minds if they choose to do so. 

PERSEVERANCE

• To develop the ability to stick with something, to continue working, to try harder, to not give up.
• To understand that the perseverance and attentiveness leads to personal pride and gratification.

AMBITION

• To do their best work and then to push themselves beyond what they consider to be their best. 
• To develop a desire to achieve something.
• To become literate and articulate about religions and beliefs and to be thoughtful members of a plural society.

RESPECT

• To promote respect and tolerance of others’ beliefs in a diverse society.

INDEPENDENCE

• To develop the confidence to ‘have a go’.
• To develop the confidence to think independently and have their own beliefs.

 

BEYOND THE SUBJECT

We want our R.E. curriculum to help children to;

• See the world from different perspectives
• Increase their empathy
• Observe and look closer at the world around them
• See connections in the world

 

 

IMPLEMENTATION

Our R.E. curriculum has been designed according to the Doncaster Agreed Syllabus. The Agreed Syllabus states that all pupils need to;

• Know about and understand a range of religions and worldviews,
• Express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religions and worldviews and
• Gain and deploy the skills needed to engage seriously with religions and worldviews.

 

R.E. will be taught in ways that engage, inspire and challenge children, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to both ask and answer tricky questions. Through a range of stimulating activities, such as drama, art or debate, children will develop an understanding of religious tolerance, enabling them to see the importance of working together to combat prejudice, thus preparing them for adult life, future employment and life-long learning in our multi-cultural society.

 

Throughout their time at Barnburgh Primary Academy, children will learn about Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism and non-religious world views. Children record their learning in their own R.E. book. Where appropriate, R.E. learning may also be linked to a community or cultural issue to engage our children in the world around them and to help them understand the role that they play as an individual.

 

As with the rest of our curriculum, we will make effective use of our local area to enhance the children’s understanding and skills further. Children will have opportunities to visit local places of worship, including St. Peter’s Church and the Jamia Mosque in Doncaster, and meet people from these communities.

 

 

IMPACT

Ongoing R.E. assessment is used to inform teacher’s planning. R.E. monitoring takes various forms. A key component of this is pupil voice. School leaders use pupil voice as an effective tool to ascertain the children’s embedded R.E. subject knowledge, vocabulary and skills as well as their love for learning the subject. R.E. book monitoring throughout all year groups also takes place once a term to compliment this, allowing leaders to ensure our children have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills fully. Examples of our children’s R.E. work is exhibited throughout the school, both in classroom and communal displays.

 

RE Progression Document coming soon