Religious Education

In Church of England schools, where pupils and staff come from all faiths and none, religious education (RE) is a highly valued academic subject that enables understanding of how religion and beliefs affect our lives. At the heart of RE in church schools is the teaching of Christianity and pupils also learn about other faiths and world views.

At Ash Primary School and Nursery we utilise the statutory programme for Somerset 'Awareness, Mystery and Values' as a basis for our curriculum. This also includes some teaching about Humanism. We also materials from the cornerstones curriculum 'Projects' to enrich our learning in RE throughout the year.

Intent

We aim to  engage and challenge our pupils through an exploration of core concepts and questions in Religious Education. We want to ensure that our children leave with valuable knowledge and understanding of the key features of world religions. We aim to provide opportunities for them to understand the role of foundational texts, beliefs, rituals, and practices and how they help form identity in a range of religions and worldviews.

Pupils should explore how these may change in different times, places and cultures.

Implementation

All pupils study six projects per year, one per half-term, and these may be related to Christianity, or another world religion. Teachers use both the statutory AMV (Awareness, Mystery and Value) programme for Somerset Schools, and materials from the Cornerstones projects. 

Religious Education is taught through practical lessons weekly or two-weekly to include art activities, trips and visits and multimedia. 

Teachers use a range of resources to expose pupils to beliefs and cultures from around the world including celebrations, foods and worship experiences. 

Impact

We aim for all our pupils to talk confidently about their learning in RE and ask big questions about religious ideas. 

We hope all children will leave the school with a range of experiences to draw on in their continuing education. 

We measure the impact of our work through termly scrutiny of children's work, regular pupil voice and through moderation activities. 

What do the projects cover? 

The projects cover six world religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. There are six projects per year, from Year 1 to Year 6. They are sequenced so that children’s knowledge of each religion builds over time.  

Central to each project is a significant religious festival or celebration. Download our free World festivals and celebrations calendar for a handy overview of these celebrations and in which term they could be taught. Each project gives children the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and understanding of the significant people, teachings, beliefs and practices of each religion.  

To help children to learn and use the correct vocabulary, the projects introduce keywords and offer resources with a focus on language and vocabulary.  

Naturally, some project content also helps you to cover PSHE (personal, social, health and economic) education skills. These opportunities are identified in the projects., such as when children explore love, community, similarity and difference.