“The essence of all religions is one. Only their approaches are different.”

Ghandi

“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”

Dalai Lama XIV

RE curriculum lead – Miss S Jones

Curriculum Intent

The teaching of RE at Toner Avenue School should provide children with opportunities to widen their experiences of life and enhance their feeling of self-worth. It should encourage them, through enquiry based learning, to ask questions about the world they live in. The teaching of RE should motivate children to consider their role within the wider world as part of a diverse society and enable them to live as responsible young people who are able to make a difference.

Curriculum Implementation

At Toner Avenue School, RE is based on 3 main elements:

  • Knowledge and understanding of religion
  • Critical thinking
  • Personal reflection

Knowledge and understanding of religion

This is about what religion is and the impact it has for individuals and communities. It involves investigation of and enquiry into the nature of religion and beliefs.

Pupils will develop their knowledge and understanding of individual religions and distinctive religious traditions, and apply this to considering ways in which religions are similar to and different from each other. Older students will be able to connect significant features of religion together in a coherent pattern. All pupils will enquire into ultimate questions and ethical issues through their study of religious traditions.

Critical Thinking 

Critical thinking requires pupils to use reason to analyse and evaluate the claims that religions make. Through learning in this way pupils have the opportunity to give opinions, support their ideas with reason, consider alternative arguments, weigh up evidence and listen to and respond to the views of others, so developing the ability to articulate their own views and form their own opinions. Critical thinking requires pupils to be open minded and to value different types of reasoning including intuition e.g. the many differing reasons why people might hold onto a religious faith.

Personal Reflection 

This develops pupils’ ability to reflect on religion in relation to their own beliefs, values and experiences and the influence of these on their daily life, attitudes and actions. Personal evaluation is introspective, subjective and private. Pupils can make personal progress through reflection, empathy, developing respect and appreciation of others.

Curriculum Impact

By the end of Year 6, pupils will have more detailed knowledge and understanding of the concepts (beliefs, teaching, sources of authority, expressions of belief and the impact of beliefs on the lives of individuals and communities) across several religious and non-religious worldviews, using wide-ranging technical vocabulary.

They will have more detailed knowledge and understanding of how these concepts connect to form a framework for understanding religious and non religious worldviews.

Pupils will have knowledge of the diversity of religious and non-religious worldviews within the local, national and global context, and show understanding of similarities and differences between them.

Pupils will be able to respond to the material they learn about by raising controversial questions, expressing their opinions and by using sound reasons to back up these opinions.

Pupils will show appreciation of different perspectives and recognise the reasons given to support these viewpoints (see both sides of an argument).

In relation to religious material studied, pupils can reflect on their own beliefs, ideas, feelings and values and develop empathy for people with differing beliefs and experiences.