Curriculum Leader: Stuart Cameron

Mr Cameron is our RE leader and is responsible for this curriculum area. This means ensuring we teach an ambitious curriculum, supporting our teachers to implement our curriculum through high-quality lessons and checking that lessons are helping our children to know more, remember more and do more.

Purpose of Study

RE is for all pupils in all schools, every pupil has a legal entitlement to RE. It is a necessary part of a ‘broad and balanced curriculum’ and must be provided for all registered pupils in state-funded schools in England, including those in the sixth form, unless withdrawn by their parents (or withdrawing themselves if they are aged 18 or over). This requirement does not apply to pupils below compulsory school age (although there are many examples of good practice of RE in nursery classes).

Schools are not obliged to provide R.E. to pupils who are under compulsory school age (section 80(2)(a) of the Education Act 2002), although there are many instances of good practice where R.E. is taught to these pupils. 

Aims

• Provide children with an understanding of the fundamental values and beliefs of six world religions - Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism and Sikhism. 

• Provide children with a basic understanding of celebrations and festivals which are observed and celebrated as part of these religions. 

• Encourage children to ask questions, share their beliefs as well as respect those of others. 

Intent

We are setting out to help our pupils be ...

• Diverse, celebrating their own beliefs, values and cultures, as well as those of others. 

• Respectful, treating everyone with equality and fairness, regardless of their beliefs. 

• Passionate about their own beliefs, celebrations and values. 

• Curious, asking questions to help them to understand the beliefs of others more clearly.

Implementation

We will do this by ensuring ...

• Pupils will learn about a wide range of world religions, values and cultures.

• Children will be taught about equality and its importance. 

• Children will be taught about a diverse range of celebrations observed across the world. 

• Children will be taught how to enquire respectfully. 

Impact

We will have made a difference when ...

• Children will be able to talk about the fundamental beliefs of people who share our world.

• Children will demonstrate tolerance, acceptance and fairness towards each other and those who share our world.

• Children will be able to express why some celebrations are important to other people as well as those that are important to themselves. 

• Children will be able to discuss the core values and important events in the calendars of different world religions.

Progression

Year 1

In Year 1, pupils explore a variety of celebrations and stories from each religion. They learn about Harvest, Christmas, People Jesus Met, Palm Sunday, the Community in the Sikh faith, and Special Books. Through these celebrations, children discover the importance of thanking, belonging, change, welcoming, community and special books. They also compare different religious celebrations and the importance of respecting others' beliefs.

Children will learn the importance of various religious celebrations and how they reflect the values and beliefs of each faith, as well as the significance of respecting and appreciating the diverse beliefs of others.

Year 2

Year 2 delves into Special People in Sikism, Celebrations from around the world, special clothes, the Easter story, stories from other religions and Ideas about God. The children will learn about people important to Sikh faith, Christmas stories from around the world, special clothes, Love as a sad and happy time, and about how God is viewed. 

Children will learn about different aspects of God and explore how various faiths celebrate new beginnings and milestones, such as weddings and New Year traditions. They will also understand the importance of religious rituals and practices in different cultures.

Units of Work

Year 1 Autumn 1

Celebration (Harvest & Further Tradition)

In this unit, the children will look at the different celebrations they are involved with in and out of school.  They will then examine how Christians celebrate the harvest and why it is an important festival.

Year 1 Autumn 2

Journey’s End /Nativity Journeys

In this unit, the children will learn about different types of journeys.  They will start by discussing journeys they have been on and how they made them feel.  They will then look at how a ‘journey’ is linked to the Christmas story.

Year 1 Spring 1

Belonging (Followers of Jesus)

During this unit, the children will learn about ‘belonging’ and how it affects their lives.  They will then learn about how Christians ‘belong’ to a religious community and why this is important to them.

Year 1 Spring 2

Welcoming (Palm Sunday)

In this unit, the children will begin by looking at the concept of ‘welcoming’.  They will look back at a time when they were made to feel welcome or welcomed others and think about why it is important to feel welcomed. They will learn about how Jesus was welcomed on Palm Sunday and why it is important for Christians to remember this.

Year 1 Summer 1

Community (In Hindu and further Traditions)

In this unit, the children will be introduced to the concept of ‘community’.  They will learn that they are part of a community both inside and outside of school.  Looking at the importance of this in their own lives and for Hindus, they will think about how they can show generosity within a community and how Hindus do this too.

Year 1 Summer 2

Story (Creation Stories)

The children will learn about what creation means and how it is important to Christians and Hindus.  They will listen to creation stories, discuss these, and reflect on their own opinions and feelings.

