Religious Education Curriculum Statement of Intent

At Westwood, our intent is to provide learning which enables our children to develop a broad understanding of Christianity, world faiths and non-religious beliefs.  We strive to nurture children’s awareness of the diverse world in which they belong and to be sensitive to the views and beliefs of other cultures. We plan our lessons so that they engage and stimulate, helping our children become informed as they find out for themselves.  We value problem solving and critical thinking skills, so encourage and support this at every opportunity, aiming to nurture a safe but challenging setting where children can ask questions and give informed responses. At Westwood we want our children to recognise who they are, what they believe, and what is important to them. We want to excite children into wanting to explore and find out more about the diverse world in which they live so that they are able to show empathy, sensitivity, respect, and kindness to others, today and in their future lives. 

Religious Education Curriculum Statement of Implementation

At Westwood, we follow BELIEVING AND BELONGING, the Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education in West Yorkshire. 

Our curriculum is designed around three key aims of study

• Investigate the beliefs and practices of religions and worldviews;
• Investigate how religions and worldviews address questions of meaning, purpose & value;
• Investigate how religions and worldviews influence morality, identity and diversity.

We study four of the main World Religions in depth: Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Judaism.   

In KS1, learning is focused around Christianity and Islam, alongside non-religious perspectives.  The curriculum at KS1 may include aspects of other faiths and world views within themes studied and may reflect the beliefs in the local community and beyond.

In KS2, learning is focused around developing pupils’ understanding of Christianity, Islam and nonreligious perspectives, extending to Judaism and Sikhism. The curriculum may include aspects of other faiths and world views.

Religious Education is taught as a discreet subject. We begin each new aspect of learning by asking a key question, this encourages children to engage with their work and each other. Lessons are planned so that children have opportunities for thinking out loud, active discussion and so that children are keen to investigate and find out more.

Teachers use units of work which have been adapted for Westwood but also link to the Agreed Syllabus to teach RE and these are mapped out on our Long Term Plan. This ensures that there is progression throughout the school.  Our teaching and learning is focused around the investigation of key questions; an ‘enquiry model’ with contemporary, relevant and engaging questions to explore. Within their learning in RE, pupils develop specific attitudes that are open, reflective, and critical and a skill base which allows them to be curious, play with ideas, empathise, listen, imagine, question, make links and reason.

We present learning through many approaches and where possible we provide opportunities for our children to visit local places of worship, meet faith leaders, role play and gain first hand experiences, all of which supports children’s learning and enhances the curriculum.    

Our RE curriculum also links closely with British Values, for example, exploring democracy, teaching our children to have mutual respect to others, having tolerance to other faiths and religion, understanding the law, and being encouraged to make individual decisions in a safe environment. Our lessons encourage children to reflect, discuss and be given opportunity for social development, expressing own views and discussing right and wrong.  

Early Years Foundation Stage

Children in Reception begin to learn about religions and worldviews through special people, books, times, places, and objects and by visiting places of worship.

They listen to and talk about stories from a range of different religions and world views.  Our children are encouraged to ask questions and talk about their own feelings and experiences.  Also to use their imagination and curiosity to develop appreciation of, and wonder at, the natural world.

Our teachers plan the learning appropriately for the stages of development of the children, taking into consideration the characteristics of effective teaching and learning-

• playing and exploring - children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’;

• active learning - children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and

enjoy achievements;

• creating and thinking critically - children have and develop their own ideas, make links

between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things. We ensure sensitivity to the backgrounds and experience of young children, whether or not they come from a faith background.

Our learning is based around Christianity as well as other religious traditions.  (This will depend on which faiths are represented in the class)

Although all areas of the EYFS goals are relevant, RE particularly supports development in

Understanding the World.

Past and Present

• Talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society;

• Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on

their experiences and what has been read in class.

• Understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in

class and storytelling.

