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PSHE	RE	Science

Intent

Lethbridge is a multi-faith school. Our pupils come from a wide variety of religious and non-religious backgrounds, and we value and celebrate every one of them.

We want our RE curriculum to enable every child to explore the big questions about life, to find out what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live their lives. Pupils learn about the main world religions, and learn from the beliefs of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Humanists.

We encourage our children to make sense of the world around them and to reflect on their own beliefs and the way they live their lives. Through RE, our aim is that every child develops an understanding of, and respect for, other people’s beliefs and values, so that they are ready to take a positive part in our diverse local community, modern Britain and the wider world.

We follow the locally agreed syllabus, the Swindon Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education 2022–2027, agreed by Swindon’s Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE). Its principal aim is to engage pupils in systematic enquiry into significant human questions which religion and worldviews address, so that they can develop the understanding and skills needed to appreciate and appraise varied responses to these questions, as well as develop responses of their own. A people centred curriculum which shows that worldviews are lived, diverse and changing.

We look at religion and worldviews through the Three Disciplinary lenses.

Theology – What do texts, beliefs and tradition mean?

Philosophy – What reasons and arguments can we examine?

Philosophy – How do people live and express worldviews?

Our RE curriculum reflects our motto, Firm Foundations, Bright Futures. Pupils build firm foundations of knowledge about religious and non-religious worldviews, and the skills to talk about them thoughtfully, ready for the bright futures they will share with people of every background.

What pupils learn

In line with the syllabus, pupils learn to:

• know about and understand a range of religious and non-religious worldviews
  
  
• express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of those worldviews
  
  
• gain and use the skills needed to engage seriously with religious and non-religious worldviews.

During each key stage, pupils are taught knowledge, skills and understanding through learning about Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jewish people and Humanists. This focused, questioning approach gives pupils the chance to gain detailed knowledge of different faiths and beliefs, and to understand their traditions and practices.

Phase	Religions and worldviews studied	Example key questions
Reception	Christians and people of other faiths, as part of children’s growing sense of themselves and their community	Which stories are special and why? Which people, places and times are special and why? Where do we belong? What is special about our world?
Key stage 1	Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jewish people and Humanists	Who is a Christian and what do they believe? What can we learn from sacred books? What makes some places sacred and special? How should we care for others and the world, and why does it matter?
Lower key stage 2	Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jewish people and Humanists	What do different people believe about God? Why is Jesus inspiring to some people? Why are festivals important to religious communities? What does it mean to be a Hindu in Britain today?
Upper key stage 2	Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jewish people and Humanists	Why do some people believe God exists? What does it mean to be a Muslim in Britain today? What matters most to Christians and Humanists? What can be done to reduce racism? Can religion help?

Learning in every key stage is organised around three strands, Believing, Expressing and Living, so that pupils build up a connected understanding of what people believe, how they express their beliefs and how their beliefs shape the way they live.

Bringing RE to life

• Faith days. Exciting, explorative and informative days for different faiths and celebrations deepen pupils’ understanding. These days take a fun, practical approach, including music, art and dance.
  
  
• The spiritual arts. We are committed to the spiritual arts, giving pupils opportunities to express their ideas about belief, meaning and what matters to them through art, music, poetry and dance.
  
  
• Our local community. We are pleased to have the support of local Christian churches, who welcome pupils on visits and come into school to help with assemblies and faith days.

How we teach RE

• Key questions and enquiry. Each unit is built around a big question. Pupils investigate it through a sequence of lessons, then use what they have learned to give a reasoned answer of their own.
  
  
• Encounters with living faith. Our teaching focuses on people, such as Christians and Muslims, rather than on abstract systems of belief. Pupils learn that there is great diversity within and between religions, and that people’s personal worldviews are not all the same.
  
  
• Three kinds of knowledge. Pupils build substantive knowledge of beliefs, teachings and practices; learn ways of knowing, such as how to read sacred texts and use different sources; and develop personal knowledge by reflecting on their own views and assumptions.
  
  
• Sources and texts. Pupils explore sacred texts, stories, artefacts, art, music and the voices of believers, and learn to interpret them carefully.
  
  
• Vocabulary. Key words and concepts are taught explicitly and revisited, so that pupils can talk about religion and belief accurately and respectfully.
  
  
• Revisiting and remembering. Teachers plan regular opportunities for pupils to recall and build on earlier learning, so that knowledge is secure and connected.
  
  
• Discussion and respectful disagreement. Pupils learn to listen carefully, ask thoughtful questions, give reasons for their views and disagree respectfully, which builds their oracy.
  
  
• Clear and identifiable time. RE is taught as a distinct subject, separate from collective worship, with enough time for pupils to meet the expectations of the syllabus. RE days and themed weeks can complement regular lessons.

Personal development, British values and cultural capital

RE makes a major contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

• Spiritual: pupils reflect on big questions about meaning, purpose and what it means to be human.
  
  
• Moral: pupils explore questions of right and wrong, fairness and justice, and how beliefs guide the choices people make.
  
  
• Social: pupils learn how different communities live together for the wellbeing of all, and how to work with people whose views differ from their own.
  
  
• Cultural: pupils gain rich knowledge of the religions and worldviews that shape art, music, literature, food and festivals in modern Britain and around the world.

RE promotes fundamental British values, especially mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. It also builds cultural capital, giving every pupil, whatever their background, the knowledge and confidence to take part fully in the cultural life of modern, diverse Britain.

Inclusion

RE is an entitlement for every pupil, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.

• Teachers adapt how RE is taught, not what is taught, using artefacts, images, stories, drama and pre-taught vocabulary.
  
  
• The syllabus’s emerging, expected and exceeding outcomes help teachers meet the needs of all pupils, and its guidance for pupils with SEND supports careful adaptation.
  
  
• Pupils’ own beliefs and backgrounds, religious and non-religious, are valued, so that every child feels that they belong.
  
  
• Parents have the legal right to withdraw their child from all or part of RE. We are always happy to talk with parents about the aims and content of our RE curriculum.

Assessment and impact

We measure impact by what pupils know, understand and can do in RE.

• During lessons: teachers question, listen to discussion and check understanding, and adjust teaching straight away.
  
  
• End of unit: pupils’ answers to each key question are assessed against the syllabus outcomes for that unit, described as emerging, expected or exceeding.
  
  
• End of key stage: teachers judge how well pupils meet the syllabus’s end of key stage outcomes at ages 7 and 11.
  
  
• Subject leadership: the RE lead looks at pupils’ work, talks with pupils, visits lessons and uses what they find to refine the curriculum and support staff.

By the end of Year 6, pupils will have secure knowledge of Christianity and of other principal religions and non-religious worldviews. They will be able to explain what people believe and how this affects their lives, make connections between different beliefs, and express their own views thoughtfully and respectfully. They will leave us ready to live well alongside people of all faiths and none.