Religious Education (RE)

Intent

At Durrington All Saints C of E Infant School we believe that our Religious Education should have a high priority and status, not only in its own right, but also throughout the curriculum. The Foundation Governors, as part of their overview, ensure that the school promotes strong links between the Church, the school and the local community, reflecting the distinctive Christian character of the school.

RE enables children to investigate and reflect upon some of the most fundamental questions asked by people. In a church school, our RE nourishes those of the faith, encourages those of other faiths and challenges those who have no faith.

In Religious Education at Durrington All Saints Infant School we aim that pupils will:

• Learn through an enquiry-based approach
• Develop a knowledge and understanding of Christianity and its impact on our local community, and on our society today
• Develop a knowledge and understanding of some of the other principal religious traditions represented in Great Britain today
• Develop a sense of respect for religious traditions, beliefs and practice.
• Grow in their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
• Develop a sense of awe and wonder and mystery
• Develop skills and attitudes which will support their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
• Think about their own beliefs and values in the light of the beliefs of others, both religious and non-religious, and the values of the school community.

 We aim to develop an understanding of and belief in the following areas:

• The nurturing of children’s own spiritual development; needs to come first point

• God and the beginning of the world;
• The development of a sense of awe, wonder and mystery of the natural world and the richness of each season;
• Knowledge of the life and teaching of Jesus, his death and his resurrection, Salvation starting with what each child knows and building on that knowledge; Incarnation Gospel and Salvation.
• God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and the gifts that the Spirit brings to our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility;
• The Bible: key themes and events in both Old and New Testaments
• The church as a place of worship;
• The celebration of major Christian festivals;
• The Christian community, both locally and in a wider context;
• Awareness of and respect for places of worship, rituals and rites of other faiths and tolerance of those who worship in a different way to us
• Provoking and challenging questions about the meaning and purpose of life, beliefs, the self, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human. These develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of Christianity, other principal religions and religious traditions that examine questions, fostering personal reflection and spiritual development
• An encouragement for pupils to explore their own beliefs (whether they are religious or non-religious), considering what they learn, and to express their responses. This also builds resilience to anti-democratic or extremist narratives
• The enabling of pupils to build their sense of identity and belonging, which helps them flourish within their communities and as citizens in a diverse society;
• The education of pupils to respect others, including those with different beliefs and faiths, and support to challenge prejudice
• An encouragement for pupils to consider their responsibilities to themselves and to others, explore how they can contribute to communities and to the wider society. It will inspire pupils to have empathy, generosity, and compassion

Implementation

We use the 'Understanding Christianity' resource to support pupils in developing their understanding of Christianity, as a contribution to their understanding of the world and their own experience within it. Each term a religious question is considered and the terms teaching is based in this enquiry. This is a concept-based approach with pictorial references which help build a narrative and progressive understanding of Christianity.

RE teaching is carried out through exploring the children’s ideas and emphasis is given to discussion and positive, quality talk.  Our religious education learning provides a rich and wide range of experiences inside and outside the classroom, which give children opportunities to develop concepts and skills that will help them to make sense of their own experiences and beliefs, and to understand the beliefs and practices of members of faith communities through open, fair-minded enquiry. Our teaching is based around an enquiry methodology which works through the ' communicate, apply, enquire, contextualise and evaluate' process. Indoctrination and conversion are not part of the educational process and therefore have no place in religious education.

As with all subjects, we use a variety of teaching styles to be fully inclusive. We hold the principle that good teaching in RE allows children both to learn about religious traditions and to reflect on what the religious ideas and concepts mean to them. Our teaching enables children to extend their own sense of values and promotes their spiritual growth and development. We encourage children to think about their own views and values in relation to the themes and topics studied in the RE curriculum. The teaching and learning of RE enables children to build on their own experiences and extend their knowledge and understanding of religious traditions. We use children’s experiences at religious festivals such as Christmas and Easter to develop their religious thinking. We also organise visits to our local parish church and invite representatives of local religious groups to come into school and talk to the children regularly.

Teachers use a range of teaching methods which include art, music, discussion, and drama, use of artefacts, pictures and stories which help engage all pupils.

Teachers tailor the learning of RE so all the needs of the children in their class is met. Work is planned to allows all children to meet their full potential Pupils’ work is displayed in floor books.

Impact

The RE curriculum forms an important part of our school’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural teaching. It also promotes education for citizenship. Our school RE curriculum is based on the Church of England’s Statement of Entitlement and the Wiltshire Agreed Syllabus (2011) as endorsed by Salisbury Diocese and it meets all the requirements set out in these documents. The RE syllabus reflects the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian and takes account of the teachings and practices of other major religions.  We encourage learners to contribute readily to discussions, listen to the views of others and speak confidently about their own faith.

Regular and ongoing assessment informs teaching, as well as intervention, to support and enable the success of each child. These factors ensure that we can maintain high standards with achievement at the end of KS1 of children demonstrating greater depth, at the end of each phase.