Religious Education (RE)

Intent

At Lugwardine Primary Academy, we use the Hereford Syllabus to guide our teaching of RE. It is our intent for Religious Education to engage, inspire and encourage pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to answer challenging questions, explore different religious beliefs, values and traditions and develop a more rigorous understanding of the numerous religious traditions, beliefs and practices that are followed in our multi-cultural society. We want them to know how religious education promotes discernment and enables pupils to combat prejudice, preparing them for adult life, employment, and life-long learning. 

RE provokes children to think about and question the purpose of life. They learn to weigh up the value of wisdom from different sources. Pupils should develop their knowledge and understanding of religions and world views, recognising their local, national and global contexts. They should use basic subject specific vocabulary. They should raise questions and begin to express their own views in response to the material they learn about and in response to questions about their ideas.  

Implementation 

Religious Education is taught using the Herefordshire Agreed Syllabus. At Lugwardine Primary Academy:  

• religious education contributes dynamically to children and young people’s education in schools by provoking challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human.  

• pupils learn about religions and beliefs in local, national, and global contexts, to discover, explore and consider different answers to these questions.  

• pupils learn to weigh up the value of wisdom from different sources, to develop and express their insights in response and to agree or disagree respectfully. Teaching therefore should equip pupils with systematic knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and beliefs, enabling them to develop their ideas, values, and identities.  

• RE should develop in pupils an aptitude for dialogue so that they can participate positively in our society, with its diverse religions and beliefs.  

• pupils should gain and deploy the skills needed to understand, interpret, and evaluate texts, sources of wisdom and authority and other evidence. They should learn to articulate clearly and coherently their personal beliefs, ideas, values, and experiences while respecting the right of others to differ.

The principal aim of religious education is to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that pupils can gain the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and belief, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living. 

Religious Education is a statutory subject of the curriculum for all pupils in each year group. Parents have the right to request that their child be excused from all or part of the religious education provided.  

The syllabus reflects the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main, Christian, while taking into account the teaching and practices of the other principle religions represented in Great Britain.  

We comply with the legal requirements for the teaching of Religious Education by following the Herefordshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education 2020-25 and Understanding Christianity – Text, Impact, Connections. Parents can access our scheme of work which is based on this document.  

Religious Education is taught on a weekly basis in each year group. Lessons are planned and delivered in a variety of ways so that all children can participate fully. Interactive, practical activities linked to the themes in the syllabus and other subjects where appropriate, encourage our pupils to discuss their ideas and extend their understanding of difficult concepts and challenging questions.  

Impact

Religious Education at Lugwardine Primary Academy develops pupils': 

• knowledge and understanding of, and their ability to respond to, Christianity, other principal world religions, other religious traditions, and world views;  

• understanding and respect for different religions, beliefs, values, and traditions (including ethical life choices), through exploring issues within and between faiths;  

• understanding of the influence of faith and belief on individuals, societies, communities, and cultures;  

• skills of enquiry and response through the use of religious vocabulary, questioning and empathy;  

• skills of reflection, expression, application, analysis and evaluation of beliefs, values and practices, and the communication of personal responses to these.

Golden Threads 

Pupils make sense of a range of religious and non-religious beliefs, so that they can:  

• identify, describe, explain, and analyse beliefs and concepts in the context of living religions, using appropriate vocabulary  

• explain how and why these beliefs are understood in different ways, by individuals and within communities  

• recognise how and why sources of authority (e.g. texts, teachings, traditions, leaders) are used, expressed, and interpreted in different ways, developing skills of interpretation  

Pupils understand the impact and significance of religious and non-religious beliefs, so that they can:  

• examine and explain how and why people express their beliefs in diverse ways  

• recognise and account for ways in which people put their beliefs into action in diverse ways, in their everyday lives, within their communities and in the wider world  

• appreciate and appraise the significance of different ways of life and ways of expressing meaning  

Pupils make connections between religious and non-religious beliefs, concepts, practices, and ideas studied, so that they can: 

• evaluate, reflect on, and enquire into key concepts and questions studied, responding thoughtfully and creatively, giving good reasons for their responses  

• challenge the ideas studied, and allow the ideas studied to challenge their own thinking, articulating beliefs, values, and commitments clearly in response  

• discern possible connections between the ideas studied and their own ways of understanding the world, expressing their critical responses and personal reflections with increasing clarity and understanding