Religious Education
At Holy Trinity CE Primary School, we believe that children need to learn about, and from religion. As a Church of England School, our Religious Education is predominately Christian but includes the study of other religions, traditions and beliefs. As our Christian Vision states, we strive to ensure pupils flourish to reach their academic goals, which includes developing a secure understanding of Religious Education and empowering them to ask the big questions about the concepts each religion explores. In line with the Statement of Entitlement (2019), we aim to ‘educate for dignity and respect encouraging all to live well together.’
Many of the children at Holy Trinity CE School will come from a background of no particular faith, and Religious Education should help these children have an understanding of traditions both in this country, and other countries.
Religious Education is treated as one of the core subjects in our school’s curriculum. We follow the London diocesan Board’s Scheme of Work. We make adaptations where necessary to suit our own school context.
Holy Trinity RE Curriculum Map
Intent
- To enable all children to become religiously literate.
- To ensure RE enables all children to live life in all its fullness – vision for Education (Church of England)
- To offer a systematic enquiry-based approach to the teaching of RE so that the following skills in children can be developed:
- Ability to be critical thinkers
- Ability to engage critically with texts
- Ability to ask deep and meaningful questions
- Ability to make connections within and across religions and worldviews
- Ability to reflect, respond and express their own religious, spiritual and/ or philosophical convictions
- Ability to make their own choices and decisions concerning religion and belief based on a deep knowledge and understanding of religions and worldviews, belief systems, values and practices
To offer units of learning that:
- Are rooted in theological concepts, strong subject knowledge and content
- Offer a balanced curriculum which enquires into religions and worldviews through theology, philosophy and the human and social sciences
- Offer sequential learning both in terms of knowledge and skills across the primary age range.
- Offer motivating, engaging and creative lessons for all children
- Provide opportunities for children to develop empathy towards people of similar or differing religious or worldviews to their own
To ensure the teaching of RE supports and enhances:
- The Christian vision of the school
- Contributes significantly to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of children
- Takes note of the Religious Education Church of England Schools – Statement of Entitlement
- The Church of England’s vision for Education – every person deserves to live a ‘life in all its fullness.’
Implementation
Within every unit of learning the following steps take place as part of the learning process:
Enquire: Engage with a big question and subsidiary questions. All questions will be rooted in one of the disciplines of RE:
- Theology (what people believe and what the sources are for these beliefs)
- Philosophy (what people think about the ‘big questions’ in life)
- Human/ Social Science (how people live)
Investigate/ Explore: What is the religious content and context being explored? How deep can we go? This ‘explore’ stage of the enquiry is where children will be primarily learning about religion and belief. In order for this to be effective there are some strategies that can be used to ‘deepen’ learning:
- Interpreting and analysing sacred texts
- Using challenging and controversial questions
- Extended pieces of writing
- Discussion which continually asks ‘Have we gone deep enough yet?
- Children engage with authentic religious believers (face to face, via webcams, podcasts, video, skype etc)
- Grapple with complex theological concepts, questions and issues
Evaluate/ Communicate: What is our understanding of the concept? What impact does the concept have on the lives of believers? What difference does this belief/ practice make? The aim of this part of the enquiry is to encourage dialogue about the learning. Children should use skills of analysis and evaluation. The focus is on the impact of the belief or practice on the religious or belief community being studied.
Reflect on/ Express: What is our understanding and response to the enquiry question when considered from the perspective of the faith and belief traditions that have been encountered? What is our personal response?
Impact
- Children will be able to hold a balanced and well-informed conversation about religion and worldviews (Religious literacy)
- Children will make good or better academic progress from their starting points as a result of a rich and engaging RE curriculum
- Children will be able to reflect, respond and express their own religious, spiritual and/or philosophical convictions
- Children will be able to make their own choices and decisions concerning religion and belief based on a deep knowledge and understanding of religions and worldviews, belief systems, values and practices
- Children will have developed a deeper understanding of what it means to live life in all its fullness
