Curriculum – Religious Education

In this section of the website, you will find information about our approach to teaching RE at Neville’s Cross.

What does RE look like at Neville’s Cross?

At Neville’s Cross, our Religious Education curriculum is designed and reviewed in accordance with the Durham Agreed Syllabus. Within RE, it is our intent that pupils develop knowledge, understanding and awareness of Christianity and a range of other religions and worldviews. We believe that RE teaching provokes challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human. It makes a significant contribution to the active promotion of mutual respect and tolerance of others’ faiths and beliefs, a fundamental British value. In RE teaching we aim to foster a sense of awe and wonder, encourage respect for those holding different beliefs and promote spiritual, moral, cultural, and social development. The starting point in any unit of the RE curriculum is a key question that the pupils explore through a range of activities. These are based on knowledge and understanding of religion, critical thinking and personal reflection. The RE curriculum is designed to ensure that pupils build upon previous learning though each key stage and by upper KS2 are equipped to compare features of different religions or worldviews. RE lessons are enriched by trips to places of worship or opportunities for visitors from different faiths/worldviews to come into school. Our curriculum is organised on a 2-year roll and carefully planned so that children have opportunities to revisit and review previous learning whilst acquiring new knowledge and skills.

Intent, Implementation and Impact:

The Intent provides information on the provision of RE.
The Implementation provides the subject overview detailing how RE is taught.
The Impact shows improvements seen as a result of our implementation of RE.

Intent

What will take place before teaching in the classroom?

The school’s senior leadership team will …

Lead the school staff to develop a curriculum intent consistent with school’s drivers and development of all curriculum subjects.
Develop specific RE subject intent, which explains our school ethos and curriculum design in detail.
Support subject leader to spend time with staff to share skills.
Provide funding to support high quality implementation of the RE curriculum.

Curriculum leader will ...

Understand and articulate the requirements of the curriculum.
Use this knowledge to support staff in the delivery of RE.
Ensure skills and knowledge are planned for progressively over time so that children become effective students of RE.
Develop a long-term subject plan, which identifies the progression within each phase of knowledge, skills and vocabulary in RE.
Support staff to have a full picture of learning in RE at each stage, including EYFS so prior knowledge is constantly referenced accurately.
Catalogue and organise an up to date range of resources so children have access to equipment, which supports them to extend their skills as a student of RE.
Establish and nurture links within the local community to those of different faiths or none and to those studying RE, to give children aspirations.
Network with other local schools and county RE advisors to keep up to date with subject development.
Liaise with senior leaders to ensure daily collective worship opportunities also reflect the diverse nature of our school community including religious festivals and special times.

The class teacher will, with the support of the curriculum leader …

Work in teams to develop curriculum skills grids, which outline the knowledge and skills to be covered over the course of each term and share with parents and carers.
Use the long-term subject plan to ensure coverage in lessons is sequential, includes a balance between knowledge and skills and references prior learning.
Seek out the subject leader if they require support or advice.
Ensure lesson resources are engaging, appropriate and plentiful so children can learn knowledge and practise skills across the series of lessons.
Plan experiences, trips and visitors, which both enhance learning and place learning into context.

Implementation

What will this look like in the classroom?

Our teaching sequence will be ….

Early RE begins as people and communities across EYFS. RE units are taught explicitly in Reception but not Nursery.

First-hand experiences and artefacts -RE units will often have a visitor or trip to allow children to ask questions and experience places of worship. Where possible, children will handle objects and look at special texts from the religion being studied.

Cycle of enquiry - learning begins with an engaging resource or activity used to introduce the key question for each unit (see above).

Exploration – the question will be discussed and explored by the class.

Investigation/evaluation/presentation – pupils will carry out the enquiry using a variety of sources and methods (e.g. artefacts, information texts, stories from world religions, videos and interviews) then evaluate their findings and present these (in books, through oral feedback, debates, posters etc.)

Personal reflection – RE encourages children to reflect on what they have learned in each unit and how it has furthered their understanding of a religion or religious belief.

Vocabulary - previous learning and vocabulary is explicitly shared at the beginning of a unit and taught systematically in a carefully sequenced series of lessons.

Our classrooms will…

Provide a nurturing environment for learning where children, whatever their age can work individually, in pairs and cooperate in small groups.
Contain age-appropriate equipment specific to RE for children to use and refer to.
Share a range of age-appropriate texts to support current learning in RE whilst also extending reading skills.
Have a designated display (perhaps tabletop or in a ‘floor book’) including religious texts, artefacts and children’s work appropriate to the current unit.
Key vocabulary and the key question for the unit should be displayed.

Our children will be …

Enthused by their learning because coherent learning experiences give them the confidence to reach beyond their grasp.
Engaged by the challenge within lessons to demonstrate their knowledge.
Encouraged by specific feedback given by their teacher to reflect on their work and areas to improve.
Nurtured to show confidence in contributing to their learning through sharing thoughts and ideas.
Develop RE skills and confidence over time due to carefully planned, sequences of high-quality lessons over time.

Impact

How will this be measured?

Pupil voice will show …

Enthusiasm and confidence in discussing their learning and experiences in RE.
A clear understanding of the skills and knowledge relating to RE, needed to be a student of RE.
A progression of the vocabulary used to articulate their learning and experiences as a student of RE.

Displays around school and books will show ...

Pupils have a balance of planned learning experiences including practical evidence in photographs on Seesaw, written work in RE books and work on display.
A varied and engaging curriculum, which develops a range of RE skills.
Clear progression of skills in line with those identified on the long-term plans.
That pupils, over time, develop a range of skills and knowledge across all parts of the RE curriculum.

The curriculum leader will …

Lead an annual show case event to raise the profile of different faiths and worldviews at Neville’s Cross?
Collate a portfolio of evidence, which reflect children’s deepening knowledge and experiences in RE over time.
Monitor standards of teaching, lessons and books.
Provide CPD opportunities including mentoring and coaching.