Intent
In the foundation stage RE is taught as a whole class topic or themes. Children explore these ideas which will be built on in KS1 . Children will gain knowledge of the Christmas and Easter story.
In KS1 the core religions in the 2020 Durham Agreed Syllabus are Christianity and Buddhism. We begin with the core religion of Christianity and build upon the Early Years Foundation Stage Special places unit. From this experiential unit on visiting a church the focus moves from the tangible /expressions of belief to the intangible where the focus is on theological and philosophical questions around belief and authority as the pupils consider Christian beliefs about God. Pupils move onto questions around the Christian festival of Christmas to consolidate learning of the core religion further. Studying Christmas at the end of the Autumn Term also fits with when Christmas is celebrated in the Christian year. All year groups focus on a different question around Christmas to allow for progress. This is a whole school approach to understanding the Christian festival of Christmas.
Following two terms focusing on Christianity, KS1 pupils are introduced to the second core religion of Buddhism in the Summer Term. Pupils compare their understanding of Christian beliefs about Jesus to Buddhist beliefs of the Buddha as they learn about similarities and differences across religions. This is a theological unit. Children also consider the impact of Buddhists beliefs.
The second Spring Term unit in Year 2 considers and consolidates different religious beliefs as pupils examine religious affiliation in their local area. In KS1 one or two core religions are considered in preparation for the second diversity unit in Year 5. This unit also ties together worship in a Church with places of worship in other religions. This is the first sociological unit.
In Year 3, the core religion of Hinduism is introduced in the Autumn Term and revisited in Summer Term. In KS2 the core religions in the 2020 Durham Agreed Syllabus are Christianity, Hinduism & Judaism and a small study of Islam is also included. This phenomenological unit on Hindu worship introduces the new core religion and also builds on the Summer Term Year 2 around local faith communities. Pupils also compare worship in Hinduism with the visit to the Church in Year 1 and Buddhist worship in Year 2. In Spring Term, Year 3 focus on Christianity. They will look at churches and the diversity of worship and buildings.
In Year 4, the pupils learn about the importance of the Bible as the source of authority to Christians and key beliefs around Creation/Incarnation/Salvation. They learn about the differing types of writing in the Bible and will consider the differing ways the Bible is used and the ways it can influence how a Christian feels, thinks and acts. This is a theological, phenomenological and philosophical unit. Children also look at Christian beliefs about Jesus. The unit has been planned to build on the previous Key Stage 1 units about Jesus. In this unit pupils will learn about some of the events in the life and ministry of Jesus, including some of his teachings. They will make links to units of work on the birth and death of Jesus including the Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus.
Pupils will have the opportunity to ask and respond to questions which are raised through their learning about the key events of Jesus and Christian beliefs about him. They will express their views and give plausible reasons to back their opinion up. Within Year 4, children will study an ethics unit and they will discuss the questions around the care of others and compare different religious responses. The final unit ends with a focus on Durham Cathedral and pupils compare this place of worship to the others they have studied as well as the cathedrals historical and cultural significance. This unit has a sociological focus as pupils consider the role of the cathedral.
In year 5 the core religion of Judaism is introduced in the Autumn Term that begins with Moses, as this prophet is also a significant figure in the Bible/Christianity and the pupils can make links between the two religions. In the second unit about the synagogue pupils compare worship in a Church and in Hindu Mandir to the Synagogue. The third unit consolidates the pupils understanding of Judaism as they consider worship in the Jewish home and diversity within Judaism. This philosophical unit is more complex and so is placed in Year 5 as pupils consider more abstract themes. This unit will build on work from KS1 units in relation to Christian Harvest and belief in God as creator. Throughout this unit, pupils will ask puzzling/interesting questions and suggest reasons. Pupils will learn about some key Christian beliefs about God expressed through metaphor, myth and symbol and begin to consider what impact these beliefs will have on the lives of Christians. The final unit of the term moves on to rituals across religions as pupils consolidate their understanding of the core religions (Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam) and builds on the Autumn Term diversity unit in year 6.
Year 6 begin the year with the second diversity unit and builds on the first unit in Year 2. In this unit pupils identify and consider religious diversity in the North East as they map where the places of worship are for at least 4 of the core religions. In the second unit they are introduced to Islam and consider the local Muslim community in the North East. In Spring term-How and why do people care about the environment is another ethical unit and is kept until Year 6 as it is complex in its nature as pupils consider moral decisions. By Year 6 pupils have increased their knowledge and developed their understanding of the beliefs and features of Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and Islam. This unit further develops skills of investigation and enquiry by comparing at least 3 religious traditions in one area of study: The Environment. Through this study pupils increase their general awareness of the global world in which they live and learn about the impact of religion on individuals and communities, both locally, nationally and internationally. In Summer term year 6 complete a bridging unit which brings together the pupils understanding of Christianity as they consider the four concepts of belief, authority, expressions and impact of belief.