RE Curriculum

 

RE contributes dynamically to children’s 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 lessons at Ashford St Mary’s our children learn about and from religious and non-religious worldviews in local, national and global contexts, to discover, explore and consider different answers to these questions. Although the historical and cultural roots of the United Kingdom lie with Chrisitianity and have done so since St Augustine brought Christianity to England in 597, our children also learn about Humanism, Buddha Dharma, Hindu Dharma, Islam, Judaism and Sikhi.

At Ashford St Mary’s we deliver the Kent Agreed Syllabus for RE which incorporates the Understanding Christianity scheme of work. The Understanding Christianity resources help us raise standards of achievement in teaching and learning about RE in several ways:

• It starts by reducing the content covered, focusing on a small number of core concepts in order to enable a deeper understanding by pupils.

 

• It ensures coherence by selecting core concepts which reflect a view of biblical Christianity as following a salvation narrative.

 

• It uses a ‘spiral’ curriculum, where pupils revisit these core concepts in different contexts as they move through the school. These varied encounters deepen pupils’ understanding of the meaning of these concepts within the overall ‘big story’ of the Bible.

 

• It explores ways in which belief in the core concepts has an impact on the diverse Christian community and on the individual lives of Christians.

 

• It weaves in opportunities for pupils to reflect upon these ideas in relation to their understanding of religion and belief, including their own responses.
  
  

 

Religious Education at Ashford St Mary’s aims to ensure that all children:

Know about and understand a range of religious and non-religious worldview, so that they can:

• describe, explain and analyse beliefs and practices, recognising the diversity which exists within and between communities and amongst individuals

 

• identify, investigate and respond to questions posed, and responses offered, by some of the sources of wisdom found in religious and non-religious worldviews

 

• appreciate and appraise the nature, significance and impact of different ways of life and ways of expressing meaning.

 

Express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religious and non-religious worldviews, so that they can:

• explain, using reasoned arguments, their ideas about how beliefs, practices and forms of expression influence individuals and communities

 

• express with increasing discernment their personal reflections and critical responses to questions and teachings about identity, diversity, meaning and value, including ethical issues

 

• appreciate and appraise varied dimensions of religion.

 

Gain and deploy the skills needed to engage seriously with religious and non-religious worldviews, so that they can:

• investigate key concepts and questions of belonging, meaning, purpose and truth, responding creatively

 

• enquire into what enables different individuals and communities to live together respectfully for the wellbeing of all

 

• articulate clearly beliefs, values and commitments in order to explain why they may be important in their own and other people’s lives.