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Religious Education and Worldviews Curriculum Policy

Intent

The aim of RE/Religion and Worldviews is to promote the spiritual, moral, social, emotional, cultural and intellectual development of pupils and of society by encouraging an exploration of and response to those aspects of religion and human experience which raise fundamental questions of belief and value.

The process of knowing about and understanding Religion and Worldviews:

  • focuses on those strands or aspects of religion and human experience that seek to understand beliefs, teaching and sources, practices and ways of life and forms of expression
  • consists of more than information-gathering in that it includes identifying the underlying concepts and theme enables pupils to engage with the material through developing a range of identifiable skills

The process of expressing and communicating ideas about Religion and Worldviews:

  • encourages pupils to make links between their learning and their own personal experiences through considering; identity and belonging, meaning, purpose, truth, values and commitments
  • enables pupils to develop their thinking about their own and others’ experiences so that they are enabled to develop in their thinking about their own experiences in life, as they compare their experiences with those of others
  • encourages pupils to express their responses in a range of forms and styles (representational, symbolic etc.)
  • encourages pupils to be sensitive to a range of human responses that might differ from their own.

The process of gaining and deploying skills needed for the study of Religion and Worldviews encourages pupils to use higher order skills in their work and think creatively and deeply about religion and world views and enables pupils to make links between other areas of the curriculum.

The school’s  RE/Religion and Worldviews curriculum is intended to enable pupils to develop an understanding of concepts and themes that underpin religion and human experience.  Its purpose is to develop children’s religious literacy.  The syllabus is rooted in three key disciplines or disciplinary fields. These are theology, philosophy and the human/social sciences. These have been re contextualised for the school within the following disciplines that underpin the school’s approach to RE and Worldviews teaching and learning:

History
This is about asking questions that historians would ask. Pupils will explore questions and answers raised through considering the validity of evidence, accounts and interpretation for beliefs and practices in religion and worldviews.

Philosophy
This is about asking questions that thinkers would ask. It requires pupils to think like philosophers, to look at concepts through a philosophical lens. Pupils will explore questions and answers raised through considering the nature of knowledge, existence and morality.

Empathy
This is about recognising personal meaning. It requires pupils to recognise personal meaning for themselves as well as others. Pupils will learn to accurately represent people’s beliefs and practices being able to articulate their religious or worldview background/s.

Theology
This is about asking questions that believers would ask. It requires pupils to think like theologians, to look at concepts through a theological lens. Pupils will explore questions and answers that arise from inside religions and worldviews.

Debate
This is about asking questions about the nature of truth and reality. It requires pupils to think and argue logically, providing evidence to ethical questions in life that religions and worldviews engage with.

Experiencer
This is about asking questions that people who study lived reality or phenomena would ask. It requires pupils to think like human and social scientists, to look at concepts through a human/social science lens. Pupils will explore questions and answers raised in relation to the impact of religions and worldviews on people and their lives.

Worldview
This is about understanding that there is no neutral position or thought. We are the combination of our upbringing, life experience and our beliefs. These together give us a unique way of understanding/viewing the world and in turn affects the way we engage with and understand religion and worldviews.
The school’s RE and Worldviews curriculum recognises that successful learning in RE requires a learning environment that encourages in both teachers and pupils:

  • self-awareness
  • curiosity
  • respect for all
  • sensitivity towards and understanding of others
  • open-mindedness
  • trust
  • community
  • appreciation and wonder.

Such attitudes and qualities will be expressed in a range of ways including:

  • an awareness of one’s own developing views and perceptions
  • a curiosity about the world of other people and an active interest in how they communicate their beliefs and values
  • a willingness to respect the values and beliefs of others
  • a willingness to take part in the human search for truth, purpose and meaning
  • a fascination with how people respond to those deep questions which affect the way in which they approach and influence their lives
  • becoming lifelong learners.

