Religious Education

"Differences were made not to divide but to enrich." - J.H. Oldham

What do we want for our children?

Preston Park is positioned within a diverse community in North West London. Through our Religious Education curriculum we aims to respect the faiths and beliefs of our community and widen our pupil's understanding of an perspectives on key world religions and beliefs alongside humanism and non-religious beliefs.

Our aim is to:

• Develop children’s understanding of the world and its people
• Develop children’s understanding of others’ beliefs
• Develop understanding, respect, and tolerance for others’ beliefs
• Widen our pupil’s understanding of and perspectives on key world religions and beliefs alongside humanism and non-religious beliefs

At Preston Park, we strive to enhance community cohesion and promote tolerance and understanding of others. We teach children to recognise and value commonality across cultural, religious, ethnic, and socio-economic communities and to understand, accept, respect, and celebrate diversity.

We follow the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) and have bought into the Ealing agreed syllabus for RE 'Religious and worldviews: Believing, behaving and belonging'[1].

'Religious worldviews: Believing, behaving and belonging' offers an educative approach to religious education emphasising a process of enquiry into concepts. Children have the opportunity to respond from their own experience before being introduced to the way others appreciate things. 'Religious worldviews: Believing, behaving and belonging' gives children the opportunity to evaluate; that is to make a judgement about why something is important for someone else as well as to discern what may be important for themselves. This will ensure that every child feel respected and become reflective learners, which are two of our core values.

In exploring what it means to lead one's life with a particular religious orientation it recognises that this can be answered in a number of different qualitative ways.

These include:

• The idea that to live a religious life means to subscribe to certain propositional beliefs
• The idea that to live a religious life means to adhere to certain practices
• The idea that to live a religious life means to exist, to be in and with the world, with a particular kind of awareness

Links to our PSHE Curriculum and SMSC

Our Religious Education curriculum is supported by our PSHE curriculum where children develop a sense of self and others within the concept of community and are encouraged and taught how to understand and respect others' points of view and actions.

Spiritual development of pupils includes developing their:

• ability to reflect upon their beliefs be it religious or non-religious
• perspective on life.
• knowledge, of and respect for different people's faiths, beliefs (religious or otherwise), feelings and values

Moral development of pupils includes developing their:

• ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong and apply this understanding in their own lives, recognise legal boundaries and, in so doing, respect the civil and criminal law of England
• understanding of the consequences of their behaviour and  actions

Social development of pupils includes developing their:

• use a range of social skills in different contexts, for example, working and socialising with other pupils, including those from different religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds
• willingness to participate in a variety of communities and social settings, including by volunteering, co-operating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively
• acceptance and engagement with the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law; individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs; they develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain

Cultural development of pupils includes developing their:

• ability to recognise and value commonality across culture, religion, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds
• interest in exploring, improving understanding of and showing respect for different faiths and cultural diversity and the extent to which they understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity. This is shown by their respect and attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socio-economic groups in the local, national and global communities. 

How do we deliver this effectively?

At Preston Park, we value and recognise the uniqueness and background of every child. Thus, our RE curriculum covers a range of cultural, historical and ethical backgrounds and offers purposeful and meaningful experiences where pupils can share, develop and apply this knowledge. Our diverse, culturally rich, wide-scoping and rigorous/coherent curriculum is underpinned by the teaching of  religious knowledge, concepts, skills and values in a rigorous and coherent way. It includes explicit links to storytelling to ensure children are engaged and enthuse learners. 

Our curriculum meets the requirements of the National Curriculum for Religious Education and ensures our children are well-versed in their knowledge and understanding of the religions and beliefs which form part of contemporary society. Children will be able to independently reflect upon their own beliefs and values, use their own experience and background to reflect on questions of truth and morality and deeper meanings of life and death as well as asking questions and exploring the answer. 

Across EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Upper Key Stage 2 we follow the 'Religious worldviews: Believing, behaving and belonging' syllabus which seeks to introduce children at Preston Park to what a religious way of looking at and existing in the world may offer in leading one's life individually and collectively. It builds on an approach to religious education, enriched by philosophical and theological enquiry. At Preston Park, we will focus on both religious and non-religious lives, key world religions and humanism. We aim to help children to understand, philosophise, communicate, empathise and respect the plethora of ideas, beliefs, cultures and faiths amongst us. In turn, they will develop and understanding of the importance of respecting the many faiths and beliefs in our community.

