RE

Religious Education at John Perryn

 

Intent

The RE curriculum at John Perryn Primary School enables children to develop a sense of self and belonging in a diverse community as they progress through school life. Children will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to be respectful and accepting of all religions, non-religions and viewpoints that differ from their own. Through challenging their own and other’s beliefs in a sensitive manner, they are able to develop and broaden their own scope of personal values and beliefs. This contributes to the holistic development of the pupils, enabling them to make a positive contribution to not just their community but the world. 

 

Our varied and diverse school community is linked with many parts of the world and a variety of faith groups. As a school, we celebrate this diversity and offer a welcoming and inclusive environment for all of our pupils, including those who have recently joined our community as well as those for whom English is a second language. We learn about each other’s beliefs so that we can live together peacefully and make positive contributions to our society.

 

Children moving on from John Perryn leave with a sense of shared values, understanding and respect for the diversity of religions, non-religions, beliefs and cultures that enrich the community in the London Borough of Ealing and beyond.

 

The curriculum is carefully selected to incorporate the religions that make up the majority of our school community. Through this careful selection, pupils know that they are valued and seen as important members of society – which also promotes positive behaviour and attitudes in RE. Substantive content and concepts are covered collectively and are well-sequenced so that, as children progress through the school, they know more and remember more of the curriculum.

 

Pupils are given a vast range of opportunities to identify and create links between religions and non-religions through the learning of concepts that relate to a range of religious and non-religious traditions. The curriculum has been remapped in a way where staff can support each other at each stage of the academic year and the end of year learning culminates with an exploration of the concepts in a range of different religions and non-religions. With this end goal in mind, practitioners are able to sequence learning through the use of key questions and identify the building blocks of knowledge that children need as they progress through their academic life.

 

Topics are revisited at various stages of the curriculum. This spiral effect ensures that pupils are able to draw on sufficient prior knowledge to assist them in formulating a deeper understanding of each concept. This systematic remapping of the curriculum gives more opportunities for content to be not just learned but remembered.

 

By exposing students to credible sources and an accurate range of representations of each religion during educational trips and visits, students understand how communities and individuals have shaped and continue to impact the globe, whilst also coming to terms with the diversity and complexity that exists within these religious and non-religious communities. Knowing how these concepts are seen in the world today and how interpretations have changed over time, whilst also emphasising the terms ‘some’ and ‘most’ in the delivery of RE lessons, will help to prevent or address existing misconceptions about groups of individuals. This allows pupils to grasp the bigger picture as a variety of perspectives and voices are brought to light.

 

Teachers at John Perryn recognise the importance of regularly carrying out research to keep up to date with the substantive knowledge of the key concepts for their year group or phase that surround both religion and non-religion, whilst also enabling them to remain aligned with the ever-changing world. The understanding of how the different types of knowledge are interconnected at the planning stage helps to form a well-sequenced and balanced curriculum. Content is accurately worded to promote clarity and to safeguard pupils against the development of stereotyping or misconceptions about traditions and different viewpoints that are held around the world.

 

Where possible, teaching the same religion at the same point in the term across the different year groups gives teachers ample opportunity to discuss concepts, understand the pupil’s learning journey and know what has been taught prior so that the knowledge gained at each stage of the primary curriculum is both precise and purposeful. This ensures that the curriculum is ‘collectively enough’. From this, sufficient background knowledge is evident beforehand to ensure that consolidation of concepts can be accomplished.

 

Assessment is varied and tailored to the specific way of knowing. The types of questions that are asked allow pupils to explore concepts from a variety of perspectives. Teachers at John Perryn ensure that they provide pupils with a broad curriculum that can be accessed by all learners of our school community, which, in turn, allows them to engage in a complex multi-religious and multi-secular world. 

 

Key concepts:

* A focus on key questions, both as the basis for unit titles and as a framework for learning and teaching within each unit for Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

* A combination of systematic and thematic themes for the range of units within the syllabus, so that children and young people are offered opportunities both to engage with specific religious traditions and to explore cross-cutting themes that can be studied with reference to several religious traditions and non-religious worldviews.

* To develop their religious literacy, so that the most important aspects of a range of religious and non-religious perspective are understood;

* To gain an insight and understanding into the place of religion and belief within the world today;

* To sensitively engage with the diversity of faith and belief perspectives that characterise contemporary society;

 * To develop the maturity to disagree with dignity and humility;

* To reflect on their personal spiritual identity, think through their own faith and belief perspectives and to be given the opportunity to articulate these in a respectful and constructive way;

* To engage with the ethical principles that are connected with the major faith and non-religious belief traditions and think about the moral issues that confront them in their own lives;

* To provide an understanding of both the contributions that faith and non-religious communities make to British public life and the challenges that they face.

 

Implementation

 

At John Perryn Primary school we follow the Ealing Religious agreed syllabus- 'Religions and Worldviews: Believing, Behaving, Belonging.'  Alongside this, the ethos of the United Nations Rights of the child and the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of each child is core to the teaching and learning of religious education. Units are sequenced so that progression is achieved in the learning of the pupils as they study religious education.

Children learn what the key tenets of a range of faiths are, encouraging them to identify common elements across religions, to be willing to consider a different viewpoint and to reflect on the teachings of religion and understand how religious belief underpins art, literature and thought.

The syllabus promotes pupil’s self-esteem, cultivates understanding and spiritual and moral development. We teach about the main religions of the world equally and do not teach the children to worship any faith in particular.

 

All classes study a wide range of religions and over the course of their time at John Perryn and experience weekly assemblies delivered by either staff or visitors from our community. Children also have the opportunity to visit a range of religious places of worship, covering the spectrum of religions taught.

Collectively, we aim for our children to demonstrate tolerance and acceptance towards all nationalities, races and religions. Our goal is to empower students with the inspiration, skills and knowledge required to become active and positive citizens of today’s society. Cultural diversity within our school community is celebrated. It is our desire as a school community for our children to understand, appreciate and gain from all religious traditions by learning about them in the spirit of openness and humility.

Pupils are encouraged to explore their own beliefs (religious or non-religious) and reflect on what they learn. Building pupils’ sense of identity and belonging helps them to flourish within the school community and as citizens in a diverse society. Pupils develop respect for others with different faiths and beliefs. This also supports the development of our shared British values.

 

RE Overview

 

To find out more about the R.E curriculum, please contact either the school office, speak to your child's class teacher or to the R.E subject coordinator Ms. Irish.

 

RE