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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Religion is a uniquely human phenomenon which helps many people make sense of what it means to be them.  Through the study of Christianity and other major world faiths, children at Broke Hall are challenged to think deeply about their own beliefs (religious or otherwise) and the beliefs of others.  The religions we study at Broke Hall reflect the diverse population of Ipswich and of Britain as a whole.

Intent:

At Broke Hall it is our intent that the curriculum, the planning, the teaching and assessment will provide high quality education in Religious Education; so that the children learn moreremember more and use new skills in their own lives and learning.  The "Big Ideas" which underpin the Religious Education Curriculum at Broke Hall are: Continuity, Change and Diversity; Expressing Ourselves; A Good Life, What's It All About?; Influence, Community and Culture and The Big Picture.

Implementation:

We deliver our intended curriculum by implementing a well sequenced, well constructed curriculum which allows the children to build upon existing knowledge and skills.  

Teaching resources used provide an engaging 'hook' for individual learners.  These might be picture slides, educational video clips or questioning to promote the children's independent thinking skills.  We use their experiences at religious festivals such as Easter, Diwali, Passover etc.  Children carry out research into religious topics.   They may prepare presentations, shared with other members of the school in assemblies or through displays.

Impact:

At Broke Hall school the impact of Religious Education is that children are able to use new skills in their own lives and learning.   

Substantive and disciplinary knowledge in RE 

Teachers’ planning and the PlanBee interactive resources we use to deliver the RE curriculum, will include and show a substantive and disciplinary approach to RE as well as developing the children’s personal knowledge. The accompanying progression grid for RE and knowledge organisers will outline what children will know and remember. Our RE curriculum is accessible for all students, with an emphasis on visual resources. Our RE curriculum supports teacher knowledge and promotes language and oracy.  

The substantive knowledge in each phase is: 

EYFS - Understanding the World

  • Know some similarities and differences between different religious and cultural communities in this country, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class. 

  • Explain some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries, drawing on knowledge from stories, non-fiction texts and (when appropriate) maps. 

Lower Phase (Years 1 - 3) - Learning about the World

  • Know about religious traditions including special books, festivals and the religious teachings of key figures. 

  • Know about non-religious traditions. 

  • Recognise people’s faith and ways of living. 

  • The religions learned about in KS1 are: Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Judaism and Buddhism 

In this phase the children will have a limited number of foci but will be able to acquire knowledge in greater depth. 

Upper Phase (Years 4 - 6) - Understanding their own world view

  • Recognise their own and the values, feelings, faith, and ways of living of others. 

  • To build an awareness of their own assumptions about religious and non-religious traditions that they study. 

  • To learn to live with differences and flourish in a global community. 

  • To explore the meaning of their existence including questions such as what people believe happens when we die. 

  • The religions learned about in KS2 are the same as in KS1 to ensure knowledge is embedded and built on.  Learners deepen their understanding of religious and non-religious practices and traditions to include rites of passage, worship and signs & symbolism. 

Disciplinary knowledge 

Our well-sequenced PlanBee RE curriculum includes scholarly methods and tools that pupils use to learn and many are common to other humanities subjects. The “disciplines” in RE can be categorised as “Thinking theologically”, “Thinking philosophically”, “Thinking humanly/socially”. The children have the content of the curriculum modelled to them through clear and diverse visual representations. They can explore religious artefacts providing sensory stimuli for all learners including those with SEND. The children read a range of texts. The curriculum asks questions and promotes ambitious thinking when discussing religions and world views and the impact these have on people’s lives. It ensures ‘collectively enough’ knowledge about religious and non-religious practises. 

British values 

At Broke Hall School we promote British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith. In learning about and discussing the many varied faiths and beliefs held in Britain today, RE allows children to explore British values at a very personal, human level. 

Assessment 

At Broke Hall previous learning is reviewed. The language of learning and factual knowledge is discussed by referring to knowledge organisers. This allows teaching staff to revisit the essential knowledge to embed it in the long-term memory. In some circumstances it may be appropriate to use knowledge organisers from previous units of work.  

Live marking within a lesson is given high priority. It allows staff to see if children have learnt what they need to know and to address any misconceptions in a timely manner. Other methods might include small group discussions using artefacts as a supportive resource. 

To ascertain whether RE knowledge has been learned and remembered, such assessments are spaced apart at the end of a unit of work. The PlanBee curriculum has enquiry questions that the children can respond to. This can be in a verbal or written format. Any assessment should match the specific RE curriculum content that has been taught. Pupil interviews are also carried out by the subject leader.  

It is vital that any form of assessment sets out to allow children to ‘get better’ at learning and understanding RE.