Religious Education

Our Religious Education Coordinator is Miss S Lockett.

Intent

At Towngate we follow the Wakefield Agreed Syllabus 2018 – 2023 which is carefully sequenced into a progression grid from Early Years to Year 6. Teachers use the Wakefield Agreed Syllabus and progression grid to develop Long Term and Medium Term plans to deliver the RE curriculum to all children.

The principle aim of RE at Towngate Primary Academy is to engage and ignite pupils in systematic enquiry into significant human questions which religion and worldviews address, so that they can develop the understanding and skills needed to appreciate and appraise varied responses to questions, as well as develop responses of their own. This is enriched by links with Kingsway Church in Ossett where we have additional activities through open bible stories and Prayer Space.

The RE curriculum is designed to support pupils to know about and understand a range of religions and worldviews, express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religions and worldviews. We want the children to gain and deploy the skills needed to engage seriously with religions and worldviews.

RE is delivered as a discrete subject and wherever possible cross curricular links are made,  particularly  with British values, PSHE and our values-based learning and SMSC.  Teachers make it explicit to the children that they are learning RE skills and encourage them to develop their own opinions and thoughts about the world. RE offers amazing opportunity for planned oracy engaging in discussions and debates about the learning intent.

Implementation

During RE lessons, a high focus is placed on oracy and discussion through the use of photographs, religious artefacts, art and music as a stimulus for discussion. Within lessons, teachers deliver new content in small steps, reviewing previous learning before teaching new learning to pupils. Teachers within the academy use the Wakefield Agreed Syllabus and progression grids to teach pupils correct vocabulary through the use of flashcards.

Within the classrooms, learning is captured by adding key information to working walls for Religious Education lessons. This works as a scaffold for children and supports pupils in developing their oracy to question and explore their own beliefs and those of others.

Children record their learning in a variety of different ways during RE lessons. Some of these include:

  • through written record within Holistic Learning books
  • through debate and oracy-based tasks
  • through art and exploration

Impact

At Towngate, we measure the impact of our RE curriculum through capturing pupil voice and feedback, sampling pupils’ work and through lesson observations.

As a result of the curriculum in place, pupils in RE:

  • Extend their knowledge and understanding of religions and beliefs.
  • Extend their ability to use religious vocabulary and interpret religious symbolism in a variety of forms.
  • Deepen their reflection on questions of meaning, offering their own thoughtful and informed insights into religious and non-religious views of life’s meaning and purpose.
  • Explore fundamental questions of beliefs and values in relation to a range of contemporary issues.
  • Appreciate the importance of religion in the lives of many people.
  • Grow in understanding of the influence of belief on behaviour, values and attitudes.
  • Consider their own beliefs, values and attitudes.
  • Consider religious perspectives on contemporary social and moral issues.