Cranborne Primary School
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION at cranborne
Our Intent for Religious Education (RE) at Cranborne:
At Cranborne we believe that it is vital for all our pupils to learn from and about religion, so that they can understand the world around them. Through Religious Education, pupils develop their knowledge of the world faiths, and their understanding and awareness of the beliefs, values and traditions of other individuals, societies, communities and cultures. We encourage our pupils to ask questions about the world and to reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences.
The principle aim of RE is to engage pupils in an enquiry approach where they can develop an understanding and appreciation for the expression of beliefs, cultural practices and influence of principle religions and worldviews in the local, national and wider global community.
To do this RE at Cranborne is taught following The Hertfordshire Agreed Syllabus, which states that:
"Religious Education has an important role to play in preparing pupils for adult life. It encourages pupils to develop their sense of identity and belonging. It enables them to develop individually, within their communities, as members of a diverse society and as global citizens."
It is not about telling pupils what religious views they should have but rather to assist them in gaining shared human understanding, developing personal identity and searching for meaning in the context of evaluating different viewpoints.
At Cranborne, we teach the children:
- About the principal religions of the world, their beliefs, values and traditions.
- To reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences.
- How to express their own personal viewpoints in a thoughtful, reasoned and considerate way.
- To make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues.
- To recognise the right of people to hold different beliefs within an ethnically and socially diverse society.
We do this using a couple of published schemes of work, Understanding Christianity, and The Emmanuel Project. The two of them alongside the Agreed Syllabus allows the children to learn through a range of topics across the academic year and across all phases of the school..
Our teachers find the most creative and stimulating ways to teach RE, in order for the children to become engaged and motivated learners - this could be through discussions and shared thinking sessions, artwork, listening to visitors or visiting places with Religious meaning in and around the local community.
We celebrate key festivals through the year including Harvest as a whole school. When our celebration assembly is led each year by the local vicar.
At Cranborne we follow a yearly curriculum map - which enables the children to build on their prior knowledge and learning.
We also ensure the children are being taught Key Vocabulary across all the year groups, that are subject and topic specific, and will be built upon as the children move from year group to year group
Religious Education Curriculum Map 2023-2024
Religious Education Key Vocabulary - Cranborne Primary School
Early Years Foundation Stage (Reception)
Pupils are taught about traditions, beliefs and world views outside of their own experiences through exploring other cultures and practices in the wider world.
Learning about religion and belief
Pupils should be taught to:
- Talk about religious stories, including Bible stories and the stories behind Christmas and Easter
- Recognise some religious beliefs or teachings
- Identify simple features of religious life and practice
- Name and recognise some religious symbols
- Recognise some Christian religious artefacts, including those in cultural and religious use (e.g. Christmas cards, Easter eggs and hot cross buns)
Learning from religion and belief
Pupils should be taught to:
- Recognise their own experiences and feelings in religious stories and celebrations
- Recognise there are similarities and differences between theirs and other’s lives
- Say what matters to them and to talk about how to care for others
Key Stage One (Yr1 and Yr2)
Pupils are taught the knowledge, skills and understanding through religion and belief as well as wider learning themes. They are introduced to other principle religions and can reflect on prior learning as they progress through the units.
Learning about religion and belief
Pupils should be taught to:
- Explore a range of religious stories and religious texts and talk about their meaning
- Explore a range of celebrations, teachings and traditions in religions, noting similarities and differences
- Recognise how belonging to a religion is important to people and the impact it has on their lives
- Explore how religious beliefs and ideas are expressed
- Begin to establish a religious vocabulary and suggests meanings for religious symbols
Learning from religion and belief
Pupils should be taught to:
- Reflect on what matters to them and others who hold religious views
- Reflect on moral values of right and wrong
- Recognise there are similarities and differences between theirs and others lives
- Communicate their ideas and ask and respond to questions
- Recognise how religious ideas and beliefs impact people’s lives personally and socially
Key Stage Two (Yr3-Yr6)
Pupils are taught the knowledge, skills and understanding through deeper enquiry into known religions. Pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 consider the impact of beliefs and practices in greater detail and respond to more philosophical questions.
Learning about religion and belief
Pupils should be taught to:
- Explore and comment on the key aspects of religions, believer’s lives, their stories and traditions and their influence
- Explore how practices are related to beliefs and teachings
- Interpret information about religion and religious beliefs through a range of sources
- Recognise similarities and differences within and between religions
- Consider how religious and spiritual ideas are expressed
- Describe and begin to encounter religious and other responses to ultimate questions and ethical or moral issues
- Use a developed religious vocabulary when discussing and expressing their knowledge and understanding
Learning from religion and belief
Pupils should be taught to:
- Reflect on what it means to belong to a faith community and how this relates to them and others’ lives
- Recognise how religious practice is conducted in a variety of ways
- Discuss their own and other’s views of religious truth and belief
- Reflect on morality and how people respond to decisions they are faced with
- Reflect on sources of information and what they find value in in their own and other’s lives
EYFS examples of work
In The Early Years we follow the Agreed Syllabus, but also take into account the cohort we have each year. We focus on celebrations and festivals that are important to the classes we have at that moment in time.
For example, we have in the past, looked at Harvest, Hanukkah, Cristmas, Diwali, Eid, Rememberance Day, birthdays, weddings, baptisms and christenings, Chinese New Year and stories from religions and faiths around the world.
Key Stage 1 examples of work
In Key Stage 1 the children look at a variety of topics - often linked to a theme themes, viewpoints and ideas from Religion around the world.
Key Stage 2 examples of work
In Key Stage 2 the work builds upon the skills developed in Key Stage 1.
See below for some work examples.
