Religious Education (R.E.)

At Pluckley Church of England Primary School we work to ensure that all children thrive in a Christian centred community in which they are encouraged to enjoy, learn and achieve together. We expect our children to be secure in the knowledge that they are safe and cared for – both by us and by God; able to enjoy their time at school; challenge to achieve their best through a high-quality education; happy in the knowledge they are each celebrated for their individuality as well as their achievements.

The Religious Education (R.E.) curriculum at Pluckley C of E Primary School, is challenging, rich and varied; it enables learners to acquire a thorough knowledge and understanding of a range of faiths and world views. As a church school, we believe that RE contributes to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our pupils. It is at the heart of our pupil's education which allows them to reflect on their own beliefs, values and opinions, promoting respect and empathy for others. These are all principles which will help to widen our children's understanding of life in modern Britain.

RE lessons at Pluckley Church of England Primary school support the young people in our care to become:

• Resilient and ambitious children who strive for outstanding outcomes, who use their initiative and are unafraid of making mistakes.
  • The R.E. curriculum aims to provoke challenging questions about sense and purpose in life,  beliefs  in God and issues of right and wrong in our human life. Its intent is to promote pupil's understanding and respect for the world's beliefs, pushing them to think critically about their learning and own experiences. Their own views might differ from those of others, but they are encouraged to bravely express their views and respect others.
• Successful learners with a thirst for knowledge who are curious and self-motivated to learn and achieve.    
  • As a school, we have adopted an enquiry- based approach,  which explores key concepts of the Christian faith and those of other religions.  Enquiry questions are at the heart of RE at all key stages. They enable pupils to build on previous learning and deepen and broaden their understanding. In the Enquire Cycle, pupils engage with concepts in an exciting way, making links with their own experiences of life. They develop questions to help them enquire into religious belief and practice and wanting to know more about them.
• Young people with a strong spiritual foundation who thrive by embodying our REFLECT values in all that they think, say and do.
  • Opportunities to develop and follow our REFLECT values are provided across the curriculum. Children respect all in their relationships with others and in considering other points of views. They trust in themselves by having the confidence to express their personal opinions even if others might not agree. They enjoy school life by developing a love of learning through exploration but also through calm and tranquil moments which give them time for reflection (e.g. during collective worship).
• Well-rounded individuals who have a range of strategies to support positive mental health; enabling them to live fulfilled and happy lives.     
  • R.E. lessons enable children to develop holistically so that they become happy, fulfilled, spiritually aware, and socially and emotionally engaged. Religious Education helps develop self-esteem, explore spiritual, moral and social frameworks and most of all it encourages pupils to reflect on experiences and emotions. Children are given the opportunity to develop a sense of conscience through considering the importance of rights and responsibilities.
• Confident, responsible individuals who have a strong sense of community and strive to make a positive contribution in their future role in the 21st Century and beyond.
  • The aim of our R.E. curriculum is that children, as worldwide citizens who live in a multicultural and diverse society, will be able to show appreciation of different perspectives and express their opinion in a respectful and considerate manner. Through  our R.E. learning journeys, we would like pupils to leave school as curious, respectful, thoughtful and resilient children who are ready for the next stage of their education and life.

 
How is Religious Education taught across the school?

At Pluckley Church of England Primary school, Religious Education forms an integral part of the school curriculum and follows the Emmanuel Project. This scheme of work, provides children with an extensive range of learning opportunities following a five step learning cycle of Engage, Enquire, Explore, Evaluate and Express. Our RE curriculum is question based and children learn about world religions and their beliefs, cultures and attitudes of different groups of people.

R.E. is taught weekly and each unit of work starts with a big question. This question is then explored in different ways and children are encouraged to ask their own questions throughout. 

All the units expand the EXPLORE section into three areas (scriptural text or narrative / community practice / daily living) to ensure a balanced approach to religious material, rather than an approach that focuses exclusively on religious festivals or sacred stories.  It is instead  a process that enables learners to understand what drives people of faith to live the way they do. This helps to build each child’s ‘religious literacy’ helping them understand the nature of religion and belief in the world in which they live. 

Further learning opportunities take place through collective worship, festivals, visitors to school and through visits to places of worship. Pupils study Christianity at each of the Key stages. 

In EYFS, children explore the three major Christian concepts of creation, incarnation and salvation in a way they can relate to and through experiences which are familiar. Children also have the opportunity to sample and compare other major world religions in order to extend their knowledge and understanding. Throughout KS1 and 2, our children will also explore many religions and increase their awareness of Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Humanism. 

During lessons, children have access to key knowledge, language and meaning to develop a deep understanding of religious concepts. Therefore, at the beginning of each lesson, key vocabulary is identified and thought in order to narrow the vocabulary gap for our children. Our aim is to expose children to a broad range of vocabulary and provide them with the abilities to use these.
 
How do we know what the children have learnt and understood?

For assessment to be most effective in R.E., it requires the implementation of different strategies. At Pluckley, we use a variety of methods to ensure children's progression is consistent throughout the school. This is achieved through regular questioning, book looks, pupil voice and regular feedback in each lesson. 

At the beginning of a unit children use their class R.E. Big Book to assess through mind mapping what they already (or might) know about the topic. Ongoing formative assessment opportunities also consist of quality verbal and written feedback and teacher's observations around children's verbal contributions to class or group discussions. Children's knowledge is also assessed at the end of each unit through the solo taxonomy approach provided by the Emmanuel Unit and a written questionnaire which includes the Key Question of the unit.