As a Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Religious Education lies at the heart of our curriculum. We believe that high standards of care, compassion and love are essential to high-quality teaching and learning across all subject areas. Our school’s Christian vision of ‘life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10) underpins every aspect of school life and is deeply embedded in our approach to Religious Education. Our curriculum provides many opportunities to realise the four key areas of our vision:
- Wisdom, Knowledge and Skills
- Hope and Aspiration
- Community and Living Well Together
- Dignity and Respect
Our vision is expressed through four values: wisdom, hope, community and dignity.
What is R.E.?
RE is a core academic subject that enables our children to develop a deep knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews, recognising their significance in local, national and global contexts. It encourages curiosity and critical thinking, providing opportunities for pupils to explore and reflect on the beliefs, values and traditions of others, while also beginning to articulate and evaluate their own responses to key questions and ideas.
Aims and Objectives of R.E.
- To know about and understand Christianity as a diverse global living faith through the exploration of core beliefs using an approach that critically engages with biblical text.
- To gain knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews appreciating diversity, continuity and change within the religions and worldviews being studied.
- To engage with challenging questions of meaning and purpose raised by human existence and experience.
- To recognise the concept of religion and its continuing influence on Britain’s cultural heritage and in the lives of individuals and societies in different times, cultures and places.
- To explore their own religious, spiritual and philosophical ways living, believing and thinking.
(Taken from the Religious Education in Church of England Schools – A Statement of Entitlement, the Aims and Objectives of Religious Education in Church schools)
Curriculum
Our school follows the London Diocesan Board for Schools (LDBS) syllabus for Religious Education, which provides a rich and balanced curriculum covering the six principal world religions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism. While pupils gain knowledge of a variety of worldviews, the curriculum places a particular emphasis on Christianity, in line with our school’s foundation. Our R.E. curriculum is carefully sequenced, with units designed to build progressively on prior learning, enabling pupils to develop secure subject knowledge and key skills over time. Children are taught essential vocabulary to help them become religiously literate and confident in discussing religious and philosophical concepts. R.E. is taught for a minimum of one hour each week as a distinct subject, separate from the daily act of collective worship.
We provide our children with a rich and varied Religious Education curriculum that engages them intellectually, spiritually and creatively. A wide range of teaching methods is used to ensure learning is meaningful and accessible to all pupils. These include:
- Thoughtful questioning and opportunities for personal reflection
- Investigative work using religious artefacts, books, and digital resources
- Creative responses through art, drama, and other expressive media
- Written work to record, consolidate, and extend learning
- The use of carefully selected video materials to enhance understanding
- Visits and virtual visits to places of worship to provide real-world context
- Interviews and discussions with people of different faith backgrounds
- Drawing on pupils’ own experiences and perspectives as valuable learning resources
Enquiry Based Approach
Our R.E. curriculum engages and challenges pupils through an exploration of core concepts and key questions. Each unit is structured around a central ‘Big Question’ that frames the learning (e.g. What is it like to live as a Jewish person?), which is then explored through carefully sequenced subsidiary questions in each lesson (e.g. What is the Torah and how is it used in the Jewish faith?).
This enquiry-based approach encourages our pupils to:
- Think critically and independently
- Engage analytically with religious and philosophical texts
- Ask deep, meaningful questions
- Make connections across religions and worldviews
- Reflect on and articulate their own religious, spiritual and philosophical beliefs
- Make informed choices and decisions about religion and belief, grounded in secure knowledge and understanding of belief systems, values and practices
We provide pupils with a balanced and rigorous Religious Education curriculum that explores religions and worldviews through the three key disciplinary lenses of theology, philosophy, and the human and social sciences. These are presented to pupils in an accessible way as: Believing, Thinking and Living.
- Theology – believing: Looking at where beliefs come from, how they have changed over time, how they are applied differently in different contexts and how they relate to each other.
- Philosophy – thinking: Finding out how and whether things make sense, dealing with questions of morality and ethics and asking questions about reality, knowledge and existence.
- Human/Social Sciences – living: Exploring the diverse ways in which people practise their beliefs and engaging with the impact of beliefs on individuals, communities and societies.
