RE

Studying religious and non-religious worldviews is essential if pupils are to be well prepared for life in our increasingly diverse society. They need to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to make sense of the complex world in which they live so that they can ‘respect religious and cultural differences and contribute to a cohesive and compassionate society’. (RE Review 2013)

A study of Religious Education enables pupils to take their place within a diverse multi-religious and multi- secular society. Religious Education provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, the self and the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong, and what it means to be human. Pupils learn to weigh up the value of wisdom from different sources, to develop and express insights in response, and to agree or disagree respectfully.

Pupils learn to articulate clearly and coherently their personal beliefs, ideas, values and experiences so that they can hold balanced and well-informed conversations about religions and worldviews whilst respecting the views of others. Religious education does not seek to urge religious beliefs on pupils by promoting one religion over another. Instead ‘it affords pupils both the opportunity to see the religion and non-religion in the world, and the opportunity to make sense of their own place in that world.’ (Ofsted Research Review Series: Religious Education, May 2021).

Implementation

Our RE curriculum follows the Agreed Lancashire Syllabus 2021

The curriculum for Religious Education and Worldviews aims to ensure that all pupils:

1. Know about and understand a range of religions and worldviews, so that they can:

• Describe, explain and analyse beliefs and practices, recognising the diversity which exists within and between communities and amongst individuals;
• Identify, investigate and respond to questions posed, and responses offered by some of the sources of wisdom found in religions and worldviews; and
• Appreciate and appraise the nature, significance and impact of different ways of life and ways of expressing meaning.

2. Express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religions and worldviews, so that they 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; and
• Appreciate and appraise varied dimensions of religion or a worldview

3. . Gain and deploy the skills needed to engage seriously with religions and worldviews, so that they 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; and
• Articulate beliefs, values and commitments clearly in order to explain why they may be important in their own and other people’s lives. (‘A Curriculum Framework for Religious Education in England’ Religious Education Council October 2013)

At Meadowside, we follow The Lancashire Field of Enquiry,  a medium-term planning model that is central to the delivery of our curriculum.. A given key question provides the central line of enquiry across each year group and then focus questions provide a point of exploration within each religion. Each unit of work should be structured to include the following four elements:

• Shared human experience - the nature of being human.
• Living religious tradition - principal religious traditions encountered in the world.
• Beliefs and values – the theology that lies at the heart of these traditions.
• The search for personal meaning – a lifelong quest for understanding. If all four elements of the Field of Enquiry are in place, then this syllabus will be secure.

In Key Stage 1 and 2, RE is taught termly through 6 stand alone lessons each half term (45minutes to 1 hour). Additional opportunities are planned throughout the year for the enrichment of our curriculum, for example, planned immersive days and visits to give context to the learning.

1. Language development

Within RE, oracy opportunities are planned into the curriculum that allow children to develop the physical, linguistic, cognitive and social and emotional aspects of learning. Opportunities are planned that allow children to debate, present, explain, discuss key aspects of RE and be able to give their opinions on all aspects taught in a respectful manner.

Dialogic teaching empowers students to challenge each other’s views, expand ideas and build and evaluate arguments. We want the children to challenge each other’s views that will lead them to a deeper understanding of the topics we are teaching. Group work, discussion and debate is planned in and central to our teaching of RE.

Development of vocabulary in RE is vital in them closing the vocabulary gap that research shows exists between them and their peers from more affluent areas. Vocabulary is explicitly planned, taught and assessed, ensuring a thorough grasp of new language. New vocabulary is collected during a topic so that it can then be referred back to in subsequent lessons, promoting sticky learning and scaffolding all children in retaining key language and information.

Reading is a crucial part of the development of vocabulary and of language development. A range of quality texts are used within lessons across the school to enrich the children’s experience and to promote the application of reading skills.

2. Knowledge

Our approach throughout the curriculum is generative, enabling pupils to make links between new and existing knowledge to aid retention.  Development of both disciplinary and substantive knowledge is well sequenced to ensure that children know and remember more.  Progression of substansive knowledge is planned out on our progression map for RE.

New knowledge is organised in such a way that ensures cognitive strategies, such as spaced repetition, are well thought through and planned in. Following our whole school model for high quality teaching and learning (Appendix 1), we ensure that teaching strategies allow the children to learn more and remember more. The curriculum is organised to enable children to build webs of knowledge (schemas), with explicit links being drawn between new and existing knowledge.