Year 2 Autumn 1

Special Places (Hindu Mandir)

In this unit, the children will look at places that are special to them and explain why. They will begin to understand that places that are special to one person might not be to another and that this is okay. They will learn about showing respect for special places and look at special places within different religions, focusing on The Mandir for Hindus.

Year 2 Autumn 2

Symbols (Hanukkah/ Advent)

The children will learn about light as a symbol and how candles are used in different religions. They will look at the symbolism of light in the festivals of Hanukkah and Advent and evaluate the importance of this.

Year 2 Spring 1

Remembering (Holi)

The children will look at what it means to remember something. They will think about why remembering things from the past is important and how people can remember what happened. The children will be encouraged to think about their own memories and ways in which they remember people and events. They will also explore how Hindus remember Vishnu.

Year 2 Spring 2

Love (Sad and happy)

In this unit, the children will explore how feeling happy and sad affects their lives. They will discuss how this can show love for something or someone. Looking at the Easter story for Christians, they will explore the happy and sad events that took place and why it is important for Christians to remember these.

Year 2 Summer 1

Special Foods (Across Religions)

The children will explore how food can be special within different religions, sharing their own traditions, special meals and food that is special to them. They will look at what food is special to Christians, explore The Last Supper and look at Prashad for Hindus.

Year 2 Summer 2

God (Across Religions)

The children will learn about the concept of God in different religions, exploring different beliefs and similarities and differences. They will look at God in Christianity and Hinduism and reflect on the importance of God for people of different faiths. The children will learn that we must respect each other’s opinions and beliefs.

Year 3 Autumn 1

Trees as a symbol (Across Religions)

In this unit, the children will explore what symbols are and how they hold meaning before moving on to looking at the symbolism of trees. They will learn about the importance of trees in Christianity and describe their own response to trees as a symbol.

Year 3 Autumn 2

Angels

The children will explore the concept of ‘angels’, sharing their opinions and responses. They will recognise and begin to describe how Christians use the concept of angels in the birth narratives in The Bible and their value.

Year 3 Spring 1

Identity (The Shema and the Mezuzah)

In this unit, the children will explore the meaning of identity, think about their own identity and how it affects their lives. They will learn about the Shema and the Mezuzah and how these are a part of Jewish identity. They will discuss the importance for Jewish families.

Year 3 Spring 2

Love and changing emotions (Easter)

The children will look at emotions in this unit of work. They will name different emotions and explore how they can change in response to events. Exploring how emotions can affect their lives and the lives of others, the children will look at how this can influence their actions. They will look at the events of Holy Week and the emotional responses for Christians. Considering the responses in terms of love and how it is possible to feel more than one emotion at the same time.

Year 3 Summer 1

Sacred (Places of Worship)

In this unit, the children will learn about the concept of ‘sacred places.’ They will think about the meaning of sacred and recognise that places can be sacred to religious believers. Children will have the opportunity to share if they have a sacred religious place and why this is important to them. The children will explore why it is important for Buddhists to have a sacred place and look at whether a special place is the same as a sacred one.

Year 3 Summer 2

Belonging (Identity)

The children will build on their KS1 experience of belonging by exploring further the significance of belonging in different situations. They will be able to describe what it means to belong to something and will explore the importance of belonging for Muslims.

Year 4 Autumn 1

Community (Neighbour)

In this first unit, the children will begin by exploring what the concept of ‘neighbour’

means to them.  They will then start to look at parables and focus on the Bible story of The Good Samaritan, thinking about what Jesus was trying to teach his followers about being a good neighbour.

Year 4 Autumn 2

Symbol (Hanukkah)

During this half term, the children will return to the concept of ‘symbol’, which they last looked at in year 2.  The children will explore, in more depth, the symbol of ‘light’ during Hanukkah for Jewish people.  They will also discuss their own experience of light and symbols that are significant to them.

Year 4 Spring 1

Myth

The concept of ‘myth’ will be explored in this unit across different religions.  The children will look at the meaning of the word and share a variety of myths, thinking about how myths apply to their own and others’ lives.

Year 4 Spring 2

Freedom (Passover)

In this unit, the children will learn about the concept of ‘freedom’. The unit will start with the children exploring its meaning. They will then move on to discuss how freedom affects their everyday life and that of others.  The children will then explore how freedom is important in Judaism.  They will learn about the festival of Passover and how important it is to Jewish people today.

