Intent

Our Religious Education curriculum aims to develop deep thinkers who are open-minded about religion and worldviews. We aim to ensure that our curriculum is relevant to pupils, reflecting and preparing them for life in modern Britain. Through the curriculum, children will secure a deep understanding of concepts in order to be able to make connections, ask and respond to challenging questions, learn to respect and appreciate worldviews that are different to their own and consider their personal preconceptions, responses and views.

Children will build their conceptual knowledge through studying religions and worldviews locally, nationally and globally in our progressive curriculum, enabling them to make links and connections between worldviews, develop disciplinary skills and build on their understanding of their positionality in relation to their learning. By revisiting key ‘big questions’ and building on prior knowledge, pupils will learn about how religion and worldviews are lived experiences across the world, consider the impact of worldviews on society and have opportunities to consider their personal worldviews.

Our RE curriculum enables pupils to meet the government guidance, which states that RE must reflect that ‘the religious traditions in Great Britain are, in the main, Christian while taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain’

Implementation

Our RE curriculum has the following three strands running through it:

• Substantive knowledge (conceptual and worldviews related).
• Disciplinary knowledge.
• Personal knowledge.

These strands are interwoven across all units to create lessons that build children’s conceptual knowledge and understanding of religion and worldviews (substantive knowledge) and use a range of disciplinary lenses. Children will also be equipped to explore and express their preconceptions, personal worldviews and positionality (personal knowledge) through varied and engaging learning experiences. The units and lessons are carefully sequenced so that previous conceptual knowledge is returned to and built upon. Children progress by developing and deepening their knowledge and understanding of substantive and disciplinary concepts by experiencing them in a range of contexts.

Impact

At Stokenchurch Primary School, pupils will be equipped with a range of disciplinary skills and knowledge to enable them to succeed in their secondary education. They will be prepared for life in modern Britain, being able to interact with others from different religious and non-religious viewpoints in a respectful, knowledgeable and open-minded way. They will be enquiring learners who ask questions and make connections. They will be confident to explore their personal worldview and have the skills to appreciate, evaluate and respond to religious, philosophical and ethical questions.

The expected impact of the Religious and Worldviews scheme of work is that children will:

• Know and understand religious concepts relating to beliefs, practices, community and belonging, and wisdom and guidance.
• Develop an understanding of the influence of organised and personal worldviews on individuals, communities, countries and globally.
• Understand some of the ways religions and worldviews are studied (disciplinary knowledge).
• Develop understanding of their relationship with the content studied, being able to talk about their assumptions and preconceptions (personal knowledge).
• Build secure vocabulary which allows them to talk confidently and fluently about their learning.
• Answer questions about worldviews through an enquiry-based approach including investigating, interpreting, evaluating, applying and expressing.
• Talk about the similarities and differences between their own and others’ beliefs with respect and open mindedness.
• Understand the lived experiences of religious and non-religious worldviews to be diverse within and between people and communities.
• Develop an understanding of the ways in which personal and organised worldviews may develop and change across time and place.