Religious Education at Longlands Primary School

Assessment

Ongoing, informal assessments take place within lessons to ensure that learning is pitched correctly. Assessment for learning – questioning is used to extend children’s thinking as well as find out what they know. This provides opportunities to address any misconceptions by highlighting them through direct teaching.

To whom and when is this offered?

Across school pupils take part in weekly RE lessons from EYFS to Year 6. Parents are given the right to withdraw their child from lessons about different faiths however, no religious beliefs are forced upon pupils. All learning is introduced in a neutral and non-biased way.

What do we expect to see?

Our aim is to equip pupils with knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and world views. Our RE lessons follow schemes of work developed by RE Today. RE Today works in conjunction with National Association of Teachers of RE. Expert teachers in the field of RE have developed the plans with the organisation to ensure that lessons are exposing children to a broad and balanced RE curriculum. The planning materials ensure that teaching staff are adequately equipped to deliver progressive and challenging RE lessons (with recommended resources/learning materials).

The Long-Term Plan

The Long Term Plan (developed with a NATRE member) ensures that learning is regularly revisited with a spiralised curriculum. In Key Stage 1 pupils study three different religions, allowing them to build a richer understanding of specific faiths. In Key Stage 2 pupils are exposed to an additional religion (whilst revisiting and building upon knowledge of the religions introduced in KS1) and the beliefs of Humanists are also explored. The Long Term Plan also indicates the units of work which require visits to varied religious buildings. This ensures that pupils are exposed, first hand, to the customs and beliefs of the different religions studied. Children who don’t grasp ideas so quickly will be supported by adults working within the class and pre-learning may take place (e.g. introducing pupils to new concepts or vocabulary before the teaching).

View our Religions Education Long Term Plan here

Teachers’ subject knowledge and ideas for effective teaching strategies are supported through staff CPD and materials provided by NATRE and RE Today. In lessons we support pupils by:

• Building on prior learning.
• Having a clear purpose and context where appropriate.
• Exposing children to a rich and varied curriculum.
• Supporting them to make links between different faiths.
• Knowledge and skills and are taught systematically with children being expected to use their knowledge and skills in different contexts within the lessons.