Intent

The delivery of Religious Education at Christ Church follows the ‘Questful RE’ syllabus which supports our delivery of denominational RE is in line with our Christian Values and the Church of England Statement of Entitlement.

The curriculum plans for a balanced Religious Education syllabus which contributes dynamically to our children’s education by provoking 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. In RE, children learn about and from religions and worldviews in local, national and global contexts, to discover, explore and consider different answers to these questions. They learn to weigh up the value of wisdom from different sources, to develop and express their insights in response, and to agree or disagree respectfully. Teaching therefore will equip pupils with systematic knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews, enabling them to develop their ideas, values and identities. It should develop in pupils an aptitude for dialogue so that they can participate positively in our society with its diverse religions and worldviews. Pupils should gain and deploy the skills needed to understand, interpret and evaluate texts, sources of wisdom and authority and other evidence. They learn to articulate clearly and coherently their personal beliefs, ideas, values and experiences while respecting the right of others to differ.

Implementation

The implementation of our intent is carefully planned by staff, using the Questful RE curriculum provided by the Blackburn Diocese of Education. In accordance with The Church of England’s RE Statement of Entitlement (Education Office 2016), a minimum of between 5 & 8% of class teaching time over the course of a year will be dedicated to the teaching of RE (increasing in time from EYFS to KS1 and KS2). At least two-thirds of this time will focus on Christianity, with the remaining time focussing on the teaching of non-Christian faiths and world views, predominantly Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. We recognise children need to hear first-hand experiences from a wide range of people talking about their faith, so as well as working closely with Christ Church Parish Church, Moreton and ensuring children are given the opportunity to visit the church regularly, both for services and as part of their RE lessons, we also welcome visitors from all faiths and aim for pupils to visit at least one non-Christian place of worship during their time at Christ Church. Indeed, there are no presumptions made as to the religious backgrounds, beliefs and values of children or staff and we strive to create an atmosphere of respect and understanding so that all individuals are able to share their own experiences freely.

Questful RE takes children on a journey of exploration as within each unit, they investigate a series of key questions in response to different religious ideas. As they work alongside their classmates using a variety of teaching and learning activities, children reflect upon, evaluate and reach their own decisions in response to these key questions. Whilst responding to the key questions during a unit focussing on Christianity, much use will be made of God’s big story which is at the front of their books and is consistently used from pre-school to Year 6. A secondary reason for the use of these images is to support children in building a better understanding of the Biblical timeline. During RE lessons, pupils may record work in individual RE books and / or whole class ‘scrapbooks’ to facilitate the intent that children will learn through a variety of activities and teaching methods.

Much emphasis at Christ Church is based on vocabulary development and this continues in RE lessons. Key vocabulary is displayed in each classroom and children regularly re-visit new words that have been introduced during a unit to support their understanding and retention. Teachers will carry out regular assessments of achievement in able to further challenge and support pupils’ learning, ensuring pupils are able to access RE at a suitable level whilst at the same time, providing appropriate support and challenge.

Impact

The children at Christ Church of England Primary School talk with passion about their RE learning, showing that they enjoy and are inspired by their RE lessons. They demonstrate a secure knowledge and understanding of Christianity as a living, global faith that influences (and has influenced) the lives of people worldwide. Pupils here feel able to talk openly about their beliefs and values in lessons and to grow in their faith. All of the children’s learning is centred around their understanding of God’s big story and they develop a sense of chronology when talking about the Bible. Children develop a tolerance and respect and understanding for the other major world religions and world views, allowing them to celebrate the diversity of our multicultural world. The curriculum allows for pupils to develop religious vocabulary that enables them to express their thoughts and beliefs as well as exploring the beliefs of others with respect. Children reflect upon their own learning, identifying successes and aspects they would like to find out more about. Pupils progress appropriately in their knowledge and understanding of Christianity. In most cases this would be children working at or above the expected level for their age and mature spiritually, academically, emotionally and morally to enable them to become well-rounded successful citizens in future life and have a positive impact on their friends, family, local and wider community.