Religious Education

"RE support the development of children who are reflective, respectful, understanding and critical-thinkers who are open to the views of wider society."

Religious Education

Our curriculum

At Bishop Aldhelm’s we want our children to show awareness and understanding of the world around them. Our RE curriculum is built upon our school vision influenced by Psalm 23 ‘The Lord is our shepherd, we have everything we need’. Children are asked a big question each half term that encourages critical thinking skills, open-mindedness and prepares them to make their own decisions in the future about what religion means to them. Our curriculum is shaped around the Discovery RE and Understanding Christianity schemes of work. The curriculum ensures the children develop a deep knowledge and understanding of a variety of worldviews while appreciating the similarities and differences these have and showing understanding of the views of others. 

Our Intent for our Religious Education Curriculum

Our RE curriculum is designed to meet the content requirements of the locally agreed syllabus for Bournemouth and Poole. There is a set amount of time specified in the agreed syllabus for each religion. We draw ideas upon the ‘Understanding Christianity’ scheme of work and the ‘Discovery RE’ scheme of work to ensure that we are covering the depth and breadth required through the locally agreed syllabus. 

At Bishop Aldhelm’s we want the RE our children learn to be Exciting, Engaging, Enquiring, Challenging, Reflective and Enjoyable.

We are a DiscoveryRE Flagship School! - December 2019

Our Implementation for our Religious Education Curriculum

Our RE lessons are based on a big question each half term, we make connections and collect clues to help us to answer the big question. Our work is concept driven and we often focus on key words to develop religious literacy and equip us with the skills we need to discuss religion. We use individual work books to record our work as well as class portfolios where we display creative samples of RE activities such debating, drama and group work. Most Religious Education is taught discretely as a block week each half term but where suitable it is linked with other subject work.

We currently learn about Christianity, Judaism and Islam in Key Stage One and Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam and Judaism in Key Stage Two.  We are also introduced to Humanism as a non-religious world view with sessions in Year 6. We may also consider different religions alongside global learning and interfaith projects. We have regular visits and visitors as part of our RE curriculum and have outdoor learning opportunities on our school grounds. RE lessons often include Philosophy for Children, circle time, critical thinking, learning from believers (email interviews, visitors, film clips) and opportunities to unpack concepts through drama, art and ICT. Our RE helps us to learn about diversity in the UK and around the world.

The impact of our Religious Education Curriculum

Through our sessions, children should be able to access their key words to help them to discuss, recall knowledge and understand religion in society. Specific skills for Religious Education will have been developed including;

EYFS/KS1

• retelling religious stories
• recognising symbols
• sharing my opinions
• asking questions
• responding positively to differences and similarities 

KS2

• making connections between words of wisdom
• can reflect on their own values and those of a believer
• can understand different ways of life and ways to express meaning
• can ask and have the skills to answer, ultimate and ethical questions from their viewpoint and that of a believer
• discuss issues and support the development of community cohesion whilst challenging prejudice 

Our ongoing skills development include Critical Thinking, Religious Tolerance, Investigation, Interpretation, Reflection, Evaluation, Analysis, Synthesis, Application, Expression, Self-Understanding, Communication, Problem Solving.

Our curriculum

We want children to leave Bishop Aldhelm’s being able to:

* ask questions and share their own opinions about what they think about an idea in response to open questions

* know about a range of different faiths and world views with a focus on Christianity.

* respond to RE learning in a range of creative outputs. There should be a balance of learning recorded in books and in portfolios, including children’s thoughts about their learning displayed alongside these.

Whole School Long Term Plan

Foundation Stage

What makes people special?	Why do Christians perform Nativity plays at Christmas?
How do people celebrate?	Why do Christians put a cross in an Easter garden?
What makes places special?	What can we learn from stories?

Year 1

Why are Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur important to Jewish children?	Why does Christmas matter to Christians?
Was it always easy for Jesus to show friendship?	Why does Easter matter to Christians?
Who made the world?	Why is Shabbat important to Jewish children?

