At Combs Infant School the aim of RE is to engage our children to be inquisitive about important human questions which religion and world views address. We want children to develop the understanding and skills needed to appreciate different responses to these questions as well as develop responses of their own.

Our Intent:

Our RE curriculum at Combs Infant School follows the Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education (2020-2025).

It provides the legal framework for a syllabus for Religious Education for Derby City and Derbyshire school. This Agreed Syllabus enables our pupils;

• To recognise, respect and celebrate the diversity of religious and non-religious views within the British and local community and also worldwide
• To support children in affirming and developing their own beliefs, values and attitudes through a variety of experiences and activities
• To engage the children through questions which different religious views address so that they can begin to develop an understanding and personal view
• To motivate and enthuse pupils in their learning about the community they live in and to be able to make connections with peers who are different to themselves
• To support children’s understanding of British Values, such as acceptance, tolerance and respect and will promote spiritual, cultural, social and moral development.
 

Implementation:

At Combs Infant School, we follow the Derbyshire and Derby City Agreed Syllabus. To support our teaching of this scheme, we supplement our lessons with RE Today resources. Through their RE learning, children will explore big questions about life and the world they live in, in order to find out what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that they can make sense of religion and worldviews, and reflect on their own ideas and ways of living.

The agreed syllabus requires that all pupils learn from Christianity in each key stage. In addition, children will learn from the principal religions represented in the UK, in line with the law. These are Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Judaism. The main focus of our teaching is built up from the representation of faiths and beliefs within our community and wider local area but non-religious viewpoints are also respected.

Reception:

In Reception children learn about belonging and special places, people, stories and times. Children will encounter Christianity and other faiths, as part of their growing sense of self, their own community and their place within it. It allows the children to fully experience different religions through story, role-play and various play-based activities. It also allows the children to appreciate and explore their own religions, traditions and customs and develop an awareness and respect of others.

Key Stage 1:

In Key Stage 1 children learn about Christianity, Judaism and Islam. During this time they will;
•Explore questions and introduce ideas through key questions based around 3 main strands; believing, expressing and living
• Staff will challenge inequalities and discrimination associated with race, religion, culture, gender, or socio-economic group
• Staff are sensitive to the social and cultural background of the children and families in the school community
• The RE curriculum does not stand alone, it is linked to the behaviour policy and also taught through visits and visitors and embedded within assemblies, weekly celebrations, and events
• RE is a key contributor to SMSC

Our RE curriculum is planned in a progressive way, so that we build upon and draw together the knowledge and understanding gained from earlier units in the year and in previous years. This enables the children to embed and develop their understanding further and helps to ensure that they have a secure knowledge and understanding when retrieving information when comparing different religions.

Impact:

Through their RE learning, the children at Combs Infant School are able to make links between their own lives and those of others in their community and in the wider world, enabling them to;

 
• Develop an understanding of other people’s cultures and ways of life, which they are then able to communicate to the wider community.
• Recall knowledge and understanding of Christian beliefs and practices which enable them to understand the importance of the Bible, and the role of the church and recognise that for Christians their faith provides a way of interpreting life and its meaning.
•Understand the beliefs and practices of some of the other principal religions in Britain, Judaism and Islam
• Understand how belief may impact culture, relationships, values, and lifestyle •Understand that belief can be expressed in a variety of ways including art, dance, music, ritual celebrations, and in different cultural settings
• Reflect upon personal feelings, responses, and relationships through their understanding of spiritual, and cultural beliefs, and morality, of Christianity and some other world religions
• Understand ways in which religious values and teaching have an impact on actions and decisions for people of faith.

EYFS End Points

• To know which stories are special and why
• To know which people are special and why
• To know which places are special and why
• To know which times are special and why
• To have an understanding of their place in the world
• To know what is special about our world and why

Key Stage One End Points

Teaching and Learning

Teachers ensure that all children meet learning objectives in our progressive Programme of Study, which encompasses the objectives from the KS1 National Curriculum, through a discrete or specific approach to teaching and learning, as well as through cross-curricular learning opportunities.

Teaching and learning will focus around Christian, Muslim and Jewish religions, alongside understanding of non-religious approaches to life. Stories, plays and poems from the bible and other religious and moral resources will be shared with the children. Religious Education offers a stimulus for the development of thinking and reasoning skills. Wherever possible, teachers will use first hand experience, visits, visitors, artefacts and the local and wider environment to engage children’s interest and imagination. Through their understanding of different faiths and beliefs children will be encouraged to develop their feelings, empathy and understanding for others. Through their understanding of world religions, children will develop an understanding of the British society in which they live. Children will learn about rights and responsibilities, moral, spiritual, social and environmental issues.

There are no presumptions made as to the religious backgrounds and believes and values of the children and staff. We value the religious background 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 the respect and sensitivity and we value the links, which are, and can be made between home, school and the local community.