When knowledge is secure and links have been made, children are encouraged to take this knowledge deeper and apply this critically in different situations.  Assessments are made using open ended assessment tasks that allow children to take learning deeper, demonstrating their critical thinking skills.

Low stakes quizzes are used regularly to ensure that knowledge is remembered and retained. These form part of our assessment for learning in RE.

3. Skills

While the teaching of disciplinary knowledge is key to progress in subjects, children require the opportunity to turn this knowledge to practice and apply skills and fieldwork gives our children opportunities to apply these skills. Our Curriculum planning ensures that these opportunities are embedded for all children. Skills that are taught in RE are progressive and highlighted on our curriculum progression map. These skills are focussed around Religious Beliefs and Values, Traditions, Shared Human Experience and Search for Personal Meaning.

4. Attitudes and values

To develop the children’s growth mindset, rather than simply praising success, we praise effort and persistence. We believe learning should be a challenge and within RE, our children are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them.  Our approach to our curriculum aims to build self-esteem, a respect for self and others, kindness and resilience, with staff modelling across the curriculum how to deal with challenge and adversity.

Local, Societal and Global

Our RE Curriculum strives to ensure that it is an inclusive experiences, common to all human beings, which raise questions of meaning, purpose, identity, origins, destiny, value and authority. These experiences include love and loss, thankfulness and despair, community and solitude. The questions that these experiences raise for all humans, religious and non-religious. Developing an understanding of others and their beliefs is central to being an inclusive society.

Assessment

Formative assessment is an integral part of daily lessons and is first and foremost the essence of helping making our pupils make instant progress in their RE Sklills. This is done through a mixture of high-level questioning, discussion, Oracy activities and written work.

We use live marking and feedback to enable teachers to target next steps for pupils effectively. Opportunities for children to review and improve their learning are embedded into each lesson. Children are given the opportunity to evaluate their own work, and that of their peers. During and on completion of a piece of work, the teacher responds, identifying areas for development. Children’s work is valued, celebrated and displayed around the class and school.

At the end of each term, a written report is given to parents that show whether a child is achieving the required standard in RE, and these are discussed with parents with strategies to move learning forward being discussed.

Tracking of key groups allows for a better structure to learning and allows the RE subject coordinator to adapt the curriculum where needed.

Where there is a specific area of learning that a significant group needs reinforcing, this will be done in the “Catch up week” on the timetable.

Withdrawal from Religious Education

 There is a legal right of parental withdrawal from Religious Education. Parents have a legal right to withdraw their child/children from part of or the whole of the RE curriculum provided by the school. The school teaches open minded religious education which is fully inclusive. The aim is for all pupils to develop their own beliefs and values. Any parent considering exercising the right of withdrawal is invited to make an appointment with staff to discuss the approach we take to the teaching of RE.’

SEND and Inclusion

At Meadowside we have high expectations of all our pupils. However, we recognise that for some pupils, additional support is needed to ensure they can access tasks and so that they can retain key learning. Tasks are adapted or scaffolded in such a was so as to ensure that they are provide suitable challenges that focus on the history and historical enquiry and remove any barriers for learning that stop learning in this subject. Teachers use their pupil passports and appropriate assessments to help inform their planning. This way, a person-centered approach ensures progress is made and makes their learning a personalised experience.

At Meadowside, we want all learning to support independence wherever possible. Teachers will plan lessons so that pupils with SEND are able to successfully access the key content of the RE curriculum and ensure that no ceiling is placed on their learning and what they can achieve. Promoting independence, we allow the children to feel a sense of equality and belonging in their classroom environment.

Where appropriate, the following strategies could be used for pupils with SEND:
Task Adaptation

• Opportunities for overlearning key knowledge.
• Technology used for recording information. Video recording of work if writing is an issue/use of Speechnotes programme or Clicker 7/a scribe/dictation tool on ipad.
• Web based learning for practice and learning of key knowledge.
• Use of concrete resources
• Voice recordings of step by step instructions
• Voice recordings of responses.
• Screen shots and photographs
• Voice recordings
• Peer support for mathematical skills

Scaffolding

• Modeling of work specifically for a small group of children.
• Vocab mats highlighting specific vocabulary for a task
• Broken down instructions for a task.
• Sentence stems from board/worksheet
• Task organiser
• Use of concrete resources
• Further questioning
• Additional focused explanations
• Precision teaching of key knowledge.
• Additional oracy opportunities.
• Peer support.

