RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
OUR CURRICULUM INTENT
At Mayfield Church of England Primary School, the Religious Education curriculum plays an integral role in defining the school’s distinctive Christian character. Our Religious Education curriculum is underpinned by the school’s four main Christian Values of compassion, respect, responsibility and perseverance. RE holds a significant role in shaping children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The curriculum promotes open mindedness and encourages pupils to be respectful and understanding citizens who are sensitive to the beliefs of others. RE lessons encourage children to explore, engage and reflect on a wide range of religious beliefs and practices. RE plays a vital role in developing religious literacy and deepening pupils’ understanding of Christianity, in all its forms. Our pupils are encouraged to develop an appreciation and understanding of religious beliefs different to their own, and worldviews in the local, national and wider global community.
IMPLEMENTATION
At Mayfield Primary School, we have high ambitions for every pupil, and the RE curriculum is designed to enhance the children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development whatever their background or circumstances. The children are taught to understand and respect the importance of religious beliefs in the world around them, allowing them to deepen their understanding across the curriculum of other subjects such as geography and history.
The syllabus aims to allow pupils to explore themes and concepts within religion, drawing on beliefs from a range of different faiths and world views. We aim to ensure that the RE curriculum is challenging, dynamic and relevant to pupils in all year groups using an enquiry approach to encourage higher-order thinking which allows the children to explore in a way that is meaningful to them as they are able to shape their own learning. We use the Agreed Syllabus for RE developed by East Sussex and The Emmanuel Project as the basis for our curriculum which covers Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Hinduism. We value the religious background of all members of the school community. All religions are treated with respect and sensitivity and value the links which are made between the school and other churches in the village. We are extremely lucky that members of our local church, St. Dunstan’s, regularly visit our school to lead our Collective Worship. Children are also provided with opportunities to meet visitors from different faiths. Where visits are not possible, children are encouraged to use videos and the internet to enhance their learning. Each class has a quiet reflection area that enables children to develop their own spirituality throughout their journey at Mayfield. Teachers undertake regular formative assessments during each term to monitor progress and identify if support is needed.
IMPACT
Through the teaching of RE, the aim is to develop the children’s awareness of their own spirituality. The impact of this curriculum design is outstanding progress over time so that the children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Through their RE learning, the children will be able to make links between their own lives and those of others in their community and in the wider world, developing an understanding of other people’s cultures and ways of life, which is invaluable in an ever changing world.