We believe that Religious education (RE) makes a significant contribution to our children’s academic and personal development. It plays a key role in promoting social cohesion and the virtues of respect and empathy, which are important in our diverse society. If people have a better understanding of other faiths, they're less likely to be dismissive of issues that don't concern them directly. Better still, it promotes integration and a stronger sense of community. This is particularly true for Queen’s Park Primary School which celebrates having families from different backgrounds, traditions and religious beliefs from across the world.
We use the Westminster Agreed SACRE Syllabus which is the legal document to be followed for the teaching of religious education in Westminster schools from January 2007. The emphasis is on the process of learning and teaching based on conceptual enquiry and the importance of pupils and students developing their own beliefs and values. It can be read in two complementary ways.
Living Difference identifies that people following different beliefs actually live them out; we encounter different interpretations of the world and this has practical effects. We have to understand how and why people live differently from each other and respect their right to do so.
Living Difference identifies that respecting difference requires us to engage with difference confidently. We need to identify how and why we have different beliefs, attitudes and practices from other people. By doing this, we can gain respect from others.
The programme of study is structured into four main areas for each key stage:
Enquiry and Skills
Enquiry and skills is concerned with the ability of the student to engage with the following elements:
A Methodology for Teaching and Learning
Students can be guided to enter into the process at key points. There are two obvious starting points – students’ own responses or the enquiry into concepts central to religious and non-religious worldviews. Students are, however, required to complete all the elements of the sequence in order to make sense of the concept in focus and its implication for themselves and others.
Knowledge and Understanding
Knowledge and understanding is concerned with the particular types of concepts pertinent to religious education.
Types of Concepts
Whilst these concepts are not exhaustive it is important that students are introduced to a range of each type of concept in the course of their development through Key Stages 1 to 4
Breath of Study
At Key Stage 1 pupils are required to study Christianity and at least one other religion.
At Key Stage 2 pupils are required to study Christianity and at least two other religions.
Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | Term 5 | Term 6 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year 1 | Jesus – special people (Specialness) | Jesus – special people (Specialness) | Jesus as a storyteller (Learning from stories) | Jesus as a storyteller (Learning from stories) | Belonging in Judaism (Belonging) | Belonging in Judaism (Belonging) |
Year 2 | Ideas about God (God) | Ideas about God (God) | Baisakhi (Remembering) | Baisakhi (Remembering) | Water (Precious) | Water (Precious) |
Years 3 and 4 | Palm Sunday (Welcoming) | Palm Sunday (Welcoming) | Easter – The Key Events (Suffering) | Easter – The Key Events (Suffering) | Water (Rituals) | Water (Rituals) |
Year 5 | God Talk (Interpretation) | God Talk (Interpretation) | Easter The Empty Cross (Symbol) | Easter The Empty Cross (Symbol) | Muhammed and the Qur’an (submission) | Muhammed and the Qur’an (submission) |
Year 6 | Christmas (Interpretation) | Christmas (Interpretation) | Places of worship (sacred places) | Places of worship (sacred places) | Journeys (pilgrimage) | Journeys (pilgrimage) |
Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | Term 5 | Term 6 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year 1 | Jesus – special people (Specialness) | Jesus – special people (Specialness) | Jesus as a storyteller (Learning from stories) | Jesus as a storyteller (Learning from stories) | Belonging in Judaism (Belonging) | Belonging in Judaism (Belonging) |
Year 2 | Ideas about God (God) | Ideas about God (God) | Baisakhi (Remembering) | Baisakhi (Remembering) | Water (Precious) | Water (Precious) |
Years 3 and 4 | Creation and environment (creation) | Creation and environment (creation) | Mahashiviatri (Devotion) | Mahashiviatri (Devotion) | Christian and Muslim worship (worship) | Christian and Muslim worship (worship) |
Year 5 | God Talk (Interpretation) | God Talk (Interpretation) | Easter The Empty Cross (Symbol) | Easter The Empty Cross (Symbol) | Muhammed and the Qur’an (submission) | Muhammed and the Qur’an (submission) |
Year 6 | Christmas (Interpretation) | Christmas (Interpretation) | Places of worship (sacred places) | Places of worship (sacred places) | Journeys (pilgrimage) | Journeys (pilgrimage |