Overall curriculum
An Daras Multi Academy Trust has used the latest pedagogy, research and understanding of local contextual needs to structure the curriculum design to ensure the growth of capability mature children who exhibit a sustained curiosity for learning. The ‘lived values and experiences’ of pupils are determined by the individual school and should run through all operational elements of curriculum provision.
The principal aim of religious education is to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that pupils can gain the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and belief, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living.
Religion and beliefs inform our values and are reflected in what we say and how we behave. RE is an important subject in itself, developing an individual’s knowledge and understanding of the religions and beliefs which form part of contemporary society.
RE also contributes to pupils’ personal development and well-being and to community cohesion by promoting mutual respect and tolerance in a diverse society. It offers opportunities for personal reflection and spiritual development, deepening the understanding of the significance of religion in the lives of others – individually, communally and cross-culturally.
Pedagogy
Our RE curriculum focuses on developing our pupils through the acquisition of WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE and CAPABILITIES. These have been selected because they ensure the whole development of the child will be prioritised, they enable pupils to meet the expectations of the Cornwall Agreed syllabus 2020-2025 and have ambitions beyond this. Impact scales will measure the effectiveness of curriculum provision on the growth of children within these three equally important themes.
WISDOM
Children develop wisdom in RE through:
Learning about religious traditions and to reflect on what the religious ideas and concepts mean to them.
Extend their own sense of values and promotes their spiritual growth and development. Encouraging children to think about their own views and values in relation to the themes and topics studied in the RE curriculum, while developing a respectful and accepting approach to the views and feelings of others.
KNOWLEDGE
Children acquire knowledge in RE:
Building on their own experiences and extend their knowledge and understanding of religious traditions, using a wide range of resources (texts, pictures, films, visitors).
Using their experiences at religious festivals such as Easter, Christmas etc. to develop their religious thinking.
Organising visits to local places of worship and invite representatives of local religious groups to come into school and talk to the children.
Carrying out research into religious topics.
Studying particular religious faiths and also compare the religious views of different faith groups on topics such as rites of passage or festivals.
Discussing religious and moral issues through whole class discussion and working individually or in groups.
CAPABILITIES
Our RE curriculum is entirely inclusive, but we recognise the fact that all classes in our school have children of widely differing experience and abilities, so we provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge and focus of the task to the ability and needs of the child.
We achieve these capabilities by:
setting common tasks which are open-ended and can have a variety of responses;
setting tasks of increasing difficulty (we do not expect all children to complete all tasks); Providing individually tailored tasks, specifically focused on the needs of that child;
Providing stimulation and challenge for all abilities;
providing resources of different complexity, adapted to the ability of the child;
using classroom assistants to support the work of individuals or groups of children.
Through partner, group and whole class discussions we encourage collaborative learning and give meaningful opportunities to develop communication and respectful leadership skills. The inquiry based learning model encourages planning and problem solving and promotes resilience and creativity in achieving the aims of the unit. Supported discussions and debates give children the opportunity to grow in confidence and develop their abilities to formulate their own ideas and opinions and respond in a respectful and measured way to those of others. In coming to have a more self-reflective approach to learning and relationships, the children also gain valuable experience in recognising and managing their feelings in an increasingly effective manner.
At Windmill Hill Academy, we follow the 2020 Cornwall Agreed Syllabus which has been created for Cornwall SACRE and approved by Cornwall Council. It provides a syllabus for RE which explains the value and purposes of RE for all pupils and specifies for teachers what shall be taught in each age group. It provides a coherent framework for setting high standards of learning in RE and enabling pupils to reach their potential in the subject.
The Cornwall Agreed Syllabus 2020 asserts the importance and value of religious education (RE) for all pupils, with on-going benefits for an open, articulate and understanding society. The following purpose statements underpin the syllabus, which is constructed to support pupils and teachers in fulfilling them:
- Religious education contributes dynamically to children and young people’s education in schools by provoking challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human.
- In RE, pupils learn about religions and beliefs in local, national and global contexts, to discover, explore and consider different answers to these questions.
