Religion and World Views
As with PSHE RE underpins our curriculum. We follow the Cumbria Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education which ensures that skills are taught progressively.
As children in Burgh by Sands have limited exposure to a range of different Religions we intend for them to explore these through the teaching of RE and arranging visits to external places such as places of worship for a range of Religions. We also have good links with our local Church and Vicar and use these to celebrate the main Christian festivals of Harvest, Christmas and Easter.
As we structure our curriculum on a rolling 2 year programme as we teach mixed age classes the syllabus is taught one year at a time e.g. year 3/4 class will be taught year 3 objectives one year and it will then be changed to year 4 objective the following year which ensures full coverage of the curriculum.
Intent
Our RE lessons are intended to offer a broad and rich RE curriculum to allow for coverage of the areas prescribed; to allow for a variety of ways to explore religions, their community and personal development and wellbeing. The lessons have an intention of providing a high quality, coherent and progressive experience of the subject, with scope for cross-curricular learning. Through each unit, children will know about and understand a range of religions and world views. They will be able to identify, investigate and respond to a variety of issues. SMSC, personal growth and community cohesion are featured throughout each non-statutory strand and are there to ensure opportunities for children to develop positive attitudes and values and to reflect on and relate their learning in RE to their own experiences. The intent is to make sure that children understand the relevance of RE in today’s modern world and how it affects our lives.
Implementation
We have referred to specific RE lessons in Cumbria SACRE units and RE Online to offer a broad range of study for children studying RE. These resources support a specific series of learning requirements for each year group, which will offer structure and a development of skills that can be found within our long term plan. In KS1, children begin to look at other religions, focusing on celebrations and rituals. In KS2, we offer a wider range of learning opportunities about the world’s religions including deeper understanding of the origin of those religions and their key stories and teachings. Throughout both key stages, emphasis on personal growth and community cohesion is evident, allowing for personal development for the children from KS1 to the end of KS2. The Cumbria Agreed Syllabus demonstrates where challenge and differentiation will show development of skills. As well as unit overviews, end of unit progression statements are available to support teachers in making sure children have reached the intended outcomes.
Impact
We believe that the impact of using the Cumbria Agreed Syllabus as the basis of our RE curriculum will be for children to have a better understanding of the religions that make up the UK landscape and how they can learn from and work alongside each other to create community cohesion. All children will be more informed about their position in the world, and the decisions they can make impacting their future. All children in school will be able to talk confidently about their wellbeing, moral and cultural development for the society in which they live. The RE curriculum will promote inquisitive minds, respect, tolerance and understanding for all those around them including themselves. The resources available enable high quality work to be produced and evidenced, showcasing a deep understanding of the main religions of the world, their community and their future. This evidence will be seen through using the correct vocabulary, explanations and respectful opinions, as well as cross-curricular evidence, for example religious and cultural art work, drama, craft and presentations. Impact will be seen by all teachers and children enjoying the experience of teaching and learning RE and understanding how it can help them in their future.
Cumbria Agreed Syllabus for RE