Religious education

Learning Through Our Pathways

Engage

Experiencing beliefs and belonging

Pupils engage with sensory activities, resources and artefacts from different cultures and religions.

Through celebrations, festivals, people and places, pupils begin to experience what it means to belong and communicate their choices and responses using methods appropriate to them.

Discovery

Discovering different ways of life

Pupils develop an awareness of diversity, religions and different ways of life within communities.

They explore questions about special people, special places and what is special in our world, while beginning to discover their own beliefs and values.

Pupils start to recognise similarities and differences between religions and cultural communities.

Develop

Building knowledge and understanding

Pupils develop their knowledge of religious beliefs and practices, including important names, meanings, symbols, actions, stories and sacred writings.

They learn to ask and respond to questions, recognise similarities and differences between religions and world views and consider ideas about right and wrong, belonging and how people live and work together.

Deepen

Questioning, discussing and reflecting

Pupils deepen their understanding by discussing and presenting their own thoughts and views on increasingly challenging questions.

They explore ideas around belonging, meaning, purpose and truth, considering questions such as why festivals are important, why some people believe in God and why sacred texts are important.

Pupils learn to compare different religions and world views while developing and expressing their own views respectfully.

Beliefs, Values & World Views

Understanding what matters to people

RE gives pupils opportunities to discover what different people believe and how those beliefs can influence their lives.

Pupils encounter religious stories, sacred writings, celebrations, traditions, symbols and practices, developing their understanding of why these can be important to individuals and communities.

As their knowledge develops, pupils consider similarities and differences between religions and world views and begin to explore their own values and beliefs.

This encourages pupils to understand that people may see the world differently while learning to engage positively and respectfully with those differences.

Belonging & Community

Understanding ourselves and others

Belonging is an important theme throughout Newman’s RE curriculum.

Learning begins with the people, places and communities that are meaningful to pupils before broadening to explore different religious and cultural communities.

Pupils consider what belonging means, why communities are important and how beliefs, celebrations and traditions can bring people together.

As they progress, pupils develop a greater understanding of their own place within their community and the wider world.

Asking Big Questions

Exploring meaning and purpose

RE encourages pupils to be curious and ask questions about themselves, other people and the world.

As appropriate to their pathway, pupils consider questions about belief, belonging, meaning, purpose, truth and right and wrong.

As their confidence grows, they learn to ask purposeful questions, listen to different perspectives and explain their own ideas.

More advanced learners participate in respectful discussion about challenging questions, considering different viewpoints before forming and communicating their own responses.

Celebrations & Traditions

Experiencing religion and culture

Celebrations and festivals provide accessible opportunities for pupils to encounter different religions and cultures.

For some pupils, this begins through sensory experiences that allow them to engage with the sights, sounds, objects and activities associated with different celebrations.

As pupils progress, they develop their understanding of the beliefs, traditions and practices associated with religious communities and consider why particular celebrations and festivals are important to the people who observe them.

Communication • Independence • Resilience

Newman’s three curriculum drivers are embedded throughout Religious Education.

Communication develops as pupils express choices and responses before progressing towards describing religious stories and beliefs and participating in respectful discussions about different views.

Independence develops as pupils explore their own sense of self, ask increasingly purposeful questions and begin to form and explain their own beliefs and values.

Resilience develops through understanding belonging, responsibilities and the importance of co-operation. Pupils encounter different beliefs and perspectives and learn how people can make positive contributions within their communities.

RE Across Newman

Learning appropriate to every pupil

At Whiston, pupils in EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 encounter RE through the wider My World curriculum alongside History and Geography. In EYFS and Key Stage 1, learning may take place through continuous provision, progressing towards more specific subject teaching in Key Stage 2.

At Dinnington, pupils in Key Stages 3 and 4 generally access RE alongside History and Geography, following an adapted curriculum appropriate to their needs and abilities.

At NAR, the majority of Key Stage 3 and 4 pupils similarly encounter RE alongside History and Geography, although some pupils follow bespoke curricula.

At Key Stage 5, RE is not generally taught as a discrete subject unless a pupil is continuing with a relevant qualification.