R.E
At St Mary’s we teach R.E using the Worcestershire Agreed Syllabus as well as the scheme of work Understanding Christianity.
Principal aim
At St. Mary’s we teach R.E. to engage pupils with human questions about religions and worldwide views, from which our children will build respect, skills and understanding to develop, give and appreciate all responses and beliefs.
There are 3 main aims which are:
Know about and understand a range of religions and worldviews so they can :
Describe, explain and analyse beliefs and practices, recognising the diversity within and between communities and amongst individuals.
Identify, investigate and respond to questions.
Appreciate and appraise the nature, significance and impact of different ways of life.
Express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religions and worldviews so they can:
Explain reasonably their ideas
Express their personal reflections and critical responses to questions
Appreciate and appraise varied dimensions of religion.
Gain and deploy skills needed to engage seriously with religions and worldviews so they can:
Find out about and investigate key concepts
Enquire into what enables individuals and communities to live together respectfully for the well -being of all.
Articulate beliefs, values and commitments clearly in order to explain why they may be important in their own and other peoples lives.
These aims will be taught through a range of key questions which will be explored, discussed and investigated by the children in a wide range of exciting teaching strategies in order for the children to fully understand and show appreciation for religions and world views.
Children are given reflection time in each lesson in order to discuss what they have learned and make connections with their lives and the wider world.
Early Years R.E. Curriculum
|
Which stories are special and why? |
|
|
Which people are special and why? |
|
|
What places are special and why? |
|
|
What times are special and why? |
|
|
Being special: Where do we belong? |
|
|
What is special about our world? |
|
Key Stage One - 2 Year rolling program
Christian and/or Muslim / Jewish faiths
|
Year One |
Year Two |
|
Who is a Christian and what do they believe? |
What is a Muslim and what do they believe? |
|
What makes some places sacred? |
What can we learn from sacred books? |
|
How and why do we celebrate special and sacred times? |
How and why do we celebrate special and sacred times? |
|
What does it mean to belong to a faith community? |
How should we care for others and the world and why does it matter? |
|
How should we care for others and the world, and why does it matter? |
|
Lower Key Stage – 2 Year rolling program
Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Jewish faiths
|
Year One |
Year Two |
|
What do different people believe about God? |
Why is Jesus inspiring to some people? |
|
Why is the Bible important for Christians today? |
Why are festivals important to religious communities? |
|
Why do people pray? |
Why do some people think that life is a journey? What significant experiences mark this? |
|
Why are festivals important to religious communities? |
What does it mean to be a Hindu in Britain today? |
|
What does it mean to be a Christian in Britain today? |
What can we learn about religions about deciding what is right and wrong? |
Upper Key Stage - 2 Year rolling program
Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Jewish Religions
|
Year One |
Year Two |
|
Why do some people think God exists? ( Christian and non religious responses eg humanist) |
What do religions say to us when life gets hard? (christain, hindu and non religious responses eg humanist) |
|
What would Jesus do? ( Can we live by the values of Jesus in the 21st century?) |
Is it better to express your beliefs in art and architecture or in charity and generosity? ( Christian, Muslim and non religious responses eg humanists) |
|
If God is everywhere why go to a place of worship? (Christian, hindu and/or jewish) |
What matters most to Christians and humanists? |
|
What does it mean to be a Muslim in Britain today? |
What difference does it make to believe in ahimsa (harmlessness) grace and/or Ummah (community)? (Christian, hindu and/or muslims) |
Collective Worship
Collective Worship is held daily in our school and gives us the opportunity to meet as a community and learn about Christianity and other religions. We have time during worship to pray or reflect on what we have learnt.
Singing is an important part of Worship at St Mary’s and our weekly singing assembly gives us chance to learn traditional Christian hymns as well songs that reflect the inclusivity of our school.
Our 12 Christian values underpin our collective worship and we look at one of these values each half term. We also learn stories from other religions where these values have been demonstrated.
The Worship Crew are a group of pupils who help to plan and deliver collective worship and provide a pupil voice to support the Worship teacher.
“Collective worship is an important part of the life of the school. It is inclusive, inspirational and inspiring, enhancing the overall ethos of the school and reflecting its life and character.”
SIAMs report 2019
At St Mary’s we strive to reflect and embed our school vision throughout R.E and Collective Worship and have developed a vision with bible stories at its core. These stories are ones that we feel are pertinent to modern day life and our community.