Religious Education (RE)

At Murdishaw West, we want our children to embrace religious education with wonder, curiosity, respect and an open mind.  We want our children to enjoy their RE lessons and embrace the opportunities to find out about the world and its people. RE enables children to learn from other cultures, respect diversity, cooperate with one another and appreciate what they have.  We want to prepare children for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. A key to the importance of RE is the focus it provides for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  We follow the Lancashire Agreed Syllabus for RE which makes a clear and intended connection between RE and pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

 

Intent

At Murdishaw West, we follow the Lancashire syllabus, approved in line with the national curriculum, by the Agreed Syllabus Conference, SACRE and the Lancashire Authority. It outlines statutory requirements and also the programmes of study for each key stage.

At the heart of our syllabus, is the quest to understand what it is to be human. Each topic is started with a philosophical question. By learning about and from religion we can become more open minded, respectful and achieve greater self-awareness. The skills and attitudes developed though RE can thus make a significant contribution to promoting British Values and developing community cohesion. 

At Murdishaw West, Religious Education will be delivered in school to meet the agreed syllabus aims by including knowledge and reference to religious and non-religious beliefs and worldviews, practices and ways of life. We intend that children will develop knowledge and understanding of all members that make up our increasingly diverse community. They will develop understanding of concepts and mastery of skills to make sense of religion and belief, at an appropriate level of challenge for their age. We hope for our children to have positive attitudes and values and to reflect and relate their learning in RE to their own experience. At Murdishaw West, we intend for children to have the opportunity to learn that there are those who do not hold religious beliefs and have their own philosophical perspectives.

 

Implementation

Teachers deliver RE in weekly blocks; one block per half term. Throughout EYFS to Year 6 there is broad coverage of the six main religions observed throughout the UK. The units will be covered over a three-year cycle in years 3, 4 and 5 to ensure children have access to the whole curriculum. Since extending our early years provision to include nursery from age two, we have worked closely with EYFS and senior leaders to ensure a coherent progression of knowledge and skills that deliberately builds from age 2 through each subsequent year group. Curriculum planning maps age‑appropriate milestones from the nursery into Reception and onward, so learning experiences in the early years intentionally prepare children for the next steps in RE. Teachers and TAs use consistent assessment approaches and adjust classroom practice to address gaps quickly as they progress through school.

This syllabus is open and objective, it does not seek to urge religious beliefs on young people, nor compromise the integrity of their own religious position by promoting one tradition over another. We endeavour to promote a positive attitude toward people, respecting their right to hold different beliefs from their own. At Murdishaw West we promote the values and attitudes necessary for citizenship in a multi-faith and multi-racial society through developing understanding of, respect for, and dialogue with people of different beliefs, practices, races and cultures. Teachers recognise similarities and differences in commitment, self-understanding and the search for truth. Respecting and valuing these for the common good.

We begin teaching a unit of RE based around a focus question. This is then investigated through focus sessions following a specific order. The field enquiry needs to be carried out in the following order; Shared Human Experience, Beliefs and Values, Living Religious Traditions and Search for Personal Meaning.

At Murdishaw West, we take a whole school approach to celebrate all festivals through different activities and assemblies.

 

Impact

We believe that the impact of using our LANCS SACRE lessons 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. Children in Murdishaw West 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.

 

Our lessons 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.

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