Subject Leader -  Miss Collins

Link Governor - 

Religious Education Curriculum Documents

Religious Education Policy

Religious Education Curriculum Overview

Religious Education Progression Map

Intent

We aim to provide every child at The Priory Primary School with a diverse Religious Education curriculum which encourages pupils to to understand and respect different cultures and opinions, both inside our school community and in the wider world. We prioritise the teaching of  Religious Education in a non-biased way, that is tolerant and respectful to all beliefs and faiths. 

We recognise that we are a diverse, multi-faith school and this forms the foundations for our rich and varied Religious Education curriculum. At the heart of Religious Education at The Priory, we aspire to create enthusiastic and curious learners, who are able to form their own opinions and beliefs, share these with others in appropriate ways and listen and respond to the views of people around them. To encourage our pupils to ask questions and to develop their critical thinking, we strive to provide them with a range of opportunities and experiences, such as the use of religious artefacts, Philosophy 4 Children sessions, going on trips to places of worship and inviting visitors into school. 

Furthermore, it is our aim that by learning about the similarities and differences of religions and cultures, our children will become respectful citizens who understand their role in promoting peace and positive change in the world around them as they grow. 

Curriculum Drivers 

Cultural Heritage: 

• Our Religious Education curriculum aims to inspire our children to be curious about their surroundings, by encouraging them to question, investigate and explore how and why people in the world around them have beliefs. 
• Through structured lessons and a broad curriculum, we aim to give our children the opportunity to partake in activities that will enrich their experiences and develop their problem-solving abilities, such as using religious artefacts and visiting places of worship. 
• Ultimately, we recognise that our Religious Education curriculum should provide pupils with the chance to acquire the skills they will need in order to adapt to a rapidly changing world. 
• Where possible, we use school trips and internal visitors to enrich children’s understanding of how and why Religious Education features within the wider world. 

Aspirations: 

• Our Religious Education curriculum is planned around the ideology that all of our pupils will be able to engage with RE, and therefore conversations around RE, throughout their lives.  
• We enrich all curriculum areas, including Religious Education, by introducing our children to different career options linked to subjects, such as charity work or working to make the world a better place. We do this through lessons, in assemblies and by inviting people within these careers to come and talk to our children. 
• We aim to inspire our children to leave primary school with a love of Religious Education and a desire to study it at secondary school and at University. 

Awe and Wonder: 

• Pupils should enjoy what they are learning, and topics should foster curiosity, giving the opportunity for children to ask meaningful questions. 
• High-quality resources are created and used within each topic area to inspire children within Religious Education.
• Where possible, we form partnerships with external organisations and projects to give our children opportunities to learn outside of the curriculum and learn from specialists. 

Experiential learning: 

• We firmly believe in the power that meaningful ‘real life experiences’ can have upon children’s retention and enjoyment. 
• Within every topic, we focus on the bigger question, embedding this within ‘real-life’ scenarios to engage children in the topic. 
• Throughout Religious Education lessons, children have access to high-quality resources and artefacts, ensuring that children can gain experience and understanding.   
• Topic planning within Religious Education includes extensive lists of resources which are shared with teachers in advance of lessons being taught. This ensures that each lesson is sufficiently equipped to give children as many experiences and opportunities as possible.
• We believe in giving pupils the freedom to make their own choices about their beliefs, as well as having an understanding of why people’s beliefs might be different to their own, encourages them to learn from experience by constantly reflecting and evaluating their work. 

Language and oracy: 

• Vocabulary is an integral part of our Religious Education curriculum based on the needs of our pupils. Throughout all Key Stages and topics, key vocabulary is chosen and built upon. This forms a key part of the Religious Education progression maps. 
• To support our children with engaging in conversations around Religious Education, each exercise book has a ‘talk like a theologist’ sheet at the front, which gives sentence stems and key vocabulary. 
• To further encourage the use of higher-order vocabulary, our curriculum provides an opportunity for rich dialogue through Philosophy for Children (P4C), helping children to articulate their own choices and understanding. 
• Storytelling is used to introduce new themes and ideas to help our children retain information and be excited about Religious Education. Book lists are shared with parents to encourage wider reading at home. 
• Children are given the opportunity to apply their understanding of religious vocabulary with a ‘define’, ‘retrieve’ and ‘infer’ starter within each unit of work. Chosen extracts directly link with the vocabulary and topic being studied.