RE

Religious Education makes a unique contribution to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our pupils and supports wider community cohesion.  Our society has a rich heritage of culture and diversity.  Religion and belief for many people forms a crucial part of their culture and identity. At Hayes School we aim to teach children about Christianity and a broad range of other religions, their beliefs and practices and how they worship from EYFS to year 6. The children will develop their knowledge and understanding of different religions and be encouraged to respect their beliefs as well as promoting their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The RE curriculum aims to promote children’s awareness of a range of cultures both in the community they live and beyond. Throughout the progressively structured RE curriculum,  children gain an understanding of how religion and beliefs inform our values and are reflected in what we say and how we believe as humans.  

The RE curriculum aims to:  

• make sense of a range of religious and non-religious beliefs exploring what people believe and how this influences how they live their lives, 

•  understand the impact and significance of religious and non-religious beliefs, 

• make connections between religious and non-religious beliefs so they are able to gain knowledge and skills which will equip them to be able to consider questions that are raised,

• understand the importance of respecting the values and beliefs of others that may differ from theirs.

At Hayes School we follow the Devon and Torbay Agreed syllabus. Teachers at Hayes will use the syllabus to deliver inspiring and thought-provoking lessons where the children will learn about a wide range of celebrations, festivals and the traditions followed by different religions. Children  will also explore  diversity within religions themselves, as well as looking at the similarities and differences of traditions across a number of faiths. Through carefully planned sessions, children will be able to reflect and retrieve information from previous learning in order to develop their knowledge and understanding further in each year group. This will allow the children to gain knowledge, understanding and skills that they need to handle questions raised by religion and belief and aligns with our overall curriculum aim of developing children as thinkers. Children will develop their knowledge and understanding by working with friends, sharing personal opinions and experiences, listening to each other and visitors with an open mind posing questions to actively extend their own progress.  Teachers will plan a creative curriculum which includes the use of real artefacts, food tasting, interactive stories and video tours or visiting places of worship.  Children’s knowledge and learning experiences and their voice will be shared in our Values Books reflecting the high quality teaching and learning that takes place.

EYFS children develop their religious knowledge through their understanding of the world. Much of their knowledge is acquired spontaneously through their own interests as well as through carefully planned activities where the children are filled with joy and excitement as they explore and learn. The children are able to develop knowledge in a “hands on” approach as festivals and celebrations occur across the year over different religions. The children especially love being able to participate in a fantastic Nativity and  finding out about why Christians celebrate Easter.

Year 1 pupils have many opportunities to build on their knowledge from EYFS, thinking carefully about what it means to belong to a faith community and how we feel when we belong to a group of people. The children are able to begin finding out about what it means to be Jewish, their beliefs and some of the ways that they live. The children are encouraged to ask questions and think about how their lives may differ or be the same from someone who is Jewish. There are many lovely parables in the Bible and year 1 have a great time sharing and discussing some of these parables. Through drama, conversations and art the children are able to learn together what a parable is and the meanings within them.

Year 2 children are able to explore a range of religious and non- religious units over the year, such as exploring the importance of Christmas for Christians. Part of this unit is participating in a wonderful Christmas performance, where the children are able to have hands-on experience of the joy and magic of Christmas as they celebrate with their friends and family.  The children learn to think about Muslims, who they are and what they believe. Through carefully sequenced lessons, children find out about Muhammed and the importance of the Prophet Muhammed’s stories.

Year 3 children are able to explore a range of religious and non- religious units over the year, such as exploring the importance of Christmas for Christians. Part of this unit is participating in a wonderful Christmas performance, where the children are able to have hands-on experience of the joy and magic of Christmas as they celebrate with their friends and family.  The children learn to think about Muslims, who they are and what they believe. Through carefully sequenced lessons, children find out about Muhammed and the importance of the Prophet Muhammed’s stories.

In year 4, the children have the exciting opportunity to begin learning about and developing knowledge about life as a Hindu for the first time. The children are introduced to what it is like to be a Hindu in Britain, some of their key beliefs and how this impacts on their actions in their daily lives. The children are able to find out about Diwali and compare it with celebrations and festivals in other religions.  The children have the opportunity to build on their knowledge from previous years and develop a deeper understanding of Christianity including finding out what we mean when we talk about the Holy Trinity,  Easter, the impact of Pentecost and how it impacts on a Christian’s beliefs and way of life. Towards the end of the year, the children are tasked with finding out how people mark significant events. This gives the children the opportunity to consider a range of religions and non-religious beliefs and how they are similar and different.

Throughout the year, the children have many opportunities to develop their knowledge and understanding of a range of religions. Through their learning experiences, the children are encouraged to consider their own opinions, ask questions and think critically about their own values and beliefs as well as how beliefs and values influence a person’s actions. They try to answer big questions such as; How do Christians decide to live and what would Jesus do? Why do Christians believe Jesus was the Messiah and what does it mean to be a Muslim in Britain today? These learning opportunities mean the children are able to research, debate, discuss and think deeply about how people choose to live in their local and wider community.

Year 6 is an exciting time here at Hayes, the children have gathered, discussed and had hands-on practical experiences of a range of religious and non-religious events. They have celebrated together, found out about festivals in school as well as out in their own community. Now, as they enter their last year of primary school, they are able to take this knowledge and learn how to have deep and thought provoking discussion around topics such as creation and science - Do they conflict with each other or compliment each other? They will be encouraged to explore ideas around why some people believe in God and others do not, considering how it affects their lifestyle. As they think and talk about different religions and beliefs, they will use their thoughts and knowledge to explore how faith can support and help people through challenging times.