RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (RE) INTENT

Our RE Curriculum is designed to instil in our pupils an understanding of the importance of everyone in the world and an acceptance of different beliefs. We identify and emphasise similarities in different belief systems. Studying religion and worldviews gives pupils opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of important aspects of human experience. This is done at a local, national and global level.

Over time, pupils build knowledge of the world’s main religions and non-religions so as not to imply precedence. Where possible, this is done chronologically to help pupils understand origin and religious divergence.

The religions covered are:

· Judaism

· Christianity

· Islam

· Hinduism

· Buddhism

· Sikhism

· Humanism

· Non-religion (Identity)

Knowledge is taught through themes and REC Big Questions rather than studying religion and non-religion in isolation. Pupils explore their own responses and those of others to these questions. This enables them to develop their own ideas, values and identity. Through recurring themes, pupils make connections in beliefs and practices and therefore recognise similarities and avoid stereotypes. The curriculum develops pupils’ knowledge about different religions and non-religions so that they can form their own opinions. Pupils are not actively involved in assuming a role in religious practices that are not their own. A range of influential figures are used to put knowledge into context.

The curriculum content builds progressively though the themes of:

· Origin

· Worship

· Symbolism

· Journey

· Belonging

Pupils develop:

· ‘substantive knowledge’, which is knowledge and subject-specific vocabulary about various religious and non-religious practices

· ‘disciplinary knowledge’, which is ‘how’ pupils learn about religion and non-religion (e.g. interviewing a faith leader, observing religious practices, analysing religious historical sources)

· ‘personal knowledge’, which is about pupils building an awareness of their own presuppositions and values about the religious and non-religious practices they learn about.

Through the RE curriculum we promote pupils’ spiritual development. They build knowledge of, and respect for, different people’s faiths, feelings and values. We encourage them to reflect on their own beliefs (religious or non-religious) and to reflect on their own experiences.

To promote the cultural development of pupils, the RE curriculum ensures they understand and appreciate a wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage and that of

others. This includes cultures in their academy, community and further afield. Pupils develop an interest in exploring, improving understanding of and showing respect for different faiths and cultural diversity and the extent to which they understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity.

Overall Reading Enhanced Curriculum Intent

Our reading-enhanced curriculum excites pupils to ask questions and learn new knowledge and skills. Our curriculum builds pupils’ substantive and disciplinary knowledge progressively over time, from the moment they start school in the Early Years. It prepares them well for the Key Stage Three curriculum.

The reading-enhanced curriculum has reading for purpose built into all learning. Units of work have a high-quality, age-appropriate driving text assigned that is used as the catalyst to impart curriculum knowledge and promote questioning. These texts are carefully selected to engage, inspire and deepen understanding. Alongside this, supplementary texts and bespoke knowledge organisers enable pupils to enrich their knowledge, subject-specific vocabulary and curriculum skills. Every curriculum session includes reading for purpose, from either the driving book or a supplementary text. Pupils then use this as a stimulus to discuss new knowledge, deepen their enquiry skills and form links in their learning.

The long-term plan is devised so that there are clear subject links within a unit, enabling pupils to make connections in their learning. This is also the case with the subject strands, where skills correlate with other subjects. For example, the skills within similarities and differences in history work parallel with making comparisons in geography.

Pupils learn subject content in the reading-enhanced curriculum prior to accessing the reading strategy texts. For example, in the Year 5 Democracy unit, pupils learn about the Gunpowder Plot. This prepares them with background knowledge for reading Black Powder in Year 6. This ensures that pupils have a further opportunity to demonstrate knowledge in a different context, build schema and reinforce retention of knowledge.

Pupils master knowledge progressively through each year, phase and key stage. The needs of all pupils have been carefully considered when setting this ambition. This ambition remains high but may be adapted by support and resources, for example, for those pupils with SEND.

The most important knowledge we expect pupils to remember is identified as take-aways in each subject. Reinforcing our strong belief in fostering enquiry, all units have an overarching Big Question as its title and each session has a threaded Big Question: all of which are used to assess pupil progress.

Influential people are also paramount to the curriculum and are used in all subjects. These are selected to span different eras and link directly to the unit of work pupils are learning. By incorporating a diverse range of people (e.g., historians, scientists, entrepreneurs), new learning is put into a real-world context, developments within a subject historically are seen and pupils are given an insight into how their learning impacts on the world around them and inspires them to pursue future careers.

Throughout the REC curriculum, we take every opportunity possible to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.