Mayfield Primary SchoolReligious Education: Vision
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION LEADER
Mrs Hinchliffe
'ALWAYS START WITH WHY'
What is Religious Education?
What are faiths and beliefs and how are they important to people?
We have set out in these two website pages how we consider these questions with our children by mapping out and delivering a clear, consistent and challenging curriculum for our children to meet their needs. You can download copies of every central document at the base of the relevant pages (VISION or CURRICULUM OVERVIEW) in PDF format. The subject guide and policy itself can be found at the base of this page.
To take a look at our curriculum overview page CLICK HERE.
Our Vision For Religious Education
At Mayfield, we believe that an understanding of the world’s major religions helps our children to understand the world in which they live. We believe that through understanding religious practices and beliefs, we can promote our values of tolerance and respect of difference.
We are fortunate to have a multi-faith community at our school. Our RE curriculum is designed to explore a range of faiths to gain a deep understanding of religion and how it shapes people’s lives. Through exploring religious stories and rituals, we develop our children’s insight into how others see the world and the religious values which may underpin their daily lives. By exploring similarities and differences, we also highlight connections and commonalities which unite us as well as differences which enrich our community.
Through our teaching of RE, we strive to encourage our children to become open-minded, curious and respectful citizens who understand and value the beliefs of others.
How We Plan For, And Teach, Religious Education
Children at Mayfield consider a Big Question unit/project each half-term, through which their understanding of religious beliefs and practices builds over time. Following Blackburn Diocesan Board of Education’s Questful RE scheme of work, sessions involve exploration of religious narratives, the study of rituals and practices and the key tenets and symbols of major faiths. Significant objects are studied to bring lessons to life and familiarise the children with things that have particular importance in different faiths. Our children are encouraged to share their knowledge about their own religions and how they practice them in a safe, respectful environment.
Our curriculum is split into five major recurring concepts: places of worship and holy books; beliefs; similar and different; a faith community; festivals of faith. Big Questions then form the basis for each unit of study. There are times when these questions are specific to a particular faith and times when they deliberately stretch across different faiths and beliefs in order to compare and consider from a broader perspective. We do not try to consider each faith in isolation at all times. A rich understanding can come from a consideration of differing belief systems at the same point of learning.
Learning Maps for each unit/project have been produced by Questful RE and form the basis and starting point for a journey through the half-term with sessions structured to gather views and thoughts before sharing this, on most occasions, in our collective learning Religious Education Big Books. The Religious Education Stations in each classroom are the central position for the holding of prior learning and vocabulary. Religious Education’s presence is maintained through the profile of reward, achievement and celebration through the Subject Celebrations and Subject Displays and through the role of Student Subject Champions identified across school to provide feedback and consider achievement through a learner’s eye. Rewards have a specific eye upon personal progress rather than summative attainment. The philosophy of Religious Education themes is extended into our extra-curricular clubs offer via My Happy Mind Club which runs during the school year.
How We Assess Religious Education Learning
The impact of our RE curriculum can be found in children’s contributions, recording of work and the quality of discussions that they have. We see assessment in this subject as being primarily based upon observations and listening to responses. This, very similar to our PSHE curriculum, as it requires a much broader way of recording children’s thoughts rather than a consistently written responses. The structure of our sessions and classroom layout is built to create a spoken forum, with views shared and activities completed collectively based upon individual contributions. As such, our methods of assessment must reflect the agreed classroom practice for this subject area. Above all, we need to fit the needs and starting points of our children in our school with the requirements of the subject being undertaken.
Big Questions are prompted as a starting point for religious study. Each project has a quiz and self-quiz opportunity to assess the retention of new knowledge and vocabulary. The impact of our Religious Education curriculum can be seen in the shared outcomes that are gathered and recorded in addition to assessment at the point of learning.
Summative judgements are ultimately made using the Questful RE Unit Assessment Documents these form the basis for annual judgements made in relation to whether children are working at an expected standard or are on course to do so, whilst at the relevant stage of judgement making the broader Questful RE KS1 & KS2 End of Key Stage Expectations are used with reference to the unit/project judgements already made. The most frequently used strategy in class is our Brain Gym opportunities which are used as a planned opportunity for session review or recaps. This aims to strengthen the connections between what the children learn and such recall then frees that working memory for the input to follow.
How We Adapt Learning, And Record Outcomes, In Religious Education
Ways of demonstrating progress and outcomes must be adaptable to suit the needs of learners and the requirements of the subject. Therefore each subject has its own bespoke way of gathering evidence from learners. Otherwise recording work becomes a barrier to learning rather than a chance to celebrate children’s achievements and specialist skills and knowledge in areas where they may otherwise excel.
In Religious Education, children’s work is gathered in:
Religious Education Big Books (Per Cohort) & Learning Maps
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Religious Education Vocabulary
A core Religious Education Vocabulary List has been created for the children across school. The vocabulary is progressive from EYFS onwards and at all times retains vocabulary previously introduced. Vocabulary is present around the Religious Education Stations in the learning spaces. A complete list can be found within our termly planning documents.
We have also considered the vocabulary at our main feeder KS3 school. Ensuring there is progression of vocabulary between KS2 and KS3 is important and we have looked carefully at where we need to introduce terminology to aid with next steps or where we feel it is better to wait. Please see the web page below to view of copy of LSA’s Religious Education vocabulary.
https://files.schudio.com/lsa/files/documents Year_7_RS_Curriculum_and_keywords.pdf
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Religious Education Enrichment Opportunity:
My Happy Mind as part of our beyond hours offer.
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My latest work as Religious Education Leader.....
I have been working with other senior leaders and class teachers on three main goals that we wish to see:
* To ensure that the key aspects of R.E. curriculum demonstrate clear progression of knowledge and skills.
* To deliver an engaging R.E. curriculum which facilitates exciting and purposeful opportunities for developing our children's speaking and listening skills.
* To provide a relevant and rich R.E. curriculum which aims to ensure that each child leaves Mayfield knowing what followers of the main religions believe and how faith affects, and can enhance, people's everyday life.