People, Culture and Communities

• Describe their immediate environment using knowledge from observation, discussion,

stories, non-fiction texts and maps;

• Know some similarities and differences between different religious and cultural communities

in this country, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class;

• Explain some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other

countries, drawing on knowledge from stories, non-fiction texts and – when appropriate –

maps.

The Natural World

• Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of

animals and plants;

• Know some similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class;

• Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter.

Key Stage 1

At Westwood, RE lessons are planned so that children develop their knowledge and understanding of religions and world views. In KS1 the learning is mainly focused around Christianity and Islam, alongside understanding of non-religious approaches to life. Other faiths may be discussed when for example we are teaching about specific festivals or rituals.  Our children begin to understand and use in discussions some basic RE vocabulary.  Children are encouraged to ask questions about beliefs and find out about questions of right and wrong and begin to respond sharing their own thoughts and opinions. 

As part of investigating the beliefs and practices of religions and other world views, our children are taught to:

 • Recall and name different beliefs and practices, including prayer, worship, festivals, rituals and ways of life, in order to find out about the meanings behind them;

• Retell and suggest meanings for some religious and moral stories, exploring and discussing sacred writings and sources of wisdom and recognising the traditions from which they come;

 • Recognise some ways that people express beliefs and belonging through prayer, worship, symbols and actions, appreciating some similarities between communities

As part of investigating how religions and other world views address questions of meaning, purpose and value, our children are taught to:

 • Explore questions about beliefs, expressing their own ideas and opinions in response, using words, music, drama, art or poetry;

 • Observe and recount different ways of expressing belief, responding sensitively for themselves

As part of investigating how religions and other world views influence morality, identity and diversity, our children are taught to:

• Find out about questions of right and wrong and begin to express their ideas and opinions in response;

• Notice and respond sensitively to some similarities between different religions and other world views in their approach to questions of beliefs and meaning

Key Stage 2

At Westwood, RE lessons are planned so that children are able to extend their knowledge and understanding of religions, beliefs and values, recognising personal, local, national and global contexts. Our children are introduced to an extended range of sources and subject specific vocabulary. They are encouraged to be curious and to ask and discuss increasingly challenging questions about beliefs, values and human life, drawing on the insights of religions and other world views. We encourage children to respond with their own ideas, linking relevant information, providing examples and giving reasons to support their ideas and views.

In key stage 2, our teaching and learning builds on the KS1 focus around Christianity and Islam, and is extended to the study of Judaism and Sikhism, alongside developing understanding of nonreligious approaches to life. Aspects of other faiths are included as appropriate, such as when teaching about a specific concept, festival or practice.

As part of investigating the beliefs and practices of religions and other world views, our children are taught to:

• Describe and understand links between stories and other aspects of the communities they are investigating, responding thoughtfully to beliefs and teachings that arise from them;

• Describe and make connections between different features of the religions and other world views, discovering more about prayer, celebrations, worship, pilgrimages and the rituals which mark important points in life.

As part of investigating how religions and other world views address questions of meaning, purpose and value, our children are taught to:

• Observe and understand varied examples of religions and other world views so that they can explain, with reasons, their meanings and significance for the choices made by individuals and communities;

• Discuss and present thoughtfully their own and others’ views on challenging questions about belonging, meaning, purpose and truth, applying ideas of their own in different forms including (e.g.) reasoning, music, art and poetry.

As part of investigating how religions and other world views influence morality, identity and diversity, our children are taught to:

• Discuss and respond to ethical questions, including what is right, wrong, just and fair, and the complexity of these questions;

• Consider and apply ideas about ways in which diverse communities can live together for the well-being of all, responding thoughtfully to ideas about community, values and respect.

RE curriculum also links closely with British Values, for example, exploring democracy, teaching our children to have mutual respect to others, having tolerance to other faiths and religion, understanding the law, and being encouraged to make individual decisions in a safe environment. Our lessons encourage children to reflect, discuss and be given opportunity for social development, expressing own views and discussing right and wrong.