Children focus on the facets of the human experience in different faiths and non-religious beliefs. To enhance this process, each module of learning the three dimensions of religion: 

In lower key stage 2, we have implemented the Opening Worlds scheme for delivering our Religious Education curriculum. Opening Worlds is ‘a knowledge-rich humanities based programme which is characterised by intricate coherence and tight sequencing within subjects. This enables pupils to gain security in a rich, broad vocabulary through systematic introduction, sustained practice and deliberate revisiting.  In addition, it provides intricate horizontal and diagonal connections within and across subjects, thus creating a curriculum whose effects are far greater than the sum of their parts. Therefore, pupils will not only develop in-depth knowledge concerning an area of study, but their reading and writing will also be improved. [2]

We have an inclusive approach which supports children with SEND. At Preston Park, teachers adapt and tailor their lessons to meet both the learning and physical needs of all children. As RE is an enquiry led approach: beginning with what a specific concept means to the individual and the children's own experiences, many children with SEND are able to access the full learning alongside their peers with some differentiation. Due to the dialogic nature of the enquiry based approach many children can be involved and included through discussion and questioning.

Teachers will always be sensitive to, and aware of, the distinctive needs of individual children with SEND and should feel free to use the material most appropriate to the educational and developmental needs of the children, as well as their interests. For some children with SEND, this will mean working at the threshold of religious awareness. In such cases, the emphasis is likely to be on sensory experiences, personal responses and interactions, as well as the development of a simple awareness of religion through the senses.

Teachers should also be aware that some children and young people with SEND may find certain areas of the cycle of enquiry particularly challenging. Their level of engagement may, therefore, be different at various stages of the cycle. For example, children and young people with social and/or communication needs may find it more difficult to engage with the Evaluate stage of the cycle. Teaching will be adapted for specific children’s needs as required.

What does this look for our children?

EYFS

In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the teaching of Religious Education makes substantial contribution to pupil’s achievement of the Early Learning Goals by utilising different approaches such as:

• role play, drama and stories
• interacting with religious artefacts, symbols and other objects.
• creating displays for key religious festivals
• songs, singing and music.
• visits to places of worship
• creative arts
• discussing, listening and articulating their feelings
• listening to visitors
• providing opportunities for reflection

Key Stage One (Years One and Two)

In Key Stage 1, children will build on the knowledge of different religions and worldviews learnt in EYFS.  Children will be provided with opportunities to reflect upon and consider the value different religions and worldviews. Opportunities will be provided for them to make connections and comparisons between different religions and worldviews through systematic focus.

Lower Key Stage Two (Years Three and Four)

In lower key stage 2, children embark on our Opening Worlds Religious Education Curriculum.

 Upper Key Stage Two (Years Five and Six)

In Key Stage 2, children build on the knowledge, understanding and skills gained in Key Stage 1 will be extended and deepened.

Progression in Skills and Understanding

How does our RE curriculum contribute to and develop our 21st Century learner?

Impact is assessed by class teachers at the end of each unit, across year groups and key stages to ensure that children are meeting their age related expectations in RE and are developing in their skills and understanding. End of unit assessments link to the age related expectations for children at each stage. Assessment focuses not only on on knowledge acquisition, but also on skills of evaluation and whether or note children are reflective learners and can practise and apply thinking skills.

At the end of each unit, children answer their enquiry question to assess their developing understanding of the given concept from their own, others and a religious perspective. The manner in which children approach this is adapted to the age and ability of the children and may take place as questionnaire, piece of reflective writing, oral presentation, image, etc.

The impact of our Religious Education curriculum will ensure that by the time children reach the end of Key Stage 2 they are able to make enquiries independently [2] and are:

• reflective individuals who are able to apply their own understanding and understanding of a range of different world religions, non-religious beliefs and humanism to a range of enquiry questions
• able to communicate effectively their own and others' viewpoints
• respectful individuals able to listen to, explore and demonstrate respect of other ideas, beliefs, cultures and faiths
• able to respond to an enquiry question from their own experience and also communicate the experiences of others and beliefs/religious or non-religious viewpoints of others and how these impact on the way we and others live their lives
• ready for their next steps in exploring world religions and beliefs at secondary school and beyond

Research

Research frames our thinking in what we teach and how we deliver it to our children to ensure teaching and learning has maximum impact.

Please see references to the research linked above:

[1]  Religion and worldviews: believing, belonging, behaving

[2] Opening Worlds

[3] Religious Education in Schools: Non-Statutory Guidance 2010

[4] Religious Education in Schools: Non-Statutory Guidance 2010