RE at Westmorland Primary School

INTENT:
At Westmorland Primary School we are committed to developing all children by giving MORE. Our curriculum is based around Memorable Learning, Oracy, Reading and Experiences.
Through the teaching of Religious Education, staff actively promote values, including British Values. Following the Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education means that RE makes a positive contribution to pupils’ learning. Our aim is for knowledge and skills developed by RE to contribute to pupils’ readiness to participate in life in modern, diverse Britain and in a plural world. This area of learning is not about making pupils into believers but tries to help them become literate and articulate about religions and beliefs, and to be thoughtful members of a plural society, so that in learning from religion, they are able to make informed choices about how they want to live their lives whilst also understanding more about the faith of other people they meet. 

IMPLEMENTATION:

Religious Education is unique in the school curriculum in that it is neither a core nor a foundation subject. However, the Guidance released in 2010 views it as an important curriculum subject. Parents/carers are, however entitle to exercise the right to withdraw their child from RE on request, on the grounds that they wish to provide their own religious education.

At Westmorland Primary School, we follow the Manchester, Salford, Tameside, Stockport and Trafford agreed syllabus 2016-2021, to teach high-quality, meaningful RE to all children across the Early Years Foundation Stage, Key Stage One and Key Stage Two curriculum.

It has been agreed that, having taken into account the requirements and guidelines presented in the agreed syllabus, the following religions will be studied in Key Stage 1:
•    Christianity
•    Judaism
•    Islam

And in Key Stage 2:
•    Christianity
•    Judaism
•    Islam
•    Hinduism

We also cover the basic principles of Humanism and other non-religious views at this point.

At Westmorland Primary School, we make no presumptions about the religious backgrounds, beliefs or values of either children or staff. Individuals are freely encouraged share their own experiences and we treat all religious beliefs with respect and sensitivity. We value the links which exist between home, school and faith community and, to this end, we are extremely fortunate to have strong links with our local church, St. Luke’s and its clergy.
We acknowledge that studying religion contributes to the education of all our pupils and, as previously stated, our aim is for knowledge and skills developed through open enquiry and, wherever possible, first-hand experiences, to contribute to pupils’ 
RE lessons support the whole school ethos to promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Staff at Westmorland Primary School believe that every subject and every teacher have a duty to promote pupils’ SMSC development. 

RE is taught through a mixture of weekly RE lessons and RE days ensuring EYFS and KS1 children receive their 35 hours per year and KS2 children receive their 45 hours per year of direct Religious Education training. Planning follows the agreed ‘Progression of Skills’ document, based upon the agreed syllabus, ensuring continuity. Careful attention is paid to what has been taught before and what is will follow. Progression is the development of knowledge and understanding, skills, concepts, and attitudes in a key stage and in relation to subsequent key stages. It is achieved through building on earlier learning.
We know that our pupils need to dream, achieve and have high aspirations. At Westmorland Primary School, implementation of the RE curriculum helps them to do this. 

IMPACT:

The impact of teaching RE ensures that all children:
•    Know, understand and respect different religions, backgrounds, cultures and ways of life
•    Are able to express ideas and insights about different religions, faiths and beliefs as well as how this might influence people from different backgrounds
•    Gain and deploy skills to engage with different religions so that they can develop skills to question and inquire further about different religions and beliefs responsibly as well as being able to understand how different communities live together equally and respectfully
The pupils at Westmorland Primary School enjoy learning about religion and religious belief/practice, and why people choose or choose not to follow a religion.
Through their learning in RE, children become more able to make links between their own lives and those of others in their community and wider world. They develop and deepen their understanding of other people’s cultures and ways of life.
High-quality teaching in RE is, therefore, invaluable in an ever-changing world.