Religious Education

INTENT

Curious - through RE foster the wonder of the world. Challenge and compare cultural and religious practices.

Ethical - Understand the values of each religion and the commonalities of these.

Aspirational - Be part of the solution to ease conflict and celebrate difference.

Creative - understand and explore religions through their art, music and festivals

Discovery-RE-Overview

RE is fundamental to understanding, appreciating and responding to the world in which we live. It is therefore a subject that will be pivotal to pupils beyond their school life as they navigate their own lives and encounter various faiths and beliefs that are different from their own. It promotes respect and open-mindedness towards ways of life and beliefs are different from their own. It also encourages pupils to develop their sense of identity and belonging through self-awareness and reflection.

The principle aim of RE is to engage pupils in an enquiry approach where they can develop an understanding and appreciation for the expression of beliefs, cultural practices and influence of principle religions and world views in the local, national and wider global community. It is necessary to acknowledge that some of our pupils will have had less experience of the diversity that their community has to offer. Therefore, RE becomes a very special opportunity to create this link and begin the journey towards broadening their cultural experiences.

It is essential that pupils are provided with subject specific knowledge regarding a variety of religions so that they have a strong foundation of key concepts, beliefs, practices and vocabulary associated with each. As they progress throughout our school, they will continue to build on prior knowledge and understanding while applying subject specific skills at a deeper level. We understand the necessity for our pupils to begin exploring aspects of religion at the earliest opportunity. This is why it has been introduced to them in Foundation Stage through stories and role plays which provide exposure through the environment and promotes discussion. Our goal is to be able to build on pupils’ learning at each stage so that as they progress throughout school, they are able consolidate, develop and deepen their learning.

Religious Education is unique in the school curriculum in that it is neither a core nor a foundation subject, however the Guidance released in 2010 views it as an important curriculum subject.

We use the 'Discovery RE' scheme in its entirety. 

Experience and enrichment opportunities at Charlbury:

• exploring sacred texts
• using imaginative play or drama to express feelings and ideas
• responding to images, games, stories, art, music and dance
• meeting visitors from local religious communities
• making visits to religious places of worship where possible, and where not, making use of videos and the internet
• taking part in whole school events- (multi-faith days, Harvest Festival, school performances)
• using ICT to further explore religion and belief globally
• comparing religions and world views through discussion
• debating and communicating religious belief, world views and philosophical ideas and answering and asking ultimate questions posed by these

Impact

Through the implementation of the RE curriculum pupils will be able to:

• extend their knowledge and understanding of religions and beliefs
• develop a religious vocabulary and interpret religious symbolism in a variety of forms • reflect on questions of meaning, offering their own thoughtful and informed insights into religious and secular world-views
• explore ultimate questions of beliefs and values in relation to a range of contemporary issues in an ever-changing society

The impact of RE is monitored and assessed in a number of ways. We look at the extent to which our pupils are engaged in discussions with their peers, sharing their own beliefs with others to understand and appreciate differences between themselves and the children around them. Through pupil interviews, students are able to articulate what they have learnt when prompted by their work. These interviews, as well as other observations both within RE lessons and everyday school life, enable us to gather evidence of the extent to which our pupils demonstrate welcoming, clear communication and respect of pupils with beliefs different to their own. Through the careful planning and continuous review of an engaging RE curriculum, we can observe how our pupils show and apply their own moral compass as well as accumulating an increased cultural capital.