At All Saints Primary School we understand Religious Education to be an essential part of our school’s curriculum, which will make a distinctive contribution to each child’s development, both individual and social. R.E. is taught in accordance with the Leeds syllabus and Diocese recommendations. The purpose of R.E. is to enable children to learn about religion and from religion.

 

From the Christian perspective of our foundation the aims of R.E. at All Saints School should help pupils to:

• acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other principal religions represented in Great Britain;

• develop an understanding of the influence of beliefs, values and traditions on individuals, communities, societies and cultures;

• make their own spiritual journey.

R.E. is part of our basic curriculum; it may be a focus for a cross-curricular topic or may be taught as a separate curriculum area. Children should have the opportunity to look at their own experiences and those of others. They should have the opportunity to explore religious ideas expressed through literature, music, art and architecture. Opportunities should be provided to allow children to ask questions, explore ideas, visit, discover, investigate, receive visitors, discuss, reflect, celebrate, use their senses, research, observe and describe. R.E. work will be planned to ensure a balanced, progressive, differentiated and continuous curriculum, but there will be opportunity to take advantage of situations as they arise e.g. visitors, news items and children’s own experiences.

 

At the Foundation Stage children’s learning in religious education will make a variety of contributions to the seven areas of learning and enable them to work towards early learning goals. By the end of Foundation Stage children will have particular opportunities to:

•  respond to significant experiences, showing a range of feelings where appropriate;

•  have a developing awareness of their own needs, views and feelings and be sensitive to the needs, views and feelings of others;

•  begin to know their own cultures and beliefs and those of other people;

•  have a developing respect for their own cultures and beliefs and those of other people.

 

By the end of Key Stage 1, the majority of pupils will increasingly have opportunities to:

•  learn about Christianity and one other principal religion in depth;

•  to encounter some special events, places, people and objects connected with the religion being studied;

•  listen and talk about some stories from religious traditions and begin to identify similarities and differences;

•  reflect on and talk about some puzzling questions which arise from their study of religions, their own experiences and their encounters with the natural world;

•  think about themselves, their feelings and their relationships with others and begin to develop positive attitudes to diversity and difference, giving careful consideration to the views of others.

 

By the end of Key Stage 2 the majority of pupils will increasingly have opportunities to:

•  learn about and develop their knowledge and understanding of Christianity and two other principal religions in depth;

•  encounter key events, places, peoples and objects connected with the religions studied and discuss their purpose and functions;

•  consider the meaning of symbols, stories and festivals for members of the faith communities;

•  explore questions of meaning and mystery and use times of stillness to work out their own response to these;

•  evaluate different points of view and show sensitivity to those whose beliefs differ from their own;

•  relate their work in R.E. to other areas of the curriculum and their developing knowledge of the world around them.