Religious Education Overview
RE's Mission Statement at Ley Top Primary School
At Ley Top we are a multicultural school and offer a rich and varied curriculum to reflect this. We utilise Religious Education to aid children in their development of enquiry skills, reasoned argument, acceptance and understanding of others, and reflection: children are taught about a range of religions and learn to respect and ask questions about different religions, traditions and cultures around the world.
RE's Aims at Ley Top Primary School
The principal aim of Religious Education at Ley Top is to understand and compare the beliefs and practises of different religious and non-religious groups and to explore how their beliefs impact on their everyday lives so that pupils can gain knowledge, understanding that faiths and cultures differ, and accept diversity which contrasts from their own ideas and ways of living.
The curriculum for RE aims to ensure that all pupils know about and understand a range of religions and worldviews, so that they can:
- Identify special places, days and objects related to the questions studied/ aspects covered
- Identify special books and know some key teachings for the religions studied
- Recount some religious stories and recognise some religious objects
- Reflect on their own identity and experiences
- Ask questions and give opinions about religious and non-religious worldviews
- Reflect on their own values, attitudes and commitments
- Talk or write about some key teachings in religious and non-religious worldviews
- Talk or write about special places, days and objects
- Show understanding of the meaning of stories and symbols relating to different religions
- Recognise that others' identity and experiences are important to them
- Recognise that some ‘deep’ questions are about meaning and purpose
- Recognise and respond to examples of others’ values, attitudes and commitments and share their own
- Recognise that values, attitudes and commitments are often rooted in religious teachings and authority.
- Use correct terminology when talking or writing about special places, days, rituals and objects and key beliefs and teachings
- Understand that symbolic meaning and significance can be expressed in a variety of ways
- Make connections between their own identity and experience and that of others
- Reflect on what is special and significant in their own lives and/or realise that there are puzzling and difficult questions
- Show understanding of values, attitudes and commitments in relation to stories and teachings, beliefs and practices
- Understand the significance of key writings and teachings.
- Understand and make connections between key teachings in religious and non-religious worldviews
- Reflect on links and comparisons between their own and others’ identity and experience
- Formulate questions of meaning and purpose
- Reflect on moral issues in their own lives, in relation to their understanding of religious and non-religious worldviews
- Understand the significance of key writings and teachings for the followers of religious and non-religious worldviews
- Understand the significance of worship, rituals and values for the followers of religious and non-religious worldviews and make comparisons between the religions and beliefs studied
- Formulate questions on their own and others’ experiences and suggest some possible responses
- Reflect on some questions of meaning and purpose in their own lives and suggest some possible responses
- Discuss moral questions, recognising that there are different views to be considered
RE's Quality of Education at Ley Top Primary School
At Ley Top we believe children learn best from real experiences in order to capture their imaginations and encourage curiosity. We try to enhance our curriculum in many ways to provide children with these opportunities. We have worked hard to redesign the way we deliver Religious Education to make learning more meaningful. We aim to make Religious Education relevant by studying and celebrating real events, holding a whole school Holi celebration, to learning about the teachings of Guru Arjan and celebrating the Jewish New Year.
Children will use the celebrations of religious and non-religious festivals to think about their own personal values and to understand how people of different backgrounds or beliefs may share in some similar values whilst also differing in other values. We hope this way of learning will help our children to embed an important British culture too; accepting cultures, faiths and beliefs of others.
