RE
Curriculum Statement
At Rainford C.E., we aim to ensure our pupils are to be well prepared for life in our increasingly diverse society. We intend to enable pupils to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to make sense of the complex world in which they live so that they can 'respect religious and cultural differences and contribute to a cohesive and compassionate society' (RE Review 2013). Our Religious Education curriculum provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, the self and the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong, and what it means to be human. Pupils learn to weigh up the value of wisdom from different sources, to develop and express insights in response, and to agree or disagree respectfully. Our curriculum encourages pupils to articulate clearly and coherently their personal beliefs, ideas, values and experiences so that they can hold balanced and well informed conversations about religions and worldviews whilst respecting the views of others.
Intent
Know about and understand a range of religions and worldviews, so that they can: describe, explain and analyse beliefs and practices, recognising the diversity which exists within and between communities and amongst individuals;
identify, investigate and respond to questions posed, and responses offered by some of the sources of wisdom found in religions and worldviews
appreciate and evaluate the nature, significance and impact of different ways of life and ways of expressing meaning.
Express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religions and worldviews, so that they can: explain reasonably their ideas about how beliefs, practices and forms of expression influence individuals and communities
Express with increasing discernment their personal reflections and critical responses to questions and teachings about identity, diversity, meaning and value, including ethical issues
appreciate and appraise varied dimensions of religion or a worldview.
Gain and deploy the skills needed to engage seriously with religions and worldviews, so that they can: find out about and investigate key concepts and questions of belonging, meaning, purpose and truth, responding creatively
enquire into what enables different individuals and communities to live together respectfully for the wellbeing of all; and
articulate beliefs, values and commitments clearly in order to explain why they may be important in their own and other people’s lives.
Implementation
The curriculum content is sequenced to build learning over time- the content is planned and sequenced so that knowledge and skills build on prior learning and towards clearly defined end points; curriculum content supports subsequent learning: within lessons, lesson sequences, topics, years and phases curriculum; planning identifies small enough component steps; and known gaps in knowledge and skills are addressed in the sequencing of lesson content.
Our RE curriculum is progressive in sequence so that children have continuity of units taught as they move across year groups. Every child’s RE book shows progression and progress throughout each unit so that pupils have the opportunity to look at their prior learning to place learning into the bigger picture.
We use the Lancashire Agreed Syllabus.
Parents/carers have the right to withdraw their children from all or part of the Religious Education in accordance with Schedule 19 to the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. However, we hope that all parents will feel comfortable with the type of religious education being taught in our school.
In the first instance, parents who may wish to exercise this right should make an appointment with the Headteacher who will explore any concerns and discuss any impact that withdrawal may have on the child.