Intent, Implementation, Impact
At Dropmore Infant School, we are committed to providing our children with a challenging, engaging and meaningful Religious Education (RE) curriculum that is inclusive for all learners. We also appreciate and value of the subject’s role in enabling pupils to achieve and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life in modern Britain and the wider world.
Through our curriculum, children will secure a deep understanding of concepts in order to be able to make connections, ask and respond to challenging questions, learn to respect and appreciate worldviews that are different to their own and consider their personal preconceptions, responses and views. Children will build their conceptual knowledge through studying religions and worldviews in our progressive curriculum, enabling them to make links and connections between worldviews, develop disciplinary skills and build on their understanding of their positionality in relation to their learning.
In line with the current Bucks Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education, RE will be delivered at Dropmore Infant School to enable the pupils to:
- To understand the nature, role and influence of religion and worldviews, locally, nationally, and globally.
- To reflect on questions of meaning, purpose and value.
- To formulate reasoned opinion and argument.
- To enter into meaningful dialogue with people of different beliefs and backgrounds, appreciating and celebrating diversity, recognising what we hold in common, and respecting a shared humanity that can be experienced, expressed, and responded to in diverse ways.
We have high ambitions for all pupils, including those with SEND, EAL and those from a disadvantaged background.
IMPLEMENTATION
EYFS
In the EYFS (our Reception class), RE is covered through both child-initiated activities and specific planned activities. Christianity is predominately covered, alongside other cultures and faiths represented in the school. Children have an allocated afternoon a week where they can take part in planned RE activities (e.g. circle time, show and tell, story time, arts and crafts). Sessions are carefully planned considering the knowledge, skills and vocabulary the children need to learn. We also ensure they link with and support the content the children will cover in Key Stage 1. RE is also considered in EYFS when teachers plan their termly topics e.g. ‘Celebrations’ and ‘Marvellous Me’. Finally, RE also takes part in the EYFS in unplanned, child-initiated opportunities and every day routines. RE work is recorded into a floorbook that sits in the book corner, children can refer to this throughout the school year, recalling their learning and revisiting their experiences of RE.
Key Stage 1
In Key Stage 1, we use the Kapow Primary Religion and Worldviews scheme to support our teaching. We have carefully mapped it against the Bucks Agreed Syllabus to ensure what is outlined in there, is met by this scheme.
It follows the spiral curriculum model, where units and lessons are carefully sequenced so that previous conceptual knowledge is returned to and built upon. Children progress by developing and deepening their knowledge and understanding of substantive and disciplinary concepts by experiencing them in a range of contexts. Children begin to develop their awareness of religion and worldviews in Key Stage 1, focusing on conceptual knowledge through the study of a limited range of religions and worldviews represented in the UK, including Christianity.
All year groups
- Lessons in both EYFS and KS1 are designed to be varied, engaging and hands-on, allowing children to learn and record their thoughts, answers and ideas in various ways.
- We have four key concepts areas that we focus on: beliefs, practices, wisdom and morality, and community and belonging. Within each key concept area, specific concepts are covered progressively as children move through the year groups
- Planning is carefully done and adaptive teaching is considered so all pupils can access lessons, and opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning are available when required.
- We have knowledge organisers in Key Stage 1 to support pupils, summarising the key concepts and knowledge covered in a unit
- In line with the Bucks Agreed Syllabus, our RE curriculum focuses on Christianity & Judaism to allow for greater depth but also covers other religions including Islam and Hinduism.
Whole School Events
All children take part in additional special days or assemblies throughout the year which cover a variety of religious and cultural festivals, such as Diwali and Eid. We aim for at least three events a year, in which the children may work in mixed ability year groups to learn about other faiths and cultural festivals in fun, engaging and practical ways.
Our curriculum design allows for cross-curricular links and involvement with parents or other members of the community. We also aim to visit at least one place of worship each year.
Children participate in collective worship unless parents specifically ask for them to be withdrawn.
IMPACT
The impact of the RE curriculum is constantly monitored through assessment opportunities including:
- End of term assessments in KS1 including end of unit quizzes and knowledge catchers
- End of term assessments in Reception with particular reference to ‘Understanding the World’
- Subject Leader monitoring – learning walks, book looks and lesson observations
- Staff meetings to discuss curriculum and children’s learning
- Pupil voice – surveys, questionnaires
- Teacher voice – staff meetings, INSETS
At Dropmore Infant School we envisage the curriculum impacting the children in the following ways. They will:
- Know and understand religious concepts relating to beliefs, practices, community and belonging, and wisdom and guidance.
- Develop an understanding of the influence of organised and personal worldviews on individuals, communities, countries and globally.
- Understand some of the ways religions and worldviews are studied (disciplinary knowledge).
- Develop understanding of their relationship with the content studied, being able to talk about their assumptions and preconceptions (personal knowledge).
- Build secure vocabulary which allows them to talk confidently and fluently about their learning.
- Answer questions about worldviews through an enquiry-based approach including investigating, interpreting, evaluating, applying and expressing.
- Talk about the similarities and differences between their own and others beliefs with respect and open mindedness.
- Understand the lived experiences of religious and non-religious worldviews to be diverse within and between people and communities.
- Develop an understanding of the ways in which personal and organised worldviews may develop and change across time and place.