Year 4 Summer 1

Symbols (Stones)

The children will revisit and discuss the concept of ‘symbols’ relating back to previous units about Hanukkah from the autumn term and ‘Trees’ from year 3.  They will learn how stones are used as symbols in Christianity, Buddhism and Islam.  The children will then discuss their experiences of having stones as a symbol, e.g., birthstones or mood stones.

Year 4 Summer 2

Special (God)

At the start of the unit, the children will look at people describe God.  The children will choose a description and create a metaphor about God.  They will then look at different religions and how they describe God.

Year 5 Autumn 1

Belonging (In Islam)

In the first unit of year 5, the children will revisit the concept of ‘belonging’ which they first looked at in KS1 with a focus on what it means to them. The children will move to discuss on what occasions and in which situations belonging is significant. The unit will end with the concept being related to Islam, why it is important to Muslims to feel that they belong and how they show they belong to their faith.

Year 5 Autumn 2

Interpretation (Christmas – the two birth narratives)

In this unit, the children will be introduced to the concept of ‘interpretation’ and how stories can sometimes be interpreted differently. The children will discuss how interpretation is important to Christians during Christmas.  They will be encouraged to reflect and participate in activities demonstrating interpretation's power in everyday life.

Year 5 Spring 1

The Golden Rule (Love and Humanism)

The children will explore the concept of ‘The Golden Rule’ in which everyone should follow the same rule no matter where they live, what they believe and how old they are. Often referred to as ‘Treat others as you would want to be treated yourself’, this rule is very important in most religions. They will look at what a Humanist might believe about ‘The Golden Rule’ and give examples of their actions. The children will think about their own lives and what their Golden Rule might be within their families, cultures and communities.

Year 5 Spring 2

Salvation (The Christian Story)

In this unit, the children will explore the concept of ‘salvation’ by completing a series of activities and class discussions.  They will then move on to learn about what Christians say about salvation in relation to The Garden of Eden.  The children will think about their views and give their opinions whilst also respecting the opinions of others. The unit will end by looking at how salvation may affect their lives and those around them.

Year 5 Summer 1

Sacred Places (Places of Worship)

The children will revisit the concept of ‘sacred places’, exploring the value of them for Christians and Muslims. They will look at what makes a church and mosque sacred and why these places of worship are important to them.

Year 5 Summer 2

Community (Umma)

The children will revisit the concept of ‘community’, focusing this time on Islam. They will explore the value of Umma (community) for Muslims and look at how this is demonstrated through Hajj and Zakat. Thinking about their own community and the value of this in their lives will also be important within this unit of work.

Year 6 Autumn 1

Peace – What does it mean to be a Muslim today?

In this unit, the children will work together in small groups to discuss images associated with peace.  They will then create responses to the concept of ‘peace’.  The unit will then explore how Muslims find peace in Islam.  The children will listen to the story about the revelation of the Qur’an to Mohammed (pbuh).  As a class they will listen to the song ‘Small Deeds’ by Native Deen and talk about the message it gives. They will move on to evaluate the importance for Muslims to feel peace in their religion.

Year 6 Autumn 2

Incarnation (An extraordinary baby)

In this unit, the children will be begin by looking at an extract from Beyond Ourselves, by Catherine Marshall.  They will work together using a dictionary to find the meaning of ‘incarnation’, before exploring how the concept of incarnation is expressed within the Christian birth stories. The children will identify the value of the idea of incarnation to Christians and respect that people believe different things.

Year 6 Spring 1

Ritual (Wudu and Eid-ul-Fitr)

The children will discuss as a class what they think ‘ritual’ means.  They will suggest any rituals that they participate in and as a class come up with a definition. They will then move onto looking at the festival of Eid-ul-Fitr and learn about the importance of rituals for Muslims.  Learning about the value of ritual for Muslims and considering the importance of ritual for themselves.

Year 6 Spring 2

Resurrection (Easter: What happened next?)

At the start of the unit, the children will discuss what Resurrection means.  The children will talk about their ideas, exploring non-religious meanings as well.  They will then move on to consider the question, ‘Can you be a Christian if you don’t believe in the Resurrection?’, understanding that not all Christians believe exactly the same. At the end the unit they will explore some ready-prepared statements about death and debate how believing in the

Resurrection and an afterlife may affect the way in which people behave.

Year 6 Summer 1

Service (Sewa)

In this unit, the children will learn about the concept of ‘service’ in Sikhi faith.  They will begin by exploring what ‘service’ means and create a class mind map. Moving on they will talk about the three principles of Sikhi faith as taught by Guru Nanak. They will discuss what service means to them and explore in their classes the occasions in their life when they have served others or others have served them.

