Vision

To explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live.

Intent

At Dudley Wood Primary School we believe the principal aim of Religious Education is to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live. Pupils should be given the opportunities to gain the knowledge, understanding, and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and belief, and to be able to reflect on their own ideas and ways of living - regardless of ethnic origin, gender, class, aptitude, or disability. Through ambitious, high-quality provision and a broad and balanced curriculum, our intent is to:

• Enable children to investigate and reflect on some of the most fundamental questions asked by people.
•  Understand how and why religious beliefs shape what different people believe and how they live.
• Develop positive attitudes towards people who hold religious and non-religious beliefs different to their own and to prepare them for multicultural life in modern Britain.

Our R.E. curriculum is designed around the Sandwell Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education and focuses on three core elements: making sense of beliefs; understanding the impact of beliefs (how and why people put their beliefs into action) and making connections between pupils’ own lives and ways of understanding the world. These elements offer a structure through which pupils encounter diverse religious traditions alongside non-religious worldviews. Children are guided and given opportunities to identify similar themes and threads which connect their learning. This also enables teaching staff to gain an overview of the entire R.E. curriculum when planning and delivering their lessons. We give pupils the power to easily draw on their prior learning from previous units of study or look ahead to future units in order to make strong, relevant connections. This provides a sense of cohesion in their learning and enables children to know more and remember more. It is our ambition that every pupil achieves more.

Implementation

Children are taught RE weekly, in an open and safe environment. Children are encouraged to ask questions and seek answers for themselves, with guidance from teachers. 

Pupils learn about Christianity in each key stage. In addition, pupils will learn about other principal religions represented in the UK.

Pupils may also explore non-religious world views.

Impact

The pupils' knowledge and understanding of RE will be assessed through contributions to discussions, their work and pupil voice.  The impact of the RE curriculum will be seen in the behaviour of our pupils within school, the community and the wider world.  Our pupils will show tolerance and respect for the different views, faiths and beliefs of others and will appreciate that this diversity makes our country, and our world, a rich place to live.

Whole school overview