Religious Education

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION AT WYBOURN COMMUNITY PRIMARY

At Wybourn Community Primary, we believe that religious education is crucial to the holistic development of all the children in our school. In a community which is not ethnically or religiously diverse, the teaching of religious education is vital for promoting the acceptance of different religions. Religious education at Wybourn Community provokes challenging questions about human life, beliefs, communities and ideas. Children are encouraged to express ideas and insights of their own into significant human questions which religions address. Our religious education curriculum follows the Sheffield Agreed Syllabus, revised in September 2024.

Religious education is planned and delivered on through weekly lessons, addressing different religious views. Over a year period, pupils will learn about Christianity, Judaism, and Islam in Key stage 1 with weekly lessons, visits and visitors. In key stage 2 the focus is on Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Humanism. Each of the other religions are compared to the key beliefs and practises of Christianity.

Intent

• To know about and understand a range of religions and worldviews.
• To describe and explain beliefs and practises, recognising the diversity which exists within and between communities.
• To investigate and respond to questions posed by, and responses offered by, some of the sources of wisdom found in religions and worldviews.
• To appreciate the nature, significance and impact of different ways of life and ways of expressing meaning.
• To express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religions and worldviews.
• To explain reasonably their ideas about how beliefs and practices influence individuals and communities, and to learn to disagree respectfully.
• To express with increasing discernment their personal reflections and critical responses to questions and teachings about identity, diversity, meaning and value.
• To find out about and investigate key concepts and questions of belonging, meaning, purpose and truth, responding creatively.
• To enquire into what enables different communities to live together respectfully for the wellbeing of all.
• To articulate beliefs, values and commitments clearly in order to explain reasons that they may be important in their own and other people’s lives.
• To enrich other areas of the curriculum.

Implementation

The focus of religious education for KS1 enables children to develop their knowledge and understanding of religions and worldviews. They will find out about simple examples of religion in local, national and global contexts. They will use basic subject specific vocabulary. They will raise questions and begin to express their own views in response to the material they learn about and in response to questions about their ideas.

The focus of RE for KS2 enables pupils to extend their knowledge and understanding of religions and worldviews, recognising their local, national and global contexts. They will be introduced to an extended range of sources and more complex subject specific vocabulary. Pupils will be encouraged to be curious and to ask increasingly challenging questions about religion, belief, values and human life. Pupils will learn to express their own ideas in response to the material they engage with, identifying relevant information, selecting examples and giving reasons to support their ideas and views.

Impact

Through their R.E. learning, the children are able to make links between their own lives and those of others in their community and in the wider world, developing an understanding of other people’s cultures and ways of life. Children learn to respect all people from all cultures. It also brings together parents and families from our community.

Visits and visitors  

We try to incorporate visits to local places of worship wherever possible. Visits include places of worship- a synagogue, a mosque, two different churches and a Buddhist temple. Visitors are regularly invited into school to share their beliefs and practices in whole school assemblies as well as workshops.

Planning 

RE planning is informed by the content of the Sheffield Agreed Syllabus. Suggested lines of enquiry are developed by the RE coordinator to ensure planning is in line with the Sheffield Agreed Syllabus. This information is developed by staff into more detailed plans for weekly plans.

Please note, Parents and Families have the right to withdraw their children from RE lessons.  Families wishing to discuss withdrawing their children from RE lessons, please ask at the School Office to meet with the Headteacher, or a member of the School's Senior Leadership team, who will be happy to discuss this with you.