Intent: This is what we want for your child.
At Barley Fields, we understand that local and global communities continue to change and become more diverse. We believe that promoting an understanding of worldviews is essential to allow our children to flourish as individuals and to help them navigate their way through a society of differing beliefs and values. We value the religious background of all members of our school community and we encourage individuals to share their own experiences with others freely. All religions and their communities are treated with respect and sensitivity and we value the links, which are, and can be made between home, school, and a faith community.
As a Rights Respecting School, we aim to provide children with a range of real-life experiences to reflect on who they are as a person, what they believe and the choices they have the right to make. With depth of understanding at the heart of our RE curriculum, we hope to nurture a developing tolerance and respect in children in order for them to learn about and from our diverse school family. It is our intention that the children will be provided with mirrors and windows – opportunities to learn about their own spirituality but also to understand that of those around them. We believe that by instilling a profound feeling of pride in their beliefs and opinions and a secure knowledge of other faiths, the children will have a strong sense of community as well as a love for the subject itself.
Through the study of RE, we encourage our children to be curious and ask questions about different cultures and the world. We hope to develop critical thinkers and give children the chance to be theologians, philosophers, sociologists and historians as they are challenged by traditions and beliefs from a range of religious and non-religious viewpoints. It is just as important that our teachers are supported to develop a passion for the subject and we want them to feel empowered to lead discussions and debates with enthusiasm.
We are committed to offering our children an RE curriculum that gives everyone the chance to shine!
Implementation: This is what it will look like in the classroom.
Our approach to teaching RE starts in the Early Years where children are encouraged to find similarities and differences between themselves and others, share stories from a different religions and cultures and take part in theme days linked to religious festivals. This prepares the children for the learning they will access in KS1 and KS2 which will gradually build understanding and explore common themes and ideas in increasing depth. Our children follow a carefully structured spiral curriculum for RE. As children progress, they will know more, do more and remember more. This is to say that they will develop their substantive and personal knowledge alongside developing the disciplinary knowledge they will need to be successful in school and in later life.
Our content is supported by advice, requirements and guidelines presented in the Agreed Stockton-On-Tees Religious Education syllabus and in order to reflect our school context and community, we supplement this with bespoke teaching units. Our curriculum is broad and balanced, exposing children to a range of religious and non-religious ideas, beliefs and practices. Over time, children develop a deepening knowledge and understanding of the following world views:
- Christianity
- Islam
- Judaism
- Hinduism
- Buddhism
- Sikhism
- Non-religious views
These world views are explored through the following strands of learning:
- Belonging
- Festivals
- Sacred texts
- Beliefs and practices
- Places of Worship
- Founders and Leaders
Well-structured enquiry and investigation is at the heart of every strand of learning in RE. Children have opportunities to explore concepts in a variety of ways including:
- handling artefacts
- exploring scared texts
- using imaginative play or drama to express feelings and ideas
- responding to images, games, stories, art, music and dance
- meeting visitors from local religious communities
- making visits to religious places of worship where possible, and where not, making use of videos and the internet
- taking part in whole school events- (multi-faith days, Harvest Festival, school performances)
- participating in moments of quiet reflection
- using IT to further explore religion and belief globally
- comparing religions and world views through discussion
- debating and communicating religious beliefs, world views and philosophical ideas as well as exploring and asking ultimate questions posed by these.
RE is taught weekly to ensure children have opportunities for regular study and have time to embed and enhance their learning. Detailed schemes of learning support teaching, ensure continuity and carefully plan for progression and depth. We employ appropriate pedagogy for effective quality first teaching, including the use of high-quality resources and artefacts. Within the classroom, teachers and pupils work to develop their understanding about religious and non-religious traditions, as well as the reflections that they themselves bring to the table.
We are proud to offer a curriculum informed by the latest research and which undergoes regular reviews and updates to ensure its relevance and effectiveness. Our bespoke curriculum characters are designed to represent the RE curriculum end points in each key stage. These are written in a child-friendly way and are shared regularly with the children to identify and reflect on the key skills, attitudes and knowledge expected in RE.
Impact: This is what it will mean for your child.
The impact of our RE curriculum is that children will have a depth of understanding about a range of world views as well as an enthusiasm to know more as they venture into the wider world. They will have a better understanding of themselves, their beliefs and values, allowing them to accept that of others and create a community of inclusion and tolerance. Children will have found their voice and be able to speak up about issues close to their hearts, making a positive impact in their local and global communities.
Our RE curriculum and our teaching and learning pedagogy leads to children who:
- Have a robust understanding of a select range of world views;
- Understand symbolism within world views;
- Discuss and debate life’s big questions using knowledge of the world views they have studied;
- Use their substantive knowledge about beliefs, practices and rituals to compare and contrast between world views;
- Reflect on their own opinions and be enlightened to viewpoints they may not have considered before.
We are proud that, due to the RE curriculum we offer, all children who leave Barley Fields do so with open minds; they have a genuine curiosity to understand the world around them and are equipped to find out more about others’ views and beliefs. Barley Fields is only the start of their journey!
Parental right to withdrawal:
Whilst in the UK parents still have the right to withdraw their children from RE, this must be on the grounds that you wish to provide your own RE provision. This provision will be the parents’ responsibility. This right of withdrawal exists for all pupils in all types of school, including schools with and without a religious designation. Parents also have the right to withdraw their child from part of RE, and can do so without giving any explanation.
At Barley Fields, we recognise the contribution that RE makes to the SMSC development of the child and the promotion of Fundamental British Values. We ask that any parents considering withdrawal, to contact Mrs Taylor, via the school office, to arrange a discussion.