Year 6 Summer 2

A Good Life (Humanism)

In the last unit of year 6, the children will revisit ‘Humanism’.  They will start by thinking of and discussing examples of people who live a ‘good life.’  They will compare and discuss the differences between those that are perceived to live a ‘good life’ and those that are not.  The children will discuss whether immoral actions have a negative consequence and will then dive deeper into the topic by exploring the complexities that surround this concept.  They will consider the value for Humanists and acknowledge that we should respect the Humanist point of view.

Right of Withdrawal

• “All students are entitled to receive RE as part of a broad and balanced curriculum at school which promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development” - Religious education in English schools: Non-statutory guidance 2010. However, the law gives parents/carers the right to withdraw their child(ren) from collective acts of worship and/or Religious Education lessons, in accordance with the 1988 Education Reform Act. At Oakridge, we respect that right.
• In the UK, the law does not prescribe how religious education should be taught or organised in schools, only that schools should bear in mind that the way RE is taught should reflect the agreed syllabus of the Local Education Authority and the ethos of the school, as well as ensuring that students make good progress, learning about and from the world around them and that Teaching Standards are adhered to. At Oakridge, we believe our RE curriculum fulfils this criteria.
• Parents have the right to choose whether to withdraw their child from RE without influence from the school, although a school should ensure parents or carers are informed of this right and are aware of the educational objectives and content of the RE syllabus. If students are withdrawn from RE, schools have a duty to supervise them, though not to provide additional teaching or to incur extra cost; suitable work relating to the child’s religious education should be provided by the parents/carers. Pupils will usually remain on school premises unless the child is lawfully receiving religious education elsewhere.
• Parents can only withdraw their child from RE, not other curriculum areas. For example, pupils can’t be withdrawn from a study of religious art in an art lesson or the study of evolution in science. 
• It is important to remember the contribution RE makes to the development of children and the promotion of Fundamental British Values. 
• If you wish to withdraw your child from RE, please arrange a meeting with Miss Charman who will be able to support you.

What does the law say?

In order for a pupil to be withdraw, a school by law, must be satisfied:

• "that the parent of the pupil desires him to receive religious education of a kind which is not provided in the school during the periods of time during which he is so excused" 
• "that the pupil cannot with reasonable convenience be sent to another maintained school where religious education of the kind desired by the parent is provided, and" 
• "that arrangements have been made for him to receive religious education of that kind during school hours elsewhere." 

Welcome to the Religious Education page. Here you will find information about our curriculum and be able to see some of the super learning that takes place in R.E.

Intent:

At Oakridge we believe that it is important for all of our pupils to learn from and about religion, so that they can understand the world around them. The aim of Religious Education in our school is to help children to acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the other principal religions represented in Great Britain. We feel that it is important for the children to appreciate the way that religious beliefs shape life and behaviour. We want them to develop the ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues and enhance their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Religious education plays an important role, along with all other curriculum areas, particularly PSHE and our teaching of British values, in promoting social awareness and understanding in our children. The promotion of British values ensures that children are aware of their rights and responsibilities as UK citizens. We strongly encourage our pupils to ask questions about the world and to reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences as well as respecting the differences between us that we may encounter.

Implementation:

Religious Education is taught throughout key stage 1 and 2 in such a way as to reflect the overall aims and values of the school. Our curriculum follows the Hampshire Living Difference III syllabus and is designed to encourage creativity, imagination, enquiry, debate, discussion and independence. In September 2022 the school will be following the updated syllabus from Hampshire, Living Difference IV

The religions studied at key stage 1 are Christianity and Judaism and at key stage 2 are Christianity, Hinduism and Islam.

Living Difference III starts at the point of exploration and follows an enquiry cycle that enables the children to explore their own experiences of concepts before looking at them in a wider context. The 5-step approach (communicate, apply, enquire, contextualise, evaluate) underpins our planning and delivery of Religious Education within our school. This ensures that lessons:

• engage pupils in exploring questions arising from the study of religion and belief, so as to promote their personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
• provide learners with knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other principal religious traditions and beliefs represented in Great Britain
• develop their understanding of the ways in which beliefs influence people in their behaviour, practices and outlook
• enable learners to become aware of their own beliefs and values
• encourage learners to develop a positive attitude towards other people who hold religious beliefs different from their own

This syllabus, Living Difference IV, is the Agreed Syllabus for religious education (RE) in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton.