Religious Education
Religious Education is an important element in the broad and balanced curriculum we aim to provide at Mitchell Brook Primary School. Through our RE curriculum we provide opportunities to develop children’s knowledge and understanding of world religions and reflect on the challenging questions that they provoke.
The aim of Religious Education is to learn about and from spiritual insights, beliefs and religious practices and to explore fundamental questions of human life. This will include helping children to:
*Develop knowledge and understanding of beliefs, values, traditions and religious institutions and their influence on the life of the believer and on communities and societies.
* Look for and learn from the wisdom contained in the stories, sayings and customs of religious and ethical traditions.
* Understand how to manage conflicts which may arise from differing views
* Develop the ability to make reasoned and informed choices concerning belief and behaviour.
* Enhance and reflect on their own spiritual, moral, emotional and cultural development.
* Develop a positive self-image through reflecting on their own beliefs and home traditions while respecting the right of others to hold beliefs different to theirs.
A curriculum overview map has been developed which incorporates all of these elements across the year groups. By the end of Pre-secondary, all children will have learnt about the beliefs, traditions and festivals of 6 major world religions. They will also compare these religions through key topics such as ‘Caring for our World’ and ‘Prayer and Worship.’. Children also get to handle artefacts from the different religions to enrich their experiences and learn about how these artefacts are used and treated by the different religions.
Children will engage in a range of activities to develop this knowledge and understanding, both within the classroom and outside. For example, they may be involved in dance workshops, art projects, assemblies, discussions with people different religious beliefs. Once a year, they will also have the opportunity to visit a range of places of worship such as the Kingsbury Gurdwara and Saint Mary’s Church. During these visits, children have the opportunity to experience other communities and explore the way in which they worship and what they believe. This developed understanding of different religions will help children to be tolerant members of society; this enables pupils to combat prejudice and understand why people have different beliefs.
| R.E. Curriculum Overview | |||
| Year Group | Autumn | Spring | Summer |
| Early Years | Myself Who am I? | Others How am I important to others? | Religion How do my beliefs and values begin? |
| Year 1 | Belonging What do we belong to? Why is it important to belong? How do religious people show they belong? | Light Why is light such a powerful symbol? How is light used in some religious traditions? | Caring for Each Other How do different traditions teach that people should care for each other? What happens when people don’t care about each other? |
| Year 2 | Food Where does food come from? How do different communities express beliefs and values through food? | Water Why is water important? How do different communities express beliefs and values through water? | Caring For Our World Why should we care for the natural world? What motivates faith communities to care for the natural world? What happens if we don‟t care for our environment? |
| Years 3 - 5 | Hinduism 1: A Hindu Story - Rama & Sita What does the story of Rama and Sita mean to Hindu people? Hinduism 2: More Hindu Stories What do Hindus learn from Vishnu's stories and symbols? | Hinduism 3: Even More Hindu Stories How can we learn about the lives and beliefs of Hindu people today? Judaism 1: Abraham, Isaac & Jacob Why is the Promised Land so important in Judaism? | Judaism 2: Joseph, Moses & The Exodus Why do Jews celebrate the festival of Passover? Judaism 3: Samuel, Saul, David and the Kingdom How do Jews today show the importance of the Jewish Temple and the Kingdom of Israel? |
| Pre-Secondary | Birth and Death Why do humans have ceremonies associated with birth and death? What do different communities believe about the relationship between life and death? | Prayer and Worship What is the difference between prayer, reflection and meditation? What does worship mean in different traditions? | Community How do children become part of their communities? What makes a strong community? What is the dialogue between different faith communities? |