What is R.E.?

Religious Education is a statutory part of the curriculum. R.E. makes a unique contribution to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural developments of children and supports wider community cohesion.

 

R.E. at Norwood Primary School

We follow Hampshire's Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education: Living Difference IV. This is a statutory framework which defines the matters, skills and processes to guide individual schools developing their curriculum for religious education. Our R.E. curriculum, which is informed by this agreed syllabus, requires children to focus on concepts which are particularly significant in human and religious experience. The children investigate these concepts through reflecting on and expressing their own responses, ideas and reactions, by enquiring into the meaning of the concepts and how religious people respond to them, and most importantly, children are encouraged to form and express their own opinions and responses to what they have discovered.

 

What is Living Difference IV?

The original Living Difference, first launched in September 2004, was the first syllabus in England and Wales to propose a specific methodology for teaching and learning in religious education, and was revised in 2011. Living Difference IV is more than just a teaching syllabus – it offers an emphasis on the process of teaching and learning based on enquiry into concepts, and on the importance of pupils developing and expressing their own beliefs and values. Teachers plan lessons with a process to guide them, and pupils have the opportunity to respond with their own thoughts, opinions and experiences. It also provides opportunities to promote children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development whilst developing their critical and creative thinking through enquiry. As a result, children are encouraged to be discerning, reflective, open minded and philosophical individuals. This is to develop their capacities and skills in how to think for themselves and encourages children to consider what they have explored, develop opinions and express those opinions from an informed position in a climate of respect and open mindedness.

 

Early Years Foundation Stage – Children are introduced to simple concepts, specifically around celebration, belonging and new life.

 

Key Stage 1 – Children work with concepts that are within their own experience for example; specialness, journeys and remembering.

 

Key Stage 2 - Children are required to study Christianity and two other religions. As from September 2016, alongside Christianity, we teach Judaism in Years 3 and 4 and Islam in Years 5 and 6.

 

What are the Key Skills?

The key skills of religious education in Living Difference IV are Communicate, Apply, Enquire, Contextualise and Evaluate. These enquiry skills are used to investigate various concepts: concepts which are common to all people (e.g. good and evil), concepts that are shared by many faiths (e.g. rituals) and, in Years 5 and 6, the introduction of concepts which are distinctive to particular religions (e.g. resurrection and incarnation).

 

Withdrawal from RE lessons;

Parents and carers have the right to withdraw their child from part or all of the R.E. curriculum. If parents or carers have any concerns about the RE curriculum they are welcome to discuss them with their child’s class teacher for clarification of content.