Religious Education
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect
Romans 12:2
At Radwinter CofE (VA) Primary School, we believe that Religious Education (RE) plays a vital role in nurturing the spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development of our children. Rooted in our vision of "Growing and learning together to embrace life in all its fullness," RE promotes respect, kindness, and open-mindedness towards others with diverse faiths and beliefs. It encourages our children to cultivate a strong sense of identity and belonging through self-awareness and reflection. Our primary aim in RE is to engage pupils in an inquiry-based approach, fostering an understanding and appreciation for the beliefs and cultural practises of principal religions and worldviews within our local, national, and global communities.
What will children learn?
At Radwinter, we are committed to ensuring that the Religious Education component of our curriculum is engaging, inspiring, and challenging. We aim to equip our children with the knowledge and skills necessary to tackle complex questions and to become religiously literate.
By integrating theology (believing), philosophy (thinking), and human/social sciences (living), we provide opportunities for our children to explore various religious beliefs, values, and traditions. This approach helps them develop a deeper understanding of how these beliefs are practised within our multicultural society, reflecting our values of fairness, respect, and service. Effective RE teaching and an impactful curriculum balances all three of these areas, not necessarily equally, to ensure pupils become more religiously literate.
Our curriculum has been built using guidance from the Essex Agreed Syllabus which recognises an RE curriculum is made up of both the disciplinary knowledge and also the every day life of the school, such as how our vision and values are nurtured.
How will children be taught?
Our RE curriculum is broad and balanced, rooted in a multidisciplinary approach that aligns with our school’s vision. Using a range of resources (SAT RE, Understanding Christianity, NATRE, understandinghumanism.org and Anti-Racist RE), we adopt an inquiry-based methodology that contextualises the core body of knowledge for our school community. This curriculum not only supports the Spiritual, Moral, Social, and Cultural (SMSC) development of our pupils but also prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences they will encounter in later life.
The curriculum is designed as a 2-year spiral curriculum, building upon pupils’ previous learning, understanding, and experiences to support their journey towards religious literacy.
In Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), pupils explore 3 key questions:
- - Why is our world special?
- - How do we celebrate special times?
- - Where and what is special to us?
Through these inquiries, pupils build firm foundations in their understanding of the Christian faith, which is important to us with our church school identity, but also begin to learn about Islam, Hinduism and Judaism to support their journey through school as they will build on these key faiths.
In Key Stage 1 (KS1), pupils will explore two key world religions (Christianity and Judaism) whilst also encountering Islam, Hinduism and Humanism.
In Key Stage 2 (KS2), pupils will explore two key world religions (Christianity and Islam) and one non-religious world view (Humanism) in depth whilst also encountering Hinduism and Sikhism.
Alongside the 2-year curriculum, we have 6 ‘Faith Drop-Down’ days:
- two ‘Faith Spotlight’ days (one focusing in Buddhism, one focusing on Sikhism)
- two ‘Faith reflection’ days (one focusing on Easter/Salvation, one focusing on Christmas/Incarnation)
- two ‘Faith in action’ days (one focusing on suffering in the world, one focusing on Global Citizenship)
These drop-down faith days complement our vision of ‘embracing life in all its fullness’ as they ensure that pupils have a breadth of experiences and understanding as well as the depth already covered through their regular lessons.
RE is taught weekly, but it may also be integrated into class topics, celebrated during whole-school RE days and as part of daily reflection time at the end of the day.
Lessons are designed to be inclusive and accessible, utilising a variety of interactive and practical activities that encourage children to discuss their ideas and extend their understanding of complex concepts and challenging questions.
What will the outcome be?
At Radwinter CofE (VA) Primary School, our children take joy in learning about different religions and worldviews, exploring the reasons behind individuals’ choices to follow or not follow a religion. Through their RE learning, pupils create connections between their own lives and those of others in their community and the wider world, fostering an appreciation for diverse cultures and ways of life. We believe that our inquiry-based curriculum allows pupils to explore significant concepts in a safe yet challenging environment, supporting them in becoming religiously literate and preparing them to embrace life to the fullest in a multicultural, modern society.
Assessment in RE is conducted regularly through informal observations, discussions with children, and the work they produce in lessons. Pupils are assessed against the key learning objectives outlined in the syllabus, providing an overall judgement of their understanding of Religious Education. This assessment process, along with moderation of pupils’ understanding and progress, informs future planning and ensures that we maintain high standards in our RE provision.
For more information or to discuss our computing curriculum, please contact the school office or speak to Mrs Rooney, our RE lead.
Growing and learning together to embrace life in all its fullness