Religious Education Curriculum

‘Serve one another in love.’ (Galatians 5:13).

Curriculum Intent

Religious Education at St. Martin’s C of E (VA) Primary School enables every child to flourish and ‘to live life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10). It helps to educate for dignity and respect, encouraging all to live well together. We serve our pupils by preparing them for life in a multi-faith and multi-cultural world. This equips our children to serve, understand, respect and love fellow human beings – whether they are Christians, follow a different faith, or no faith at all.

At St. Martin’s, we encourage children to develop their understanding of the Christian faith, alongside other World religions, and how faith influences the lives of believers, through the provision of a comprehensive Religious Education programme. This is closely linked to our ethos, values and distinct Christian vision as a Church School, and to our Collective Worship programme. Through Religious Education lessons, we aim to support children’s awareness of how different elements of the Christian faith are interwoven together and how these develop through the Bible from Genesis through to Revelation. We also give them an understanding of the beliefs and practices of other World religions, so that they are prepared for life in a multi-faith society, alongside having time and space to reflect on their own understanding and beliefs.

Our school vision - based on Galatians 5:13 ‘Serve one another in love’ - drives our curriculum intent. When teaching our curriculum, we serve our children with Christian love by:

- Exploring and living out our curriculum driver of ‘Courageous Advocacy.’

- Looking outwards – our curriculum involves the wider global dimension.

- Serving each other and our wider community in love.

Curriculum Implementation

At St. Martin’s, our RE curriculum includes the following aims:

- To know about and understand Christianity as a diverse global living faith, through the exploration of core beliefs, using an approach that critically engages with biblical text.

- To gain knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews, appreciating diversity, continuity and change within the religions and worldviews being studied.

- To engage with challenging questions of meaning and purpose raised by human existence and experience.

- To recognise the concept of religion and its continuing influence on Britain’s cultural heritage and in the lives of individuals and societies in different times, cultures and places.

- To explore their own religious, spiritual and philosophical ways living, believing and thinking.

Implementation

Our children at St. Martin’s are entitled to a balanced RE curriculum which enquires into religions and worldviews through theology, philosophy and the human and the social sciences. Our Long-Term Plan for RE at St. Martin’s is supported by the Leeds Diocesan Syllabus and Understanding Christianity, which focuses on Creation, Incarnation, Salvation, The Gospel, People of God and The Kingdom of God. RE is a core subject within our school curriculum, and therefore, content is taught as discrete weekly lessons, as well as whole RE days. Alongside this, cross-curricular activities are actively encouraged as a means of exploring concepts and enabling children to reflect on and demonstrate their learning. Staff also plan activities to enrich the RE curriculum, such as, visitors and excursions- often to places of worship and/or sites of historical religious significance.

Impact

Our Religious Education curriculum at St. Martin’s prepares children to be compassionate, empathetic, tolerant and understanding members of a multi-faith society within modern Britain. They have a secure understanding of the key themes within the Christian faith and where various events and festivals fit into the ‘Big Picture’ of the Bible and the Church calendar. In addition, children understand the key principles of belief, festivals and practices of other World religions and are able to identify similarities and differences between Christianity and other religions. Children are able to ask questions and reflect on what having a faith means and how this influences the life of believers. Through this learning, they are able to reflect on their own developing personal convictions, whether faith-based, or otherwise.

Evidence

Evidence of learning, progress and attainment in RE may be shown in a wide variety of ways, including; through records of discussions, written work, photographs and artwork. Each child has their own RE book in which individual learning is recorded. Teaching staff carry out an initial unit assessment at the beginning of each unit, formative assessment throughout the duration of each unit and at the conclusion of a unit. Outcomes for each individual are recorded on the whole school tracker using the bands, ‘Working Towards’ ‘Expected’ and ‘Greater Depth’ in relation to Age Related Expectations for each year group.

RE Subject Lead: Mrs A. Smith