Religious Studies
Intent
At Little Kingshill Combined School we follow the Bucks County RE syllabus ‘Challenging RE’. Throughout their learning journey the children will explore the religions of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Islam.
RE is an opportunity to understand the beliefs, values and attitudes that guide us throughout life. The educational reasons are-
‘…so that pupils can learn more about themselves and their place in the world from their study of religion and worldviews. Secondly, so that they can learn about religions and worldviews which have influenced the lives of millions of people and heavily influenced the development of different human cultures. These two purposes work together and should not be treated separately…’
‘Challenging RE, Bucks agreed syllabus 2022-27’
R.E at Little Kingshill underpins the moral and cultural development of our pupils, (SMSC) it instils British Values throughout that are so important to structure their core beliefs. It aims to enable children to-
- understand the nature, role and influence of religion and worldviews, locally, nationally, and globally
- reflect on questions of meaning, purpose and value.
- formulate reasoned opinion and argument
- enter into meaningful dialogue with people of different beliefs and backgrounds, appreciating and celebrating diversity, recognising what we hold in common, and respecting a shared humanity that can be experienced, expressed, and responded to in diverse ways.
As a small village school we acknowledge our cultural capital has a ‘protected’, less diverse demographic than many others, however, being within a suburb vicinity of many larger towns and cities, we have a duty to ensure all our pupils have a firm foundation of the religions and cultures that surround us to ensure we fully equip our children to encounter and interpret these as they grow and move into the world independently without fear, stereotyping and misconceptions. The aim is to teach children to understand others viewpoints and perspectives (for which religion plays a big part) and give them the skills to question without prejudice and have empathy without feeling forced to change their own opinions.
Implementation
To deliver these aims we utilise the agreed Bucks County RE syllabus 'Challenging R.E'. We plan religious education that is appropriate to the needs and abilities of all pupils. The following learning process lies at the heart of Challenging RE. Learning in RE involves helping pupils make sense of life. Learning about religions, beliefs and ways of living is the vehicle through which they develop their understanding of themselves, others and the world. The learning process involves a journey with three possible starting points (see diagram below):
- What does it mean to be me? Pupils’ own experience and self-concept,
- What does it mean to be you? Religious/worldview experience, concepts and content,
- What does it mean to be human? Universal human experience and concepts.
Within the Early years R.E is taught through sharing subject knowledge within ‘Understanding the world’. The children will learn about the different celebrations of religions, encounter artefacts through role play (playing and exploring) and experience these celebrations through stories, art and craft activities (active learning).
In Key Stage 1 pupils learn different beliefs about God and the world around them through exploring Christianity and Judaism. They are introduced and respond to stories, artefacts and other religious materials. They learn to recognise that beliefs are expressed in a variety of ways, and begin to use specialist vocabulary. They begin to understand the importance and value of religion for themselves and develop empathy for others opinions. Pupils develop questioning skills and begin to consider the world around them. They think about what is important to them and others, reflect on this and begin to evolve a sense of belonging.
Throughout Key Stage 2, pupils learn about Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. They start to recognise the impact of religion and belief locally, nationally and globally. They compare differing aspects of religion and consider the beliefs, teachings, practices and ways of life fundamental to each religion. They learn about sacred texts and other sources and consider their meanings. They begin to recognise similarities and differences within religions and they extend the range and their use of specialist vocabulary. They consider the challenges involved in distinguishing between moral ideas of right and wrong and begin to debate and communicate their ideas, values and beliefs mindful of other people’s viewpoints.
These skills and knowledge should be shared through a variation of pedagogy's ensuring personal, substantive and disciplinary knowledge of the subject is covered and consolidated alongside first hand enrichment experiences throughout each child's learning journey.
Impact
Learning in RE involves helping pupils make sense of life. Learning about religions, beliefs and lifestyles is the vehicle through which they develop their understanding of themselves, others and the world. Pupils will grow to recognise how we are all different, yet we share our humanity in common (what we refer to as ‘identity-in-difference’), so that through their exploration of religions and beliefs they will develop their own understanding of what it means to be human and their own sense of meaning, purpose and value in relation to others.