Religious Education

As a Church of England school, RE is a core subject within our curriculum and feeds directly into our school ethos and values. The RE curriculum at Netherton CE Primary is built from the Locally Agreed Syllabus for Dudley. As part of the syllabus, the children study a range of key world religions with a particular focus on Christianity and Islam. We make use of ‘Understanding Christianity’ to build on the Locally Agreed Syllabus and ensure a depth of understanding of religious concepts and ambitious religious vocabulary. ‘Understanding Christianity’ spirals through the school with 3 key concepts being studied first in EYFS and then revisited as the children move through KS1, Lower KS2 and Upper KS2 with additional key concepts being added as the children grow. Our syllabus prepares the children thoroughly for secondary education but also helps to equip the children in their own lives by not just learning about religion but by learning from religion. Children also make visits to St. Andrew's church and to other significant places of worship in the local area. We are really proud of our RE curriculum which offers both breadth and depth of study for all children and supports children in developing an enquiring mind and in considering their own relationship with religion.  

Open the Book 

As part of our Collective Worship at Netherton CE Primary, we are happy to be able to welcome our Open the Book Team into school multiple times each school term. The team consists of members of St. Andrew’s and St. Peter’s churches who generously give their time to contribute to our Collective Worship. They do so by dramatizing Bible stories and sharing an age-appropriate explanation that encourages children to consider how to live their lives according to Christian values that are at the core of our school life. The team help to support the spiritual development of children at Netherton CE Primary whilst also bringing lots of fun and excitement to a Wednesday morning! There are no shortages of smiles or laughter when our team ‘open the book’ and begin to share a story with us.  

Religious Education Curriculum Statement

Intent

As a Church of England school, we want all learners to be actively engaged in learning about both the Christian faith and other faiths whilst developing personally, socially and emotionally.

Our vision is for children to believe, ’I can do it.’  We aim for all learners to be both knowledgeable in the subject academically and also able to develop their own belief system in a broader sense.

Our vision is for all children to believe, ‘I can grow.’ The curriculum provides opportunity for both the academic study of religion, for reflection, and development both as individuals and as an understanding, accepting and loving community.

Our vision is for all children to believe ‘I am accepted’ and ‘I am loved’. All children are expected to have a secure understanding of the key concepts underpinning different faiths and, in the context of Christianity, be able to see the Bible as a ‘big story’ within which the children develop a greater sense of chronology.

Implementation

Schemes of work are written in line with the Locally Agreed Syllabus for Dudley and developed alongside ‘Understanding Christianity’ to support the teaching of Christianity.  Schemes of work ‘spiral’ through the Key Stages and offer repeated opportunities to return to the same key concepts in more breadth and depth as children move through school. The curriculum gradually expands through the Key Stages to ensure children become fluent in their understanding of different faiths and beliefs.

RE is taught weekly throughout the year to ensure depth and breadth, appropriate to the year group. Each year group undertakes 6 units of work per year and the allocated time covers the legal expectation on hours spent on the subject in both Key Stages. Where appropriate, units are planned to coincide with religious festivals. Progression across school is clear and challenge is evident by implementing a spiral curriculum. This is supported in key units, where a concept is taught across all year groups at different depths, with a progression document detailing the expectations for each year group and how these build on the previous year group. Learners are also required to begin to piece together the historical and geographical relationship Christianity has with both Judaism and Islam, which are the other two faiths taught in more depth. Other faiths are ‘dipped into’ across the year groups, to develop a familiarity with other belief systems. Through the incremental structure of the planning, within and across year groups, learners are actively encouraged to grapple with key questions and continuously make connections. Vocabulary is key to learning in RE. Appropriate and progressive technical vocabulary is taught and revisited alongside these key concepts.

The teaching of RE is monitored by the RE subject leaders and also by the Church School Team. This overview allows for rigorous monitoring through lesson observations, work scrutiny, staff feedback and pupil voice, by both the subject leaders and other senior staff within the school, and helps to ensure quality first teaching of the subject.

Appropriate links and opportunities can also be identified with the Collective Worship programme which seeks to actively support RE within school.

Trips and visits are promoted to provide children with opportunities to engage more actively with a concept. Resources are also well-stocked.

Impact

By the end of Year 6, children will have a clear understanding of key concepts within Christianity, Judaism and Islam. All children will be equipped with the appropriate language and skills to grapple with complex questions and respond both academically and with their own reasoned opinions. As children progress through school, they develop knowledge and understanding that is both broad and deep. Work produced in RE books shows progression and high levels of challenge across the school with children showing correct use of vocabulary, fluently across various units of work. Children are enthusiastic about the subject and are eager to learn more and engage with difficult and thought-provoking questions. When children leave the school, they are well-equipped to grapple with the RE curriculum for Key Stage 3 and continue to grow as reflective individuals.