At Oakhill we have creative, dedicated and enthusiastic teachers who really value Religious Education and enable our children to talk constructively about issues which underlie family life and practice.
Teaching strongly motivates learning, furthering children’s thinking and develops the skills of independence, resilience and creativity within the primary classroom. It is paramount that our children develop a positive attitude towards R.E and have the experience in sharing commonalities between different values and beliefs. Opportunities for group work will continue to support this and extended periods of independent learning will contribute to children’s personal skills of enquiry and reflection within the subject.
In the Foundation Stage R.E is taught through a hands on approach. Good early years teaching stems from basing learning around children’s interests. 'The World’ is a specific area of learning in the EYFS. The strand 'People and Communities' is central to the children’s learning. Practitioners draw on a wealth of religious or spiritual experiences that families bring with them. For example, families are encouraged to come into school to share special celebrations, such as Eid.
All children are encouraged to be active learners. Pupils explore religious artefacts, including story sacks with puppets, such as, the Reverend Freddie Fisher which is used when learning about Christian festivals in church. Circle time is a fundamental part of teaching in the foundation stage. Children need to develop a positive attitude towards their peers, respecting their right to hold beliefs that are different to their own. Taking part in circle time also gives children the opportunity to understand their peer’s opinions in relation to topics such as ‘Who is special to me?’.
An hour per week or short sessions needs to implemented through the continuous provision.
Children will encounter Christianity and other faiths, as part of their growing sense of self, their own community and their place within it. Teaching in the EYFS encounters religions and worldviews through special people, books, times, places and objects and by visiting places of worship. Pupils listen to and talk about stories. Practitioners ask questions and encourage children to reflect on their own feelings and experiences. Children will have the opportunity to develop their moral and cultural awareness and wonder at the world in which they live.
Key Stage 1
Pupils continue to develop their knowledge and understanding of religions and worldviews through a hands on approach to learning.
In order to deliver the aims and expected standards of the syllabus effectively, the expectation is that there is a minimum allocation of 5 per cent of curriculum time for RE. This needs to be an hour per week plus a series of R.E focused days. Time needs to be explicitly identifiable to the teaching of the subject. R.E objectives must be clear and written so pupils understand what is expected as a result of their learning.
Children will learn about Christians, Muslims or Jewish people.
Key Stage 2
Pupils continue to extend their knowledge and understanding of religions and worldviews, recognising their local, national and global contexts. They should be introduced to an extended range of sources and subject specific vocabulary. They should be encouraged to be curious and to ask increasingly challenging questions about religion, belief, values and human life. Pupils should learn to express their own ideas in response to the material they engage with, identifying relevant information, selecting examples and giving reasons to support their ideas and views.
Children will learn about Christians, Hindus, Muslims and Jewish people.
Fundamentally, R.E must support literacy and develop critical thinking. Children need to be encouraged to make sense of their ideas asking open ended questions that further personal knowledge and understanding.
Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development
At Oakhill Primary School, we believe in educating the whole child. This means valuing each individual by nurturing academic, personal and social development. Spiritual development explores beliefs, awe, wonder and mystery, the meaning and purpose of life, the relationship between belief and behaviour, creativity, feelings and emotions. As a school we aim to ensure that learning provides the opportunity for pupils to discuss their beliefs, feelings, values and responses to personal experiences. In addition learning should foster a sense of belonging allowing pupils to develop their capacity for critical and independent thinking.
Moral development is recognising the unique value of each child. Teaching needs to extend children’s knowledge and understanding about the range of accepted values in society. Pupils need to acquire an understanding of right and wrong, being able to apply this understanding within and outside school.
Social development is the development of pupils ability to work effectively with each other in a school context, and participate constructively in the wider community. School productions, such as, Christmas plays provides opportunities for pupils to develop social skills through team working. Cultural development is about pupils understanding their own culture and other cultures in their own town, region and in the country as a whole. Teaching needs to enable young people to embrace and understand cultural diversity by giving pupils the opportunity to discuss their opinions.
At Oakhill, we follow the Stoke on Trent Syllabus and plan lessons based upon this. An overview of the units that each year group follows can be found in the documents at the bottom of this page.