Areas of enquiry:
Across their time at our school, pupils explore six key areas of enquiry which underpin the R.E. curriculum. These areas enable children to develop a comprehensive and thoughtful understanding of religions and worldviews. The six areas are:
- Beliefs, teachings, sources of wisdom and authority
- Ways of living
- Ways of expressing meaning
- Questions of identity, diversity and belonging
- Questions of meaning, purpose and truth
- Questions of values and commitments
Curriculum Coverage
EYFS
| Autumn | Christianity Who made the wonderful world and why? | Christianity Why is Christmas special for Christians? |
| Spring | Christianity Why do Christians believe Jesus is special? | Christianity What is so special about Easter? |
| Summer | World Faith What makes a place special? | Christianity What can we learn from stories? |
Year 1
| Autumn | Christianity Why did Jesus teach the Lord’s Prayer as a way to pray? | Christianity Why are saints important to Christians? | Christianity Why is each person important in the Nativity story? |
| Spring | Judaism: What is it like to live as a Jewish person? | Christianity Why might many Christians say that Easter is the most important festival? | |
| Summer | Islam What does it mean to be a Muslim? | Christianity What responsibility has God given people about taking care of the world? | |
Year 2
| Autumn | Judaism Why are they having a Jewish party? | Christianity What are God’s rules for living? | Christianity How does the symbol of light help us to understand the meaning of Christmas for Christians? |
| Spring | Christianity Why did Jesus tell stories? | Christianity How do the symbols of Easter help us to understand the meaning of Easter for Christians? | |
| Summer | Islam How do Muslims show commitment to Allah? | Christianity Why do Christians make and keep promises before God? | |
Year 3
| Autumn | Christianity What is the Bible’s big story? | Christianity How do Christians believe following Jesus’ new Commandment and his greatest commandment make a difference? | Christianity How does the season of Advent and the feast of the Epiphany point towards the true meaning of Christmas? |
| Spring | Hinduism How do Hindus worship? | Christianity Who is the most important person in the Easter story? | |
| Summer | Buddhism What did the Buddha teach his followers about life? | Christianity What do the miracles tell us about Jesus? | |
Year 4
| Autumn | Judaism What does it mean to be a Jew? | Christianity What are the Beatitudes and what do they mean for Christians? | Christianity Is the Christmas message of peace still relevant to today’s world? |
| Spring | Christianity Who is Jesus? | Christianity What is Holy Communion and how does it build a Christian community? | |
| Summer | Sikhi How did the first five Sikh Gurus shape Sikhism? | Christianity Why is liturgy important to many Christians? | |
Year 5
| Autumn | Hinduism What does it mean to be a Hindu? | Christianity What do the monastic traditions within Christianity show us about living in community? | Christianity How do art and music convey Christmas? |
| Spring | Christianity How did belief in God affect the actions of people from the Old Testament? | Christianity What happens in churches during Lent, Holy Week and Easter Sunday? | |
| Summer | Christianity How has the Christian message survived for over 2000 years? | Sikhi How did the final five human Sikh Gurus shape Sikhi? | |
Year 6
| Autumn | Thematic Unit Rules and responsibilities – who decides? | Christianity What is the contemporary Anglican Church? | Christianity How would Christians advertise Christmas to show what Christmas means today? |
| Spring | Christianity What might the journey of life and death look like from a Christian perspective? | Christianity How does the Christian festival of Easter offer hope? | |
| Summer | Islam How do Muslims live and embrace their faith in a diverse world? | Buddhism What does it mean to be a Buddhist? | |
In addition to weekly R.E. lessons, we enrich the curriculum through termly ‘Pause Days’. These special days provide pupils with the opportunity to step back and reflect more deeply on a particular theme. Designed to be creative and thought-provoking, Pause Days include a range of practical and expressive activities such as art, drama, discussion and reflection.
The focus for each term’s Pause Day is as follows:
- Autumn Term – Harvest
- Spring Term – Easter
- Summer Term – Courageous Advocacy
Assessment
We track pupil progress over a course of a year so as to ensure that children make good or better progress from their starting point.
To ensure that pupils achieve well in Religious Education and make excellent progress, we use a range of assessment strategies across the curriculum. These include:
- Planned assessment opportunities identified at the beginning of each unit of learning
- Ongoing formative assessment, including high-quality teacher questioning, observation of pupils’ verbal contributions during discussions, collaborative learning activities, and both verbal and written feedback
- Assessment of prior knowledge and understanding at the beginning and end of each unit to measure progress and identify learning gaps
- Next Steps marking, which helps guide pupils in how to improve and deepen their understanding
We track pupil progress throughout the year to ensure all children make good or better progress from their individual starting points, and to inform future planning and support.
Right to Withdraw
Parents have the right to withdraw their children from Religious Education. We kindly ask any parents considering this to discuss their decision with the Head Teacher to ensure a clear understanding of the curriculum and its importance. Children who are withdrawn from R.E. lessons will be appropriately supervised during these times.
Chaplaincy Programme
Our Year Group Chaplains play a vital role in supporting the delivery of our R.E. curriculum. They regularly visit year groups to assist teachers, particularly with Christianity units, sharing their knowledge and experience. This enhances the learning experience and provides valuable insights for the children.
Enrichment Opportunities
We strive to offer a wide range of enrichment opportunities within our R.E. curriculum to deepen pupils’ understanding and engagement. Alongside support from our clergy team, we invite visitors from various faith backgrounds to the school and organise visits to local places of worship.
Examples of enrichment activities include:
- The Christmas Journey and The Easter Experience (delivered by Insight Christian Schools Work charity)
- Visits to local churches
- A visit to Hounslow Gurdwara
- A visit to Richmond Synagogue
- A visit from local nuns
These experiences provide valuable, first-hand insights that enrich our pupils’ learning about different faiths and practices.
For further information about RE, please see our policy in the Policies section.