Religious Education

Intent

At Sandhills Primary School, Religious Education plays a central role in offering the broad and balanced curriculum that will enable students to participate fully in life in modern Britain and the wider world. Our aim is to enable our pupils to gain the knowledge and skills to hold informed and balanced conversations about religions and beliefs.We want our children to see themselves in our RE curriculum and to learn more about others in our school community.

We aim to provide a safe environment where children can explore their own ideas and learn to evaluate the opinions of others; and an environment where pupils can develop attitudes, values and behaviours that include respect, relationships, responsibility and resilience.

Implementation

RE lessons at Sandhills are provided in accordance with the Oxfordshire Diocese Agreed Syllabus.Through the study of a wide range of religious and non-religious worldviews, students are asked challenging questions such as “Did Jesus really do miracles?” and investigate the ways in which religious practice and belief informs and influences society. As the children progress through the school, they will develop their understanding of Christianity and at least two other principal religions from Hinduism, Judaism or Islam, which reflect the diversity within our school community. Lessons often involve a question for children to explore through a range of means including stories, drama, art and music. Ideas and concepts are sometimes revisited to help deepen the children’s understanding as they progress through the school. 

The DFE encourages teachers to:

“recognise that progress in RE is not likely to be linear, so ensure that the curriculum offers opportunities to re-visit and deepen understanding of core concepts; assessment should show a deepening of understanding”

RE lessons take place weekly. Children’s religious understanding is also developed through whole-school learning opportunities that focus on key events such as Easter, Hanukkah, Eid-ul-fitr and Diwali.

Religious Education in EYFS

EYFS pupils are taught a range of stories and accounts from different faith traditions and cultures, including re-telling a few stories. They also learn about religious festivals and occasions and why these are celebrated.

These experiences lay the foundations for the development of each child’s RE understanding.