Implementation
To teach the Hackney syllabus, the school follows the related scheme of work.  This provides sharply focused and challenging tasks.
Our syllabus is philosophical – across each year group there is a big question that pupils consider across the year – building up links between the 6 provided units of work. Each unit again asks a philosophical/theological or social science question that the class then explores with their teacher.  The Hackney syllabus draws upon recent RE research from Big Questions and RE Explorers (Exeter university).  It also draws upon RE disciplines or lenses and every unit of work helps teachers to identify what discipline they are using when teaching the lesson they are planning – ensuring their ability to understand pedagogical practice in RE and make the right choices for their pupils.
The steps to progression in RE/Religion and Worldviews used in this agreed syllabus have drawn on and adapted those produced by the Religious Education Council of

England and Wales 2014/2015 http://resubjectreview.recouncil.org.uk/re-reviewreport

In order to make progress in RE/Religion and Worldviews, pupils add to their understanding as they extend their use of subject-specific vocabulary and encounter the same concepts in the contexts of different religions/worldviews. In particular, they learn at greater depth, which is reflected in:

  1. Increasing the level of detail

For example, while 5-7 year olds approach expression at word level, 7-11 year olds consider how feelings and beliefs are expressed in books and other texts.

  1. Moving from local to global contexts

For example, KS1 schemes of work begin to develop the idea of religion with 5-7 year olds through concrete ‘holy things’ that are found locally or in pupils’ families. It is proposed with this age group teachers draw on religions / worldviews familiar to pupils, that are found in the area or are historically important.  Pupils aged 4-5 year olds may never have encountered religion previously. Teachers therefore understand the necessity to tune into and develop any language that pupils may already use.

  1. Making increasing links between smaller ideas

For example, 7-11 year olds make links between different elements of a religion e.g.

(year 3: How did Jesus and Buddha make people stop and think? Year 6: What qualities are important for present day religious leaders?).

  1. Including exceptions and contrasts

For example, 14-16 year olds consider contrasting views of the nature of spirituality and belief.

  1. Moving from simple to complex and controversial ideas
  2. Understanding diversity in increasingly complex settings
  3. Recognising and handling an increasingly wide range of interpretations

RE is taught in a weekly topic block each half term (autumn 1 – summer 1).  Coverage is planned to link with key dates and religious festivals to provide opportunities to celebrate festivals and religions with greater consistency and contextual relevance.  Work is recorded in topic books and is evidenced with a variety of outcomes, including written pieces and artwork.
Each new unit of work begins with a recap of the previous related knowledge from previous years.  This helps children to retrieve what they have learnt in the earlier sequence of the programme of study, and ensures that new knowledge is taught in the context of previous learning to promote a shift in long term memory.  Key vocabulary for the new topic is also introduced as part of this ‘unit introduction’ and children are shown a graphic organiser which includes explanations and definitions and accompanying visuals for each word to ensure accessibility to all.  This approach also means that children are able to understand the new vocabulary when it is used in teaching and learning activities and apply it themselves when they approach their work.

The children are asked what they would like to know and class responses are collated and used to inform the programme of study to ensure an aspect of ‘focussed interest planning’.  At the end of the topic, children take part in a review of what they now know.  At the end of the topic, children write a summary of what they know according to the key knowledge for the unit as stated on the knowledge organiser of the topic).  Teachers support the children and scaffold this ‘knowledge summary’ as appropriate, according to the children’s age group as well as individual needs.  This process is used to consolidate the key knowledge of the topic and each strand of knowledge included in the outcomes is ticked or highlighted.

Impact
Alongside a whole school approach to celebrating different religious and cultural celebrations, the RE curriculum provides the means to celebrate the diversity of the school community and promote positive images of people in the wider community, including their beliefs, traditions, culture, language and history.  It ensures that children develop spiritually, academically, emotionally and morally to promote and realise a better understanding of themselves and others and to equip with the opportunities, challenges and responsibilities of living in a rapidly changing, multicultural world.

Pupils learn about and understand a range of religions and worldviews, so they can:

  • describe, explain and analyse beliefs and practices, recognising the diversity which exists within and between communities and amongst Individuals. Identify, investigate and respond to questions posed, and responses offered by some of the sources of wisdom found in religions and worldviews. Appreciate and appraise the nature, significance, and impact of different ways of life and ways of expressing meaning.

Pupils express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religions and worldviews, so they can:

  • explain reasonably their ideas about how beliefs, practices and forms of expression influence individuals and communities express with increasing discernment their personal reflections and critical responses to questions and teachings about identity, diversity, meaning and value, including ethical issues appreciate and appraise varied dimensions of religion or a worldview.

Pupils gain and deploy the skills needed to engage seriously with religions and worldviews, so that they can:

  • find out about and investigate key concepts and questions of belonging, meaning, purpose and truth, responding creatively
  • enquire into what enables different individuals and communities to live together respectfully for the wellbeing of all
  • articulate beliefs, values, and commitments clearly, in order to explain why they may be important in their own and other people’s lives.