Religious Education and World Views at Nine Acres Primary School
Religious Education and World Views are an important element in the broad and balanced curriculum we aim to provide at Nine Acres. Through the RE curriculum, we provide opportunities to develop children's knowledge and understanding of world religions and reflect on the challenging questions that it provokes so that they can make a positive influence on the world around them.
The aims of Religious Education are:
- To develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other religions and consider how the beliefs of others impact on their lives and the lives of others.
- To encourage children to ask and reflect on challenging questions.
- To provide opportunities for personal reflection where children can explore their own beliefs (not necessarily religious).
- To encourage children to appreciate and respect the different cultures in today’s society.
Legal requirements
The RE curriculum forms an important part of our school’s spiritual, moral and social teaching. Our RE curriculum is based on the Isle of Wight Local Authority’s (LA) Agreed Syllabus (Living Difference) and it meets all the requirements set out in that document. The Education Act 1996 states that an Agreed Syllabus must reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian, whilst taking account of the teachings and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain. It must be non-denominational and must not be designed to convert pupils to a particular religion.
We have used the Living Difference Syllabus and added additional aspects to ensure that it meets the needs of the children at Nine Acres. We have built in an element around crime and consequences that ties in with the actions people take around the world and in different religions. We have ensured that there is progression throughout the school and that each concept studied follows a cycle of important elements and skills. These are:
Communicate - where children have a chance to listen and share ideas
Apply - where children take the information they have learned and apply it to themselves
Enquire - where children ask questions and try to find out additional information
Contextualise - where children apply their learning to their own lives and experiences or a specific religion
Evaluate - children come to conclusion and make up their own mind about the concepts they have learned about.
RE in EYFS
Throughout the year, children in EYFS will learn about the concept of 'special'. They explore all things special about themselves as well as their families and special celebrations. They are encouraged to talk about themselves and what makes them different and special from each other as well as learn about key Christian celebrations such as Easter and Christmas. We believe understanding this key concept and being able to articulate how we feel about ourselves and others, leads the way to understanding other key concepts and being able to relate them to our lives.