The 2002 Education Act states: The [RE] curriculum for a maintained school or maintained nursery school satisfies the requirements of this section if it is a balanced and broadly based curriculum which –

· promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society,

· prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.

Through our teaching of RE we aim to:

· develop awareness of spiritual and moral issues in life’s experiences

· increase knowledge and understanding of five out of six, major world faiths and one non-religious world view

· reflect upon a sense of identity and what it means to belong

· enhance understanding of religious traditions and practices

· develop investigative and research skills to enable children to make informed judgments

· develop discussion skills and give children opportunities to talk about emotions and choices

· encourage children to reflect upon their own experiences and develop a personal response to the fundamental questions of life

· promote respect and tolerance for other people’s views

· prompt children to consider their responsibilities to themselves and others

· celebrate the cultural diversity of modern Britain. Procedures and Principles

Approaches

RE is a non-statutory foundation subject in the National Curriculum and the fundamental knowledge, skills and understanding of the subject are set out in the National Curriculum programmes of study. RE is taught at Bournemouth Park using the Love To Celebrate materials from the Cornerstones Curriculum. There is a planned balance of material drawn from the five out of six, major religions of the world, (Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism).  For the academic year 2022-2023, we have introduced some non-religious world views (focusing on Humanism as a base) into our curriculum.  We have done this by using at least one of the "Big Questions" from the Southend Syllabus.

RE lessons should be delivered in an exciting way e.g. discussions, school visitors and trips, drama, artwork, posters, letter writing, ICT etc. Worksheets should be avoided wherever possible.  As a basis, all pupils will be taught Fingertip knowledge.  This is where pupils will learn, and continually review five key facts of the religion - name of believers, name of God/Deity, name of holy book, name of place of worship and symbol.

Progression

From September 2022, it has been decided to alter the way the different beliefs are taught to help pupils retain information and gain a deeper understanding of each view.  The religion's each year will focus on are as follows:

• Year 1 - Judaism, Christianity and Humanism.
• Year 2 - Sikhi, Judaism, Christianity and Humanism.
• Year 3 - Islam, Sikhi, Judaism, Christianity and Humanism.
• Year 4, 5 and 6 - Hindu Dharma, Islam, Sikhi, Judaism, Christianity and Humanism.

The year, that a new religion is introduced, that year group will complete 2 half-terms on the new religion.  The current overview for the school is below, although this is subject to change, in agreement with the RE lead.

Assessment

Teacher assessments are recorded in line with the school’s assessment procedures. All pupils will have an assessment sheet in the back/front of their Personal Development books and staff will assess against the key skills that are taught across all faiths.

Pupils are entitled to access the RE curriculum at a level appropriate to their needs arising from race, gender, ability or disability. Parents/carers have the right to withdraw their child from RE, either in part or whole. In such circumstances parents are encouraged to discuss this with the Principal. A register of children who are withdrawn from RE is kept by the RE Subject Leader. Class teachers are made aware of any child who has been withdrawn from RE / collective worship. Staff may also withdraw from teaching and participating in RE lessons and will need to discuss this with the Principal.