At Coltishall Primary School, we believe that R.E. has a specific role in helping pupils make sense of religion and worldviews around them and begin to understand the complex world in which they live. The need to learn to relate to other people constructively and with respect and empathy is ever more apparent and the fundamental need of mankind to invest life with meaning and purpose is by no means diminished in the twenty-first century. The purpose of Religious Education is to extend pupils’ knowledge and understanding beyond their present experience and help them to appreciate the values and roles of different religions/worldviews studied, both from the viewpoints of their members and as agents of challenge, change and tradition in the world. Multi-faith teaching is all the more important in our school community where children have less opportunity to meet with and experience the diversity of cultures and religious beliefs typical in a more culturally diverse setting.

Aims

A              

Know about and understand a range of religions and worldviews, so pupils can:

• describe, explain and analyse beliefs and practices, recognising the diversity which exists within and between communities and among 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.

B

Express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religions and worldviews, so pupils 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.

C       

Gain and deploy the skills needed to engage seriously with religions and worldviews, so pupils 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.

Coverage 

Whilst the EYFS curriculum does not explicitly have a RE aspect, it is fundamental in building pupils' understanding of the wider world. At Coltishall, much of the EYFS curriculum is child led, however the EYFS team ensures the exploration of religion and worldviews in terms of important people, times, places and objects, as well as visiting local places of worship.  Here are some examples of RE strands we cover from Development Matters:

Family and Community e.g. What do we wear? and why?

People e.g. What do we do? and why?

Places e.g. Where do we go? and why?

Story e.g. Who is important to us? and why?

Special Times e.g. How do we celebrate? and why?

Natural World e.g. Why do we care? and why

In Key Stage 1 and 2 RE is taught discretely but also may be integrated into other curriculum areas where appropriate to enhance learning such as: Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development; Citizenship (including social cohesion) and Personal, Social, Health and Economic education. 

SEND

Religious education should be accessible for all learners at Coltishall and all children should be given challenging and meaningful experiences. Other barriers to learning should not impede children’s understanding of religious education.  Learning may be scaffolded to enable children to access the concepts in an RE lesson, so they are not held back by other barriers to their learning. Children may be given access to additional resources such as word banks or visual prompts. In some cases it may be appropriate for some learners to complete parallel tasks that have the same objectives, but suit the needs of the learner.