Religious Education
Shaw Cross School is a non-denominational school, with children and families attending from a range of cultural and religious backgrounds. In accordance with statutory requirements for non-faith schools, in Y1 and Y2 we have a daily act of worship which is “broadly Christian in nature.” Assemblies focus on moral issues, and on respect for one another. We also focus on topical concerns and current issues, arising in school or from a national or global context.
Our school mission is to ‘Work together valuing and nurturing children’ and as educators. RE provides us with opportunities to fulfil this by engaging children and their families in sharing customs and traditions with us. We also invite families into school to experience special events with us such as harvest, Christmas and Easter, as well as working within the wider community by inviting people of different faiths into school to support our learning. We encourage parents to support our school rules and to reinforce appropriate moral judgements with their child, as well as reflect on topical issues through discussions at home.
In Foundation Stage, religious education is concerned with children developing an appreciation and wonder of the world in which they live. Alongside making sense of their own place within the world, children are taught how to show a sensitivity to others and to understand the need to treat each other’s views and beliefs with respect.
At Key Stage One, our RE lessons follow the Kirklees Agreed Syllabus and focus particularly on Christianity and Islam. However, to broaden children’s awareness and understanding, and ensure our curriculum is inclusive to children of all faiths, we also acknowledge special times in faiths other than Christianity and Islam. For example, pupils learn about the festival of Diwali, and children are invited to share their family celebrations in school. In addition to this we also acknowledge the role of non-religious world views such as humanism.
Religious Education Intent
Our Early Years Characteristic of Effective learning, and our Key Stage 1 Secrets of Success are at the forefront of all our teaching and learning. Religious Education is a key subject in which we promote the understanding of respect, particularly in appreciating that others belief’s and ideas may be different to our own but that we need to value and respect this cultural diversity. While learning about the faiths and views of others, we endeavour to provide time within the curriculum for our children to reflect on different religions and beliefs and share their ideas and opinions in an appropriate, respectful way. We understand that much of our learning may be new to our children, and that there is not necessarily a right or wrong answer to questions that are posed. We intend to support our children’s in showing resilience and motivation to delve deeper into finding their own answers to questions. As respectful, resilient and reflective learners of world faiths our children will develop their knowledge and understanding of religions and world views, recognising local, national and global contexts. They will be taught, and given many opportunities to use and apply basic subject specific vocabulary. We want children to pose thoughtful, interesting and relevant questions and expect children to debate the subject matter in a sensitive and respectful way.
Throughout the whole of our learning, we recognise and actively strive to open the eyes of our pupils to a world beyond their norm. We aim to broaden their horizons and expose them to ideas and beliefs that they may otherwise not know.
As part of investigating and being respectful of the beliefs and practices of religions and other world views, pupils will be taught to:
- Recall and name different beliefs and practices, including prayer, worship, festivals, rituals and ways of life, in order to find out about the meanings behind them;
- Retell and suggest meanings for some religious and moral stories, exploring and discussing sacred writings and sources of wisdom and recognising the traditions from which they come;
- Recognise some ways that people express beliefs and belonging through prayer, worship, symbols and actions, appreciating some similarities between communities.
As part of investigating how religions and other world views address questions of meaning, purpose and value, children will be taught to:
- Explore questions about beliefs, expressing their own ideas and opinions in response, using words, music, drama, art or poetry in a respectful and reflective way;
- Observe and recount different ways of expressing belief, responding sensitively, respectfully and resiliently for themselves.
As part of investigating how religions and other world views influence morality, identity, and diversity, children will be taught to:
- Find out about questions of right and wrong and begin to express their ideas and opinions in response;
- Notice and respond sensitively to some similarities between different religions and other world views in their approach to questions of beliefs and meaning.
Religious Education Implementation
At Shaw Cross School we use the Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education in Calderdale, Kirklees and Leeds as the basis for our curriculum. Teaching and learning is focused around Christianity and Islam, alongside understanding of non-religious approaches to life. Aspects of other faiths may be included as appropriate, such as teaching about specific festivals or rituals.
From the syllabus it is required that: -
- In the Early Years Foundation Stage, the learning outcomes are referenced to Christianity and as appropriate to a range of other beliefs and cultures.
- In KS1 - Christianity and Islam are studied (as well as other non-religious viewpoints).
There are no presumptions made as to the religious backgrounds and beliefs and values of our children and the staff. We value the religious background of all members of the school community with the view that this will encourage individuals to share their own experiences with others freely. All religions and their communities are treated with respect and sensitivity and we value the links, which are, and can be made between home, school, and a faith community through creating opportunities for sharing experiences, celebrations and customs. We have forged community links with local churches who contribute to assemblies and regular visits.
We acknowledge that each religion studied can contribute to the education of all our pupils. We promote teaching in Religious Education that stresses open enquiry and first-hand experiences. Learning takes place that opens eyes and minds of our pupils, and provides a scaffold from which they can reflect on what they are taught and through this begin to form their own views and opinions.
A child’s vocabulary is one of the best predictors of their future success and there are particularly strong links between a child’s vocabulary and their literacy skills (an area of development at Shaw Cross). We therefore ensure that during all RE lessons, we strive to develop the children’s theological vocabulary as well as their knowledge. New theological language is taught and previously introduced language is built upon, as strands are revisited as the children progress through school.
Religious Education Impact Statement
Human beings are strengthened and empowered by learning from each other. So, through experience and culture, it is possible to explore the opportunities, challenges and purpose of our individual lives and communities. Engaging and stimulating Religious Education nurtures informed and resilient responses, and challenges misunderstanding, stereotyping and division. The impact of our RE curriculum enables pupils to respond to difficult or ‘risky’ questions which are tackled within a safe but challenging context, and as a result become well-rounded individuals.
Primarily, RE gives our children a broad understanding of Christianity, world faiths and non-religious beliefs. Our curriculum ensures that there is both depth of study (some areas investigated in detail) and breadth (an overall general understanding of the faiths and related philosophical and ethical questions). RE is valued as a rigorous academic subject, and one which our pupils advance in their problem solving and critical thinking skills.
Our RE curriculum enriches SMSC development and children’s’ understanding of diversity. We have a universal RE entitlement and our pupils gain a greater respect for diversity, and understanding of empathy and cohesion alongside developing their own views and beliefs. Our RE teaching contributes dynamically to our young people’s education by provoking challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human. Our syllabus therefore deliberately integrates religious studies with aspects of philosophical questions and ethical issues. It also embraces the reality that beliefs are not always linked to faith or a transcendent deity. A holistic approach to Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development (SMSC), British Values, and Community Cohesion prepares our pupils for life in the 21st century, engaging them in a contemporary and relevant context.
We closely measure the impact of our RE curriculum by using formative assessment to track the children’s progress across each unit, as they move throughout school. Whilst this assessment ensures that all children develop a broad understanding of the different areas of learning, it also enables us to identify the depth of each child’s understanding, and highlights any areas for development which we can explore further. Class discussions, book and work scrutiny and evaluation sheets are used to determine the children’s understanding whilst lesson observations and learning walks help the RE Coordinator to ensure that high quality RE lessons are taught across school. The outcomes of which are to ensure that our pupils have the knowledge and skills to flourish both within their own community and as members of a diverse and global society.
We ensure all children have access to the Kirklees Agreed Syllabus for religious education.
Click here for the EYFS curriculum.
Click here for the Key Stage One curriculum (year 1 and 2).