R.E.

Intent, Implementation and Impact Statement

Subject: Religious Education

Intent

At Arden Primary School, we take pride in our commitment to Equality and Diversity. Thus Religious Education is taught throughout the school in such a way as not only to reflect the aims, values and philosophy of our school but also promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our children.

We believe that all learners should develop mutual respect and understanding of the many different beliefs and cultures in Birmingham, the UK and the world. The aim of our Religious Education is to help children to acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of the nine Religious traditions, which include Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Sikhism and Buddhism. We also acknowledge the importance of Non-Religious Worldviews.

Implementation

At Arden Primary School, we follow the Birmingham Agreed Religious Education Syllabus (2022). The key focus in RE is on learning from experience, learning about religious traditions and non-religious worldviews, learning from faith and learning to discern. The syllabus encompasses a spiral curriculum of 24 Dispositions and a progression of faith knowledge which aim to teach children:

· the principal religions represented in Great Britain;

· to appreciate the way that religious beliefs shape life and our behaviour;

· develop the ability to enquire and make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues;

· and enhance their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

The Dispositions taught are clustered to reflect their interdependence and the different configurations in which they may be encountered within the varying cultures and civilisations. The R.E. curriculum at Arden is taught as a spiral curriculum in which all clusters are taught with age appropriate questions at each Key Stage. This means that by the end of Key Stage 2, our children will have an in-depth understanding of how different religions display these dispositions simultaneously and so will be well equipped to draw upon similarities rather than differences between the faiths easily.

There are no presumptions made as to the religious backgrounds, beliefs and values of the children and staff. We value the religious backgrounds of all members of the school community and hope that this will encourage individuals to share their own experiences with others freely. All religions and their communities are treated with respect and sensitivity and we value the links, which are, and can be made between home, school, and a faith community. We acknowledge that each religion studied can contribute to the education of all our pupils.

We promote teaching Religious Education that stresses open enquiry and first-hand experiences wherever possible for both children and staff. We encourage children to develop their skills of critical thinking, being curious and asking questions about other faiths in order to understand and respect the importance of religious beliefs in the world around them, education about all the major religions takes place regularly in every class. We aim to ensure R.E. is challenging, dynamic and

relevant to pupils of all ages and this includes trips to various places of worship in different year groups.

Impact

At Arden, Religious Education helps all pupils to develop their understanding of equality and diversity allowing them to feel knowledgeable about different beliefs, religions and cultures. This in turn develops our pupils to:

· Become engaged and excited about Religious Education

· Reflect and think about their own beliefs and gain confidence to ask questions about others.

· Reflect upon and evaluate their own learning and understanding effectively.

· Show respect to individual’s beliefs and religions within a diverse community and value skills and knowledge they gain from this.

The children at Arden Primary enjoy learning about other religions and why people choose, or choose not to follow a religion. R.E. acts as a hub, therefore, between social aspects of learning, Science and Geography. It not only supports children’s knowledge and understanding, but it helps them to appreciate differences around them. Through R.E. children develop an understanding of other people’s cultures and ways of life, which they are then able to communicate to the wider community. R.E. offers our children the means by which to understand how other people choose to live and to understand why they choose to live in that way. As such, R.E. is invaluable in an ever changing and diverse world.