Religious Education

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms."

1 Peter 4:10

Religious Education at Corfe Castle CE Primary School

Our Vision and Aims

Through the core values at Corfe Castle CE Primary School, we develop the social, moral and spiritual development of all pupils so they can live life in all its fullness.
Religious Education plays an important part in reflecting and conveying the distinctively Christian character of the school.  Through the RE curriculum we aim to nurture and inspire our children so they can achieve.  They are supported to make reasoned and informed responses to life issues and moral choices.  The children study the major world religions of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism, aiming to develop their knowledge and skills to be able to connect, reflect, evaluate and apply their learning to their own growing understanding of the different religions and beliefs, with a particular focus on Christianity.  At Corfe Castle CE Primary School, the children experience awe and wonder, joy and mystery through our curriculum and we aim to extend their natural curiosity.

Curriculum

At Corfe Castle CE Primary School, we want our children to show awareness and understanding of the world around them. Our RE curriculum is built upon our school vision influenced by 1 Peter 4:10 ‘ ‘Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms’. Children are asked a big question each half term that encourages critical thinking skills, open-mindedness and prepares them to make their own decisions in the future about what religion means to them. Our curriculum is shaped around Understanding Christianity and the Emmanuel Project schemes of work. The curriculum ensures the children develop a deep knowledge and understanding of a variety of worldviews while appreciating the similarities and differences these have and showing understanding of the views of others. 

Intent of RE Curriculum

Our RE curriculum is designed to meet the content requirements of the locally agreed syllabus for Dorset (2016). Drawing ideas from both Understanding Christianity and the Emmanuel Project ensures that there is depth and breadth to the coverage. 

Implementation of RE Curriculum

Our RE lessons are based on a big question each half term, we make connections and collect clues to help us to answer the big question. Our work is concept driven and we often focus on key words to develop religious literacy and equip us with the skills we need to discuss religion. We use individual work books to record our work as well as class portfolios where we display creative samples of RE activities such debating, drama and group work. Most Religious Education is taught discretely once a week and, where appropriate, Journey Days build on prior learning and give further opportunities to make connections and think about the world around us.

We currently learn about Christianity, Judaism and Islam in Key Stage One and Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam and Buddhism in Key Stage Two.  We are also introduced to Humanism as a non-religious world view with sessions in Year 6. We may also consider different religions alongside global learning and interfaith projects. RE lessons often include circle time, critical thinking and opportunities to unpack concepts through drama, art and music. Our RE helps us to learn about diversity in the UK and around the world.

Impact of RE Curriculum

Through our sessions, children should be able to access their key words to help them to discuss, recall knowledge and understand religion in society. Specific skills for Religious Education will have been developed including;

EYFS/KS1

• retelling religious stories
• recognising symbols
• sharing my opinions
• asking questions
• responding positively to differences and similarities 

KS2

• making connections between words of wisdom
• can reflect on their own values and those of a believer
• can understand different ways of life and ways to express meaning
• can ask and have the skills to answer, ultimate and ethical questions from their viewpoint and that of a believer
• discuss issues and support the development of community cohesion whilst challenging prejudice 

Our ongoing skills development include Critical Thinking, Religious Tolerance, Investigation, Interpretation, Reflection, Evaluation, Analysis, Synthesis, Application, Expression, Self-Understanding, Communication, Problem Solving.