- Pupils learn to weigh up the value of wisdom from different sources, to develop and express their insights in response and to agree or disagree respectfully.
- Teaching, therefore, should equip pupils with systematic knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and beliefs, enabling them to develop their ideas, values and identities.
- RE should develop in pupils an aptitude for dialogue so that they can participate positively in our society, with its diverse religions and beliefs.
- Pupils should gain and deploy the skills needed to understand, interpret and evaluate texts, sources of wisdom and authority and other evidence. They should learn to articulate clearly and coherently their personal beliefs, ideas, values and experiences while respecting the right of others to differ.
In EYFS, all areas of learning and development are important and inter-connected. These are stipulated in the ‘Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage’. The most relevant statements for RE are taken from the following areas of learning:
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Understanding the World
Teachers should help pupils with SEND to overcome any barriers to participating and learning and make any ‘reasonable adjustments’ needed to include pupils. To make lessons inclusive, teachers need to anticipate what barriers to taking part and learning may pose for pupils with SEND. Some modifications or adjustments will need to be made or smaller steps to achieve the learning goal. Occasionally, pupils with SEND will have to work on different activities, or towards different objectives, from their peers.
For some activities, you may need to provide a ‘parallel’ activity for pupils with SEND, so that they can work towards the same lesson objectives as their peers, but in a different way. The use of technology to assist learning can removes barrier e.g. Communicate in Print / Widget, switches, text readers and speech and communicator devices.
Assessment
Formative
Formative assessment is regarded as an integral part of teaching and learning and is a continuous process. All sessions should begin with a recap/recall of previous learning. Teachers should use skilful questioning to gauge starting points, to assess current understanding and knowledge, to ensure concepts have been acquired, to identify misconceptions. This formative assessment should support the teacher in adapting lessons to ensure pupils are learning new learning, building on prior learning and making links between new and previous learning. At the end of each session, teachers should use assessment tools to ensure that the intent of the lesson has been achieved, to help plan for the following session and to support building a picture of the pupils’ progress for final summative assessments. #
Summative
Summative assessment is the responsibility of the class teacher. We assess each child, using feedback from informal observations and recording and through end of unit assessments derived from Understanding Christianity/other faiths resources. We also use assessment grids to record our assessment of the children in RE. This demonstrates what the expected level of achievement is in RE in each year of the school.
The monitoring of the standards of children’s learning and the quality of learning and teaching of RE is the shared responsibility of the Senior Leadership Team and the subject leader. The work of the subject leader also involves supporting colleagues in the teaching of RE, being informed about current developments in the subject, and providing a strategic lead and direction for the subject in the school. A named member of the school governing body is briefed to overview the teaching of the curriculum in the school.
In EYFS, the level of development children should be expected to have attained by the end of the EYFS is defined by the early learning goals (ELGs). These are not used as a curriculum or in any way to limit the wide variety of rich experiences that are crucial to child development. Instead, the ELGs support teachers to make a holistic, best-fit judgement about a child’s development, and their readiness for year 1.
When assessing pupils with SEND, there will be carefully planned opportunities in order for them to demonstrate what they know and are able to do, using alternative means where necessary. Where a pupil is unable to use particular types of equipment, assessment of attainment will be based on understanding of the processes used as demonstrated through oral and written responses or, where possible, through the use of alternative equipment. The attainment of pupils who require adapted equipment, such as particular switches or voice-activated software, will be assessed using these specialist items.
Culture
We believe that it is vital for all our pupils to learn from and about religion, so that they can understand the world around them. Through Religious Education, pupils develop their knowledge of the world faiths, and their understanding and awareness of the beliefs, values and traditions of other individuals, societies, communities and cultures.
We encourage our pupils to ask questions about the world and to reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences. The culture around RE in our school is there to develop understanding and mutual respect between all children from different backgrounds and cultures.
RE is vitally important, not just for the children in our school, but moving forward into adulthood. There is a huge emphasis placed on RE in our school because we know it’s importance to society and helping our community grow together.
We value high quality CPD for staff and staff have had opportunities to attend CPD.
