Subject Intent

At Fir Tree, Religious Education provides pupils with opportunities to explore and understand the beliefs, practices, values and worldviews of people within our local, national and global communities. We want pupils to develop a thoughtful and informed understanding of religion and worldviews, while learning to engage respectfully with ideas and perspectives that may differ from their own.

Our curriculum is based on a worldviews approach, recognising that people understand and interpret the world in different ways. Religious and non-religious worldviews are explored with equal respect and value, without presenting one worldview as preferable to another. This enables pupils to develop open-mindedness, empathy and the confidence to ask questions and explore ideas thoughtfully.

Christianity is studied throughout every year group, reflecting its significance within the history and culture of Britain. Alongside Christianity, pupils develop their understanding of other religious and non-religious worldviews through carefully selected areas of study. We prioritise depth over breadth, allowing pupils sufficient time to develop meaningful understanding rather than encountering a large number of traditions superficially.

We aim for pupils to develop the knowledge, vocabulary and enquiry skills needed to talk about religion and worldviews with accuracy and sensitivity. Through exploring beliefs, stories, practices, celebrations, places of worship, values and ethical questions, pupils develop their understanding of both shared and differing human experiences.

By the end of Year 6, pupils should have a secure foundation of knowledge about a range of religious and non-religious worldviews, alongside the ability to ask thoughtful questions, consider different perspectives and engage respectfully with the beliefs and experiences of others.

Subject Implementation

RE is taught using Jigsaw RE, alongside the locally agreed syllabus. The curriculum is structured around a worldview approach and provides a progressive journey from the early years through to Year 6.

In EYFS, RE begins with children's experiences of belonging, special places, stories and the world around them. Pupils begin to recognise that people may have different beliefs, traditions and ways of understanding the world.

Across Years 1–6, Christianity is taught in three short terms each year. Each year group also studies an additional worldview, allowing pupils to develop depth of understanding through sustained enquiry.

The curriculum introduces pupils to a range of religious and non-religious worldviews, including:

• Christianity
• Hinduism / Sanatana Dharma
• Islam
• Buddhism
• Sikhism
• Judaism
• Humanism

Learning explores worldviews through a range of dimensions, including beliefs and teachings, stories and texts, celebrations, practices and traditions, places of worship, values and moral questions, and the lived experiences of individuals and communities.

Lessons are enquiry-based and encourage pupils to ask questions, explore evidence, discuss ideas and reflect on their own thinking. Pupils are encouraged to recognise that there may be different perspectives within a religious or non-religious worldview and that individuals may understand and practise their worldview in different ways.

The curriculum makes use of stories, texts, artefacts, images, discussion and other sources to help pupils develop their understanding. Where appropriate, pupils are given opportunities to learn about lived religion and connect their classroom learning with the experiences of people and communities in the wider world.

RE also contributes to pupils' wider personal development by encouraging respect, empathy, reflection and thoughtful engagement with questions about meaning, values, belief and how people should live.

Subject Overview

Across the school, pupils revisit important concepts and vocabulary so that their understanding develops progressively. Christianity provides a consistent thread through the curriculum, while the additional worldviews provide opportunities to make comparisons, identify similarities and differences and broaden pupils' understanding of the diversity of human belief and experience.

Assessment and Measuring Progress

Assessment in RE is ongoing and embedded within teaching. Teachers use questioning, discussion, observation and pupils' written and practical responses to identify what pupils know, understand and can apply.

Assessment considers pupils' developing ability to:

• recall and explain key knowledge about religious and non-religious worldviews;
• use appropriate religious and worldview vocabulary;
• describe and explain beliefs, practices, stories and traditions;
• identify and explain similarities and differences between perspectives;
• ask and respond to thoughtful questions;
• explore and interpret religious and other sources;
• recognise that there can be diversity within a worldview;
• consider ethical and philosophical questions;
• reflect on different perspectives; and
• communicate their ideas respectfully and clearly.

Teachers assess both knowledge and enquiry. Pupils should increasingly move beyond simply recalling information towards explaining ideas, making meaningful comparisons, considering different perspectives and giving reasoned responses to questions.

Assessment is used to identify misconceptions, revisit important knowledge and support pupils in developing increasingly sophisticated understanding. By the end of Year 6, pupils should be able to draw upon a secure knowledge of the worldviews they have studied and engage thoughtfully, respectfully and critically with questions about belief, values, meaning and human experience.

Examples of Learning