Being an RE Philosopher
Lead Philosopher: Miss Chiara Raicovi
Intent:
At Queen’s Crescent Primary School, we believe that it is vital for all our pupils to learn from and about religion, so that they can understand more about the world around them and the impact of different cultures on society. Throughout our Religious Education curriculum, we promote British values through valuing a wide range of faith communities. Pupils develop their knowledge of the world faiths, and their understanding and awareness of the beliefs, values and traditions of other individuals, societies, communities and cultures. It is our intent to engage, inspire, challenge and encourage pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to ask, and answer, challenging questions. Our curriculum promotes respect and open-mindedness towards others with different faiths and beliefs and encourages pupils to develop their sense of identity and belonging through self-awareness and reflection.
The RE curriculum is organised within the following strands:
Our curriculum has been specifically designed so that:
Aims:
The national curriculum for religious education aims to ensure that all pupils:
RE has an important part to play as part of a broad, balanced and coherent curriculum to which all pupils are entitled. High quality learning experiences in
How do we teach RE and why has this approach been chosen?
RE is delivered as a discrete subject, and where relevant, cross curricular links are formed. Pupils are encouraged to think like a ‘Philosopher’ during RE lessons.
RE lessons are taught throughout the whole year in classes. Each class has access to one hour of high quality RE each week. We follow a scheme of planned lessons, using Discovery RE, which has been created to offer a broad range of study for children studying RE. In Key Stage 1, children begin to look at other religions, focusing on celebrations and rituals. In Key Stage 2, we offer a wider range of learning opportunities about the world’s religions including deeper understanding of the origin of those religions and their key stories and teachings. Throughout both key stages, emphasis on personal growth and community cohesion is evident, allowing for personal development for the children from Key Stage 1 to the end of Key Stage 2.
What our RE Lessons involve:
Re-cap prior knowledge |
These information recall activities may involve :
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New information presented in small and simple steps |
Children are then given time to practise applying the new knowledge, in an effort to support working memory. |
Teachers pose carefully considered questions |
This allows pupils to deepen their understanding. |
Clear modelling |
Teacher demonstrate a new concept or approach to learning. |
Quality verbal feedback |
Giving pupil regular and consistent verbal feedback allows for instant learning opportunities. |
Scaffolding |
Children’s activities are matched to their needs. The learning is broken up into chunks and pupils are provided with the tools and structures needed to be successful. |
A range of learning opportunities |
Through structured learning, pupils are able to apply their knowledge in a range of ways including, but not limited to, discussions, drawings and written tasks. |
Children’s learning is documented in wider curriculum books.
RE outcomes:
Religious education is monitored by the Philosopher Lead (RE) through teacher conferencing and feedback, book looks and use of a consistent assessment method, throughout the year. Pupil conferencing is another means of monitoring, although due to COVID-19, this has been difficult to implement.
Teachers continually assess children in RE lessons and complete an assessment at the end of each enquiry using key questions of the previous learning. Progression grids act as a reference for end of year expectations for each year group and teachers are aware of the entry and exit points for their children.
The lead philosopher (RE) works closely with the link governor to assess the impact of religious education curriculum each year.
Being a Queen's Crescent RE Philosopher Progression Document