Religious Education
At Benedict Biscop. C.E. Academy our vision for our pupils is that With God all things are possible. This means that we want our pupils to have hope and aspiration, and that we aim to provide them the knowledge and understanding that will prepare them for life and enable them to flourish.
As part of our collective approach to achieve this, we provide an R.E. curriculum that teaches pupils to hold balanced and informed conversations about religions and world views and supports our pupils to grow up with curiosity, tolerance and respect for all, becoming courageous advocates for themselves and others.
Through our curriculum implementation we support and challenge pupils to reflect upon, develop and affirm their own beliefs, values and attitudes. We also strive to inspire children, through music, liturgy, stories and reflection, providing opportunities for spiritual development and personal reflection.
R.E. Curriculum
Due to the diversity of the population within the Sunderland area, our curriculum has been designed to enhance the knowledge of the lived experience of people of other faiths and of people of no faith. We feel this will support our pupils to have a developed understanding of the beliefs in the world around them as well as help them make links between their own lives and the lives of others, preparing them well for secondary school.
Our R.E. curriculum incorporates units from the Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Syllabus. We have developed a two year cycle in EYFS and KS1 to support mixed age delivery. Five of the principal religions in Britain are taught by the end of KS2: Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism and Judaism, with the greater emphasis and time allocation on Christianity, alongside non-religious world views.
Each Understanding Christianity unit incorporates the three elements:
-Making sense of the text – Developing skills of reading and interpretation; understanding how Christians interpret, handle and use Biblical texts; making sense of the meanings of texts for Christians
-Understanding the impact – Examining ways in which Christians respond to Biblical texts and teachings, and how they put their beliefs into action in diverse ways within the Christian community and in the world
-Making connections – Evaluating, reflecting on and connecting the texts and concepts studied, and discerning possible connections between these and pupils own lives and ways of understanding the world.
Each Understanding Christianity unit begins with a ‘way in’ and then offers teaching and learning ideas for each element. We have then chosen how to weave together the elements, from making sense of the text, through looking at the impact on the world of Christianity, and helping to make connections with the world of the pupil, in order to achieve the outcomes.
This format has also been mirrored in our other units to provide a clear structure for delivery.
For more information about our RE delivery, please see our RE protocol by clicking here.
Curriculum overview:
Teaching allocation
Weekly R.E. lessons are carefully planned and sequenced to ensure progression of knowledge. Children in KS1 and KS2 have a separate R.E book and floor book to record all their learning.
R.E. learning is further enriched through visits, such as Sunderland and Newcastle Mosque, Newcastle Reform Synagogue, Sunderland Gurdwara and Durham Cathedral. Recommended visitors are used to explore faiths and world views in more depth.
Teaching commitment:
EYFS: minimum of 36 hours of RE (50 minutes a week inclusive of adult led and as part of continuous provision)
KS1: minimum of 36 hours of tuition per year (an hour a week)
KS2: minimum of 45 hours of tuition per year (an hour and a quarter per week)
SEND
Our curriculum is fully inclusive and aspirational for all, including SEND.
Benedict Biscop promotes a curriculum that puts all pupils, regardless of their needs, at the heart of what we do. By building mutual respect, we accept others for their differences believing that everyone is special and everyone has something to offer. Our inclusive and enriching curriculum, written for all children, provides pupils with meaningful and aspirational experiences as well as promoting personal growth for life-long learning. When the curriculum needs adapting, to suit the needs of individual children, appropriate modifications are made by the class teacher with support of the SENDCo and the R.E. Subject Lead.
Reading in R.E.
Our curriculum includes a variety of texts – here are some examples:
Right to withdraw
RE is provided for all pupils, and is inclusive and broad minded. Parents do have the right to withdraw pupils from RE: if you wish to do this, make an appointment with the Headteacher. The school does not support selective withdrawal from RE.
Interested in finding out more?
If you would like to find out more about our curriculum. Please contact the school office by emailing BBinfo@nllt.co.uk and we will ask a member of staff to get back in touch a.s.a.p.
