RE
Religious Education
Intent
RE is taught every term at Willowcroft Community School. This may be taught as a separate discrete weekly lesson or form the basis of the topic through a dilemma based curriculum. By linking learning to a range of topics, children have opportunities to enquire, ask questions and investigate. The enquiry approach makes RE exciting and engaging for both teachers and children alike. The key question for the enquiry demands an answer that weighs up ‘evidence’ and reaches a conclusion based on this. This requires children to use their subject knowledge and apply it to the enquiry question, rather than this knowledge being an end in itself. Discovery RE is the scheme of work we follow. It focuses on critical thinking skills, on personal reflection into the child’s own thoughts and feelings, on growing subject knowledge and nurturing spiritual development. Children will learn how to share their thoughts and feelings and learn to respect those of others. Through a carefully planned progression of skills children will be taught how to reflect on their feelings and thoughts and evaluate what they have learnt. Finally, children will be able to communicate their understanding and thoughts about RE effectively and coherently.
LEAP Curriculum - Implementation
Language
| Language is at the heart of RE. Speaking and listening and discussion and debate are crucial skills to develop. Throughout their time at Willowcroft School, in RE children will explore the 6 principal religions plus other belief systems, feelings, relationships and we encourage and develop questioning and interpretation of texts and artefacts. We ask children to engage in: group discussion to generate ideas, talk through their thinking processes, discuss different interpretations of a source, justify statements made, pair problem-solving, reciprocal teaching, evaluating their own learning. Throughout the years at Willowcroft children will be taught religious terminology which will be used and build on year on year. | ||||||||
Experiences
| The children will have a range of experiences linked to RE. These will include looking at a range of artefacts, visitors coming to school to talk about an event they celebrate or to share their experiences and family traditions. We will give children the opportunity to, taste food and take part in activities that other faiths may celebrate. Where possible children will have opportunities to visit different places of worship linked to the topics studied. By following an enquiry based approach to RE we will make RE a learning experience to look forward to, provide a safe enquiry space, encourage children to ask big questions, enhance critical thinking and evaluation skills and support spiritual development, equipping them for a world of diversity. | ||||||||
Amethyst
| RE teaches us the importance to respect and value other people’s beliefs and values even if they are different to our own. This links in to our Amethyst learning as we are constantly teaching and encouraging children to show Resilience, Resourcefulness, Reflectiveness and Reciprocity. This is how children can earn Amethysts in the 4 different skills:
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Power to change the world
Through Discovery RE children will learn how different religions and beliefs have impacted the world.
By following the Discovery RE Scheme of work this will ensure that pupils are given the opportunity to:
Supports the delivery of statutory RE requirements
Enhances RE outcomes and Christian ethos for SIAMS
Maps SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural) development opportunities
Maps the Strands of the British Values agenda
Increases teacher confidence
Enhances children’s learning and spiritual development
Encourages the celebration of diversity
Impact
Impact will be measured through the use of simple quizzes at the end of topics, pupil and parent voice and also through teacher observations of the transference of knowledge into other curriculum areas, an example of this could be a persuasive piece of writing or a piece of artwork which expresses feelings and emotions.