 Year 2

What did Jesus Teach? (Is it possible to be kind to everyone all the time?)	What is the good news that Jesus brings?
How does praying at regular intervals every day help a Muslim in his/her everyday life?	What do Christians believe God is like?
How does going to the Mosque give Muslims a sense of belonging?	How does completing Hajj make a person a better Muslim?

 Year 3

How does joining the Khalsa make a person a better Sikh?	What is trinity?
What do Christians learn from the Creation Story?	Why do Christians call the day Jesus died as ‘Good Friday’?
Why do Sikhs think that it is important to share?	What is the best way for a Sikh to show commitment to God?

 Year 4

How special is the relationship Jews have with God?	What is it like for Christians to follow God?
How important is it for Jewish people to do what God asks them to do?	Why do Christians call the day Jesus died as ‘Good Friday’?
What is the best way for a Jew to show commitment to God?	When Jesus left, what was the impact of Pentecost?

 Year 5

What is the best way for a Hindu to show commitment to God?	Was Jesus the Messiah?
How can Brahman be everywhere and in everything?	What do Christians believe (What did) Jesus do to save Human Beings?
Do beliefs in Karma, Samsara and Moksha help Hindus lead good lives?	What does it mean for Christians if God is holy and loving?

Year 6

What is the best way for a Muslim to show commitment to God?	What would Jesus do?
Creation and Science: Conflicting or complementary? Is anything eternal? (Humanism)	What difference does the resurrection make for Christians?
Does belief in Akhirah (life after death) help Muslims lead good lives?

Additional opportunities for RE include visits to local places of worship; St Aldhelm’s Church, Salisbury Cathedral, Bournemouth Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, Bournemouth Islamic Centre, Southampton Nanaksar Gurdwara. We take part in the Harvest services, Christmas services and Easter Experience days at St Aldhelm’s Church and have regular visits from PACE Trust (Programme for Applied Christian Education) who help lead RE lessons, transition for Year 6 and various worships across the year.  

As a Church of England school, we have close links with our patronal church, St. Aldhelm’s Church in Branksome and we regularly use it for festivals and important occasions with our pupils. This adds to the quality of our provision and the distinctiveness of the Christian education we offer and character we develop in our children. The school works in partnership with St. Aldhelm’s in a diverse range of ways which enriches the lives of learners, including provision of a place of worship on a Sunday, improving the quality of school worship experienced through shared delivery and through shared fundraising e.g. at Harvest collecting for Poole Food Bank.

Worships

A wide variety of worship takes place in school. There are times each week when the school meets as key stages or year groups. These times are led by various members of staff, visitors from local churches or groups of children (e.g. the School Council). They follow a broadly Anglican pattern of worship but a huge variety of presentational devices are used. We use a programme entitled ‘God’s Storyteller’ presented as a story to unpick themes developed in the bible and through the teachings of Jesus. These themes are then fed into the worships across the rest of the week. We regularly use the school prayer to close our worships as a way of reflecting on the messages we have heard.

Parents do have the right to withdraw their children from worship by informing the Head Teacher in writing.

Daily Reflections

In class groups children take part in and experience a range of reflective activities. The daily act of reflection is intended to provide a space “set apart” from day-to-day routine, where children and staff may engage in quiet contemplation and children can develop the capacity to appreciate introspection.

Reflection may be referred to as an act of ‘mindfulness’. Practising mindfulness is allowing us to calm our minds so that we can live more in the present moment and deal more skilfully with whatever life throws at us, whether it’s good or bad. This allows us to improve or maintain the healthiness of our emotional well-being. The act of ‘mindfulness’ can be described as:

“Paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non judgementally.”

Jon Kabat-Zinn (Mindfulness researcher/Professor of medicine)

In our daily reflections children are provided with an experience of stillness and reflection which:

• is usually difficult for them to achieve in their busy day
• is integral to spiritual development
• helps them focus on their developing beliefs and values
• gives them space to consider the mystery which is at the heart of life
• supports their emotional development
• they can draw on at times of need