Additional strategies for pupils will be highlighted as a part of the SEND strategy meetings and in consultation with other professionals. These form part of a child’s pupil passport and support teachers in removing barriers for learning.

Where a child struggles with key aspects of learning, it is crucial that we highlight what is key knowledge for a child to move on with their learning. Progression maps highlight which knowledge is the basis for other knowledge later on within the RE curriculum. Staff therefore provide time for overlearning of this key knowledge where it is deemed appropriate for these children. Support and CPD is given to staff to ensure they have a good understanding of what learning is key to move on. These children are discussed regularly with the SENCo.

Designated Provision and Development Centre

For children working within the Designated Provision and the Development Centre Progression in historical skills is mapped out using our whole school progression document. This tracks progression from 2 year olds right up to year 6. It is acknowledged that at any one time children within the Development Centre will be working on skills from many different parts of this map. However, as these skills are built on each other, the class teacher will take this into account and ensure teaching is well matched to pupils working at these different levels. When teaching a particular RE skill, they are always built upon the foundation of other skills which will support children in working at that level. Tasks are then adapted to ensure every pupil can make progress and show their understanding of RE.

The chosen topics for our DP children will follow a three year cycle in DP1 and a four year cycle in DP2. We ensure pupils within the DPs receive equity of access to our curriculum.  Throughout their time at Meadowside, all children have access to each of the RE topics from our KS1 and KS2 curriculums as shown in our long-term plan. Within these topics, Key knowledge is carefully selected and built into the medium-term planning with key pieces of knowledge chosen and taught to the children. This core knowledge is focused on the areas highlighted earlier in this document.

As with all SEND children, focus for the teacher will be on scaffolding and task adaptation to ensure that the children can access this learning in a way that suits their learning needs.

Children within the Designated Provision are assessed against the RE Progression Map to highlight which age group they are working within. Intervention and teaching is used to close the gaps and to ensure that they have a foundation to build further skills and knowledge. This is evaluated termly to ensure that progression is mapped and this will inform future planning.

Higher Attainers

Opportunities for higher attainers to take learning deeper are planned throughout the curriculum. Open ended tasks and high quality first teaching ensure that learning is taken deeper. Enrichment opportunities are planned throughout the year. Opportunities for children to explore careers in history are planned into the curriculum and accessed where appropriate. Visiting speakers, particularly those from similar backgrounds to our pupils are encouraged to come in and support classes in delivering key areas of history.

CPD for staff

CPD is planned for staff throughout the year and opportunities are planned into our yearly training in line with our school development plan.  Staff are encouraged to also complete their own research. Medium term planning includes “Mastery For Teaching” recapping subject knowledge that will be needed to take learning deeper in History. Where appropriate, staff will also find this out by asking questions to staff.

Monitoring of RE

The monitoring cycle is set out by the senior leadership team at the beginning of each academic year. Monitoring includes book looks, lesson visits, learning walks, pupil/staff voice surveys and guidance days (completed in conjunction with other schools within TCAT). All monitoring undertaken serves to improve our practice, with the aim of bettering the outcomes for our pupils. Subject leader time is given to the RE Lead half termly that allows them to meet with the curriculum lead and complete monitoring.

Impact

At Meadowside, we ensure that all students are exposed to rich learning experiences that:

Children know about and understand a range of religions and worldviews, so that they can:

• Describe, explain and analyse beliefs and practices, recognising the diversity which exists within and between communities and amongst individuals;
• Identify, investigate and respond to questions posed, and responses offered by some of the sources of wisdom found in religions and worldviews; and
• Appreciate and appraise the nature, significance and impact of different ways of life and ways of expressing meaning

Express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religions and worldviews, so that they 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; and
• Appreciate and appraise varied dimensions of religion or a worldview

Gain and deploy the skills needed to engage seriously with religions and worldviews, so that they 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; and
• Articulate beliefs, values and commitments clearly in order to explain why they may be important in their own and other people’s lives

Are well prepared for the next stage of education.