Religious Education
At Pakefield Primary School we teach Religious Education to allow children to make their own choices and decisions concerning religion, community and belief. We ensure children increase their knowledge and understanding of a variety of religions and cultures developing empathy with different people and their beliefs around the world. The teaching of Religious Education also inspires and supports the spiritual development of our children.
Religious Education is taught on a weekly basis across the school from Reception to Year 6. All children learn about aspects of Christianity. The other religions taught across the school include Judaism, Islam and Hinduism. In lower key stage two children are also taught about Sikhism and in Upper Key Stage 2, Buddhism and Humanism are also taught. At Pakefield Primary School we use the Emmanuel Project Scheme of Work to ensure our children achieve well. Children’s RE work is collated and added to whole class RE books which contain photographs, children’s comments and reflection for children in Nursery up to Year 6. Children in Years 3-6 also record a written response to their RE learning every half-term.
At Pakefield Primary School we have close links with Pakefield Church, where the children can enjoy visits to the church and church visitors are welcomed into school. The children access many different virtual tours online to find out about religion and can access websites such as RE Online. Our Religious Education curriculum is ambitious and accessible for all children and strives to ensure that the needs of all children are met and that every child is provided with the means to question, understand and empathise.
Rationale – Why this curriculum design?
Our children live in a very different world now to that of 1944 when the Education Act put in law a duty for all schools to teach R.E. In preparation for adult life, they need to learn to respect the local, national and global landscape of religion, belief and diversity. At Pakefield Primary School, in the context of today’s world, we want children to gain an understanding of the world whilst holding balanced and well-informed conversations about religion and belief (be religiously literate).
The DfE’s statutory guidance for RE states:
Religion and beliefs inform our values and are reflected in what we say and how we behave. RE is an important subject in itself, developing an individual’s knowledge and understanding of the religions and beliefs which form part of contemporary society. Religious education provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, the self and the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong, and what it means to be human. It can develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of Christianity, of other principal religions, other religious traditions and worldviews that offer answers to questions such as these. RE also contributes to pupils’ personal development and well-being and to community cohesion by promoting mutual respect and tolerance in a diverse society. RE can also make important contributions to other parts of the school curriculum such as citizenship, personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE education), the humanities, education for sustainable development and others. It offers opportunities for personal reflection and spiritual development, deepening the understanding of the significance of religion in the lives of others – individually, communally and cross-culturally.
R.E. Syllabus
The RE Syllabus named “Where do I stand?” is the Suffolk Agreed Syllabus that encapsulates the notion that all humans have viewpoints, lenses through which they see the world. In the RE classroom, pupils should be encouraged to understand that ‘everybody stands somewhere’ i.e. has a personal worldview which affects how they see life, the world around them and other people. This worldview may be related to a particular religion or secular organisation; it may grow, develop and change over time.
‘Where do I stand?’ requires all pupils to think deeply about different religions and worldviews, and the complexity and diversity of belief and practice which surround them. It also requires discussion of ‘big’ questions, which provide space for all to draw on new learning, to explain their own ideas, and to form, strengthen or refine these.
re suffolk agreed syllabus where do i stand 2023 28 1 .pdf
Information for our parents
Useful websites for parents, carers, teachers, pupils
- ODBE: RE in Schools Religious Education plays a central role in offering the broad and balanced curriculum that will enable students to participate fully in life in modern Britain and the wider world. It aims to enable young people to hold informed and balanced conversations about religions and beliefs. It sets out to provide a safe environment where they can explore their own ideas and learn to evaluate the opinions of others.
- Understanding Christianity The key purpose of this project is to help all teachers support pupils in developing their own thinking and their understanding of Christianity, as a contribution to their understanding of the world and their own experience within it.
- NATRE: National Association of Teachers of RE NATRE is the subject teacher association for RE professionals. It works to support those who teach and lead in all schools and institutions and at all stages of their career.
- National Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education NASACRE works to support, strengthen and promote the work done by local SACREs and represents the interests of members at a national level.
- What is the Meaning of Life? Listen to the views of Children and Young People
- RE:Online The place for RE excellence
- RE:Online - Festivals Calendar This festivals calendar is provided by the Shap Working Party.
- RE Professional Development Portal This PD Portal is designed as a one stop shop for teachers and others involved in RE to find out about professional development opportunities of all kinds.
- Religions of the World A specially designed "You Tube" series for teaching Religious Studies to pupils aged 3 and above. It explores the different religions of the world and their well-know stories.
- RE Today Services RE Today Services works nationally and internationally to support Religious Education in schools. It is committed to the teaching of the major world faiths in Religious Education, and to an accurate and fair representation of their beliefs, values and practices in all its teaching materials.
