Intent

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At Orchard Junior School our primary intent is to have an engaging and inspiring curriculum with high academic ambition for all pupils.  In RE, we aim to ensure that all pupils develop a good knowledge an understanding of sources of wisdom and their impact whilst exploring personal and critical responses.  We want the children to understand, accept and respect cultural similarities and differences.

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At Orchard we follow the Hampshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education - Living Difference.  Details of this can be found by clicking here. This involves following the same cycle of enquiry through each unit: Communicate, Apply, Inquire, Contextualise, Evaluate.

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Teaching of RE at Orchard provides pupils with a systematic knowledge and understanding about Christianity, principal religions and worldviews, which give life value.  It aims to enable pupils to become religiously and theologically literate so they can engage in life in an increasingly diverse society.  It is not about telling pupils what religious views they should have but rather assists them in gaining shared human understanding, developing personal identity and searching for meaning in the context of evaluating different viewpoints.

 

Implementation 

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We recognise that curriculum time for Religious Education is distinct from the time we spend in school assemblies and taking part in productions relating to a religious festivals or events.

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At Orchard, Religious Education is taught at identifiable times in every year group.  The time specifically allocated to the teaching of RE in each Key Stage is approximately the equivalent to one hour per school week.

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Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of RE involves the following;

• RE will be planned by the teacher (or TA where appropriate) using the Agreed Hampshire Syllabus.

• Through our units, we ensure our curriculum is taught in a logical progression, systematically and explicitly, building on previous learning and skills for future learning.

• Learning is recorded in individual books.  Learning can be represented in a range of ways such as examples of work, photos and child’s voice .

• Planning involves teachers creating engaging lessons, involving high-quality resources.  Teachers pose deeper thinking questioning in class to challenge and assess.

• Children increase their cultural capital through visits and visitors.  These visits and visitors facilitate and support RE learning by building on the children’s prior knowledge and encouraging them to think about others.

 

Teachers use our progression document  to assess if a child has met the expectations for their year group.  This helps to develop a religiously and theologically literate pupil at the end of key stage 2.

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Impact 

 

The teaching of RE at Orchard offers distinctive and valid opportunities to promote pupils’ interdisciplinary learning and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  It contributes to the development of the schools beliefs and values.  Dedicated RE lessons, in partnership with whole school approaches, allow for timely and sensitive responses to be made to unforeseen events of a religious, moral or philosophical nature, including natural phenomena resulting in humanitarian responses whether local, national or global.

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As children progress through Orchard they cover the full RE curriculum developing a deep knowledge, understanding and appreciation for their local and wider community.  Children understand and respect the religious beliefs and practices of others.

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Children engage in a range of engaging experiences that promote deeper thinking and provide opportunities for the children to reflect and develop their own identity. 

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The RE curriculum enables children to develop as tolerant young people with respect and understanding of the views of others, including the beliefs and practices of religions and other world views.