Religious Education
At D’Eyncourt, we take pride in providing our children with a broad, balanced Religious Education curriculum that is built strongly around tolerance and respect towards all faiths and beliefs.
The aim of Religious Education at D’Eyncourt Primary School is for pupils to know about and understand a range of religions. Our vision for Religious Education is that we provide every child with high-quality experiences which engage and inspire them to explore their own personal experiences and experiences which differ from their own. We aim for every child to leave D’Eyncourt Primary School with an understanding, acceptance and respect for all families in our community and the wider world.
At D’Eyncourt Primary School, our programme of work ensures that children have a broad and well-mapped-out RE curriculum. It provides the opportunity for progression across the full breadth of a wide variety of beliefs and cultures for all children from EYFS through to the end of KS2.
Pupils can reflect on what it means to have faith, to develop their own spiritual knowledge and understanding and to consider the viewpoint of those with no faith connections. We help the children learn from religions as well as about religions.
Children will learn about all major religions during their time at D’Eyncourt. Some of this learning will take part in the classroom, but the learning will also be contextualised through visits to a variety of places of worship in the local area.
Our vision for R.E.
- to be inquisitive about the beliefs and practises of others, to ask questions, search for answers and stimulate debate
- to be enthusiastic and passionate about the richness and diversity of the subject matter
- to reflect upon their own experiences, feelings and beliefs and develop their own responses to our Key Inquiry Questions
- develop an understanding of what it means to be committed to a religious tradition
- to appreciate cultural differences, have respect for other’s views and celebrate the diversity in society, to combat prejudice
- develop investigative and research skills and to enable them to make reasoned judgements about religious issues
- to develop a sense of identity, to flourish as an individual within their community and to act as citizens in a global community.
Religious Education Curriculum
D’Eyncourt Primary School follows the Wolverhampton Agreed Syllabus. RE is taught weekly, in unit blocks throughout the year in accordance with the Wolverhampton Agreed Syllabus. This is to achieve a depth in learning and to ensure progression in skills and knowledge through the year groups and key stages. The system of progression means that pupils will return to key concepts in relation to different religions throughout their time in school.
The curriculum is ambitious, and the syllabus and scheme of work provides for the pupils to learn rigorously and widely about the world of religion and belief that they will encounter during their lives. The skills and knowledge they develop can transfer to other areas of the curriculum.
Our teaching and learning styles in RE enable children to build on their own experiences and then to extend their knowledge and understanding of religious traditions. We use their experiences of religious festivals to develop their religious thinking. We organise visits to local places of worship and invite representatives of local religious groups to come into school and talk to the children.
Pupils respond to what they have learnt in a variety of exciting and engaging ways such as through poetry, art, report writing, drama, crafts, food preparation, music, speaking and listening.
Key Vocabulary
| EYFS
|
Years 1 and 2 (as EYFS plus…) | Years 3 and 4
(as EYFS, Year 1 and 2 plus…) |
Years 5 and 6
(as EYFS, Year 1/2/3/4 plus…) |
|
| General language of religious study | religion, special books, special places, special stories, prayer | religion, celebration, festival, symbol, thankful, faith, belief, wise sayings, rules for living, co-operation, belonging, worship, holiness, sacred, creation story. | spiritual, commitment, values, pilgrim, pilgrimage, ritual, symbol, community, worship, devotion, belief, life after death, destiny, soul, inspiration, role-model | harmony, respect, justice, faith, inter-faith, tolerance, moral values, religious plurality, moral codes, spiritual, inspiration, vision, symbol, community, sources of wisdom, spiritual, Golden Rule, charity, place of worship, sacred text, devotion, prayer, worship, compassion. |
| Christianity | Christmas, Easter, Bible, Church, Jesus | Christian, God, Creator, Christmas, altar, font, gospel, Holy Spirit, baptism, Christening | Pentecost, Harvest Festival, Messiah, liturgy, church, Gospel, God the Creator, Trinity, Heaven | Letters of Saint Paul, Incarnation, resurrection, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost, Eucharist, agape, advent, disciple, |
| Judaism | Moses, Passover, Torah, Synagogue | Jewish, synagogue, Torah, bimah,
Hanukkah, Ark, Judaism, Shabbat |
Judaism, Moses, Exodus, Law-giver, Ten
Commandments, Star of David, Passover / Pesach. |
persecution, prejudice, Beth Shalom, remembrance |
| Islam | Allah, Prophet Muhammad, Qur’an, Mosque | Muslim, Islam, Eid, moon and star. | paradise. | Prophethood, Ummah, 5 Pillars, Iman (faith), akhlaq (character or moral conduct), Hadith, Hajj, alfatihah, adhan |
| Hindi | Hindu, mandir, Diwali, Aum | Murtis, gods and goddesses, puja, home shrine, devotion. Ganesha | Hindu dharma, Sanatan Dharma, Rama, Sita, Hanuman, holi, Raksha bandhan | Ahimsa, karma, Brahman, mandir, trimurti, gods such as Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu, goddesses such as Durga, Ambaji, Shakti reincarnation, aarti, devotee, |
| Sikhism | Sikh, Guru Nanak, Gurdwara, Guru Granth Sahib | Sikhi, Langar, 10 Gurus, Vaisakhi. | The 5 Ks, the Khalsa, Kaur and Singh, Guru Govind Singh, Panj Piara | Waheguru, Harimandir Sahib, Amrit, Panj Kakke, Kirpan, Kacchera, Kanga Kara, Kesh Khanda |
This table shows how learning across age groups develops and uses the language of religious study and of particular religions increasing depth and complexity. The selected terminology feature in RE lessons and contribute to coherent progression. Pupils should be taught to know, remember and use these words.
Cultural Capital
Our RE curriculum also provides children with plenty of opportunities to develop their critical and reflective thinking which will support them in discovering their own journey of purpose and meaning in the future. All children get the opportunity to visit places of worship to broaden their experiences with religion. At D’Eyncourt, we believe this is a crucial part of improving knowledge and understanding of diversity in our local community.
