Religious Education (RE)

INTENT:      The vision for RE at Lakeside

The intent for teaching RE at Lakeside Primary Academy is for the pupils to develop an understanding of different religions and the beliefs that are reflected within these religions thus allowing children to ask challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong and to reflect on their own ideas and ways of living.  By studying Religious Education,  we are enabling children to become independent thinkers and to learn to be respectful , tolerant and be accepting of other faiths. We provide a safe space for children to discuss, experience and respond to these different beliefs.

We will facilitate purposeful activities for children to apply the skills, knowledge and understanding and to communicate this to a range of audiences. 

Curriculum Design, Coverage & Progression

We use the Derbyshire and Derby City Agreed Syllabus for our planning and assessment. The document is reviewed and developed on a five-yearly cycle. This is a new syllabus for 2020-2025.  The key R.E vocabulary to be taught is added to the overview to show clear progression of technical terms.  Educational visits, residentials and ‘Wow’ events are incorporated into the curriculum to engage and enhance the learning experiences, such as exploring the local places of worship, faith trail and having visitors from different faiths.  The R.E synopsis shows how each year group curriculum build on previous knowledge and skills.  Our  curriculum for Reception builds on the PSHE, Understanding the World, People and Communities strand of the Development Matters document.    

The R.E curriculum encompasses all the elements of our whole school approach to developing PROUD learners with lifelong skills: Pride in learning, taking ownership of what we would like to find our about the world around us and how we can be independent learners to fulfil this.  Use our Reading skills to research, Oracy to talk confidently about our R.E learning and pose questions.  Understanding yourself, your local area, your school and your family.  Demonstrating Drive and motivation to engage in a range of activities developing the skills to ultimately answer the Big Question. 

Children can achieve aspects of the Harmony Pledge through the R.E curriculum,  for example by taking part in R.E wow days and visits to different places of worship we are able to understand the pledge "to understand and learn from and about other cultures and faiths in our diverse community" The children at Lakeside participate in lots "fund raising and charitable events". We are able to reflect on this pledge within R.E due to many religions having charitable work at the foundations of their religion.

IMPLEMENTATION          

The R.E section of the year groups ‘What we are learning about’, outlines the knowledge and skills that will be the focus of each topic and poses the ‘key Question’ that will be reflected on during the half term.  

Year groups explore the 6 different religions giving them an opportunity to find out about the similarities and differences of the faiths by answering the "Key Questions" within their topic..  Teachers will build into the unit, time to research and answer questions posed by the children.  At the end of the topic, the ‘Key Question’ is explored to ascertain if the learning throughout the topic concluded in answering it. 

Scaffolds are a common feature to support children’s learning within lessons, for example the use of language structures, displayed vocabulary and visual stimuli. 

The R.E topic journey is showcased in children's topic books and work is displayed on class pages on the dojo and seesaw learning platforms.

The R.E lead will carry out pupil voice alongside a book look for pupils to share their learning and share about their R.E knowledge.  Staff voice is used to identify effective resources, subject knowledge, support CPD needed and what is working well. 

R.E is celebrated through central displays and working walls within the classroom based around the current topic.

At Lakeside we believe that all children should have the opportunity to learn about our 6 world faiths in a safe and accepting environment. 

For the Synopsis of RE at Lakeside and the RE Curriculum Coverage document, see below: 

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