Teachers will help pupils with SEND to overcome any barriers to participating and learning and make any ‘reasonable adjustments’ needed to include pupils. To make lessons inclusive, teachers will anticipate what barriers to taking part and learning may pose for pupils with SEND. Some modifications or adjustments will be made or smaller steps to achieve the learning goal. Occasionally, pupils with SEND will have to work on different activities, or towards different learning intentions, from their peers.
For some activities, there may need to be a ‘parallel’ activity for pupils with SEND, so that they can work towards the same learning intentions as their peers, but in a different way. The use of technology to assist learning can removes barrier e.g. Widget, switches, text readers and speech and communicator devices. Using keyboard shortcuts instead of a mouse, enables all pupils to be involved. Generic software, such as Microsoft Office, contains accessibility facilities for SEND pupils. Screen filters may help with glare or using coloured backgrounds e.g. yellow background with blue script for dyslexic learners.
Because the range of hardware and software is wide and continually expanding, teachers will always seek to collaborate with the SENDCo or colleagues e.g. previous teacher, on removing barriers to learning and participation for particular pupils with SEND. Pupils will also be able to advise on the technologies that suit them best.
Systems
In EYFS, the most relevant statements for RE are taken from the following areas of learning:
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Understanding the World
Reception
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- See themselves as a valuable individual.
- Think about the perspectives of others.
Understanding the world
- Talk about members of their immediate family and community.
- Name and describe people who are familiar to them.
- Understand that some places are special to members of their community.
- Recognise that people have different beliefs and celebrate special times in different ways.
ELG
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Building relationships
- Show sensitivity to their own and others’ needs.
Understanding the world
Past and present
- Talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society.
- Understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling.
People and communities
- Know some similarities and differences between different religious and cultural communities in this country, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.
The threefold aim of RE elaborates the principal aim. The curriculum for RE aims to ensure that all pupils:
1. make sense of a range of religious and non-religious beliefs, so that they can:
- identify, describe, explain and analyse beliefs and concepts in the context of living religions, using appropriate vocabulary
- explain how and why these beliefs are understood in different ways, by individuals and within communities
- recognise how and why sources of authority (e.g. texts, teachings, traditions, leaders) are used, expressed and interpreted in different ways, developing skills of interpretation
2. understand the impact and significance of religious and non-religious beliefs, so that they can:
- examine and explain how and why people express their beliefs in diverse ways
- recognise and account for ways in which people put their beliefs into action in diverse ways, in their everyday lives, within their communities and in the wider world
- appreciate and appraise the significance of different ways of life and ways of expressing meaning
3. make connections between religious and non-religious beliefs, concepts, practices and ideas studied, so that they can:
- evaluate, reflect on and enquire into key concepts and questions studied, responding thoughtfully and creatively, giving good reasons for their responses
- challenge the ideas studied, and allow the ideas studied to challenge their own thinking, articulating beliefs, values and commitments clearly in response
- discern possible connections between the ideas studied and their own ways of understanding the world, expressing their critical responses and personal reflections with increasing clarity and understanding
Throughout schooling, teachers should consider how their teaching contributes towards the principal aim of RE in Cornwall, and how they help pupils to achieve the threefold aims above.
At Windmill Hill Academy, we use the ‘Understanding Christianity’ resource from RE Today to ensure we are meeting the requirements of the agreed syllabus with regard to the teaching of Christianity. As a Cornish school, we have incorporated the statutory units from the Curriculum Kernewek. We also use the ‘Inspiring RE’ units and resources to supplement our teaching of a range of religions.
Policies/key documents
- 2020 Cornwall Agreed Syllabus
- Whole School Long term horizontal curriculum map
- RE Knowledge and Skills organiser - WHA RE Syllabus Plan – One year rolling programme
- Understanding Christianity (including resources)
- Curriculum Kernewek Units
- Inspiring RE units and resources
- RE Leaflet for parents – principal aim
- EYFS Long term overview
- SEND Policy
All of these can be found on our website under the curriculum/policies tab.