Educational visits

Biannually, children partake in an educational visit with a focus and cross curricular link to the RE curriculum. Children will visit Manchester Jewish Museum to make first hand observations of the world around them. They will be able to develop their understanding in a way that is impossible in the classroom. Seeing sights and objects first hand allows children to truly think about the similarities and differences between different religions and how what how religion can impact daily life.

Role of Subject Leader

The role of the subject leader is to:

• Ensure high quality RE lessons are taught across EYFS and Key Stage 1 through our agreed broad and rich RE curriculum.
• Provide subject specific guidance/CPD to colleagues.
• Monitor the RE curriculum delivered to children across the school, highlighting strengths and areas for further development.
• Monitor the progress and attainment of children in school in RE.
• Manage resources including maintaining/replenishing artefacts to support delivery of a high-quality curriculum.
• Support staff and co-ordinate visitors and appropriate year group visits for children to participate in.
• Stay up to date with changes, new initiatives and research that would enhance and support the development of RE at Combs Infant School.

Reasonable Adjustments

Within the RE curriculum, teachers will make reasonable adjustments for all children through differentiation, adult support, alteration of equipment and level of challenge to meet the needs of all children in the class. Class teachers can seek advice from the RE subject leader and/or SENDCo to ensure reasonable adjustments are made for all children.

The right to Religious Education

At Combs Infant School we understand that RE is for all pupils: It is a statutory part of the curriculum. RE must be provided for all registered pupils in state-funded schools in England, including those in the sixth form, unless withdrawn by their parents (or withdrawing themselves if they are aged 18 or over). It is a necessary part of a ‘broad and balanced curriculum’.

Right of withdrawal

This was first granted when religious education was religious instruction and carried with it the connotation of induction into the Christian faith. RE has been very different from this for some time. It is inclusive and wide-ranging, exploring a range of religious and non-religious worldviews. However, in the UK, parents still have the right to withdraw their children from RE on the grounds that they wish to provide their own religious education. At Combs Infant School we respect the parental right.

Parents who wish to withdraw their children, because of personal choice or religious affiliations are permitted to do so, once they have made a formal written request to the school, and this has been agreed by the Headteacher.

Equality Statement

The RE curriculum adheres to our school Equality Policy. It is the responsibility of all staff to ensure that all children are treated equally, regardless of their background, gender, race or ability. We are an inclusive school and teach RE to all children, respecting individual needs. The RE curriculum takes into account issues of difference including: gender, race and ethnicity. The RE curriculum ensures RE from across a wide range of genres and cultures is listened to, taught and key features explored. Children are also given opportunities to learn about different religions and discuss questions on a local, national and global context.

SMSC in RE lessons

SMSC development describes the ideal spirit of the school. RE can support this by promoting:

• Self-awareness: offering opportunities for pupils to reflect on their own views and how they have been formed, as well as the views of others
• Curiosity: encouraging pupils’ capacity for critical questioning, such as by keeping big questions in a ‘question box’ or as part of a wall display, and allowing time and space where these questions can be addressed to show that they are important
• Collaboration: utilising lesson techniques which require group collaboration and communication such as, circle time, debates, or group investigations
• Reflection: providing a space to reflect on pupils’ own values and views, as well as those of others, and to consider the impact of these values
• Resilience: promoting a spirit of open enquiry into emotive or complicated questions, in order to learn how to cope with difficult ideas when they arise in the future
• Response: exploring ways in which pupils can express their responses to demanding or controversial issues
• Values: promoting an ethos of fairness and mutual respect in the classroom and compassion and generosity in pupils through exploring inspiring examples of these qualities in others
• Appreciation: encouraging pupils’ ability to respond with wonder and excitement by exploring some of the marvels and mysteries of the natural world, of human ingenuity, and examples of the capacity of humans to love, create, organise and overcome adversity
• Valuing others: in exploring the views of others, young people are well prepared in RE to appreciate the uniqueness of all humans and their moral value. and to act in the world and towards others accordingly.

How can you help at home?

• Talk about their own beliefs at home and those of friends and family members
• Talk about the importance of equality
• To be aware of and respect other peoples views
• Encourage your child to ask questions
• Visit different places of worship
• To about and celebrate different festivals

Our Curriculum

Religious Education within EYFS is covered within the specific area of learning: Understanding the World; People and Communities, with an understanding that this area of learning is impacted by children achieving the statements related in each of the prime areas of learning within the Development Matters Framework.

As our children progress to KS1, teachers ensure that the skills children have acquired in EYFS are built upon and utilised to enable children to further their skills and new knowledge by following the National Curriculum and Derby and Derbyshire RE Agreed Syllabus.

Derby and Derbyshire RE Agreed Syllabus