To be one, to be united is a great thing. But to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater - Bono
The UK has a rich heritage of culture and different belief systems and it is vital that young people are given opportunities to reflect on how different beliefs affect them and those around them.
Religious Education (RE) contributes to education by provoking challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human.
In RE pupils learn about and from religions and world views in local, national and global contexts, to discover, explore and consider different answers to these questions. They learn to weigh up the value of wisdom from different sources, to develop and express their insights in response, and to agree or disagree respectfully.
At John Burns Primary School, we believe that it is vital for all our pupils to learn about and from religion, so that they understand the world around them.
Learning about religion and beliefs
Know about and understand a range of religious and non-religious beliefs and worldviews so that they can:
• Describe, explain and analyse beliefs and practices and how these beliefs influence the lives of adherents
• Recognise the diversity which exists within and between communities and individuals and challenge simplistic representations of religion
• Identify, investigate and respond to questions posed, and the responses offered, by different sources of wisdom and authority
• Appreciate the nature and significance of the different ways of life studied, explaining why they are important to different individuals and communities.
Learning from religion and beliefs
Express insights about the nature and significance of different worldviews and gain the skills needed to engage seriously with different worldviews so that they can:
• Explain their ideas about how beliefs and practices influence individuals and communities
Express with increasing discernment their personal reflections and critical responses to questions and teachings about identity, meaning and value
• Appreciate the different forms in which beliefs can be expressed and celebrated
• Explore how beliefs form a part of individual and communal identities and how moral values are formed from these beliefs
• Engage in critical study of a range of sources of knowledge, recognizing bias and differences in interpretation
• Enquire into what enables individuals and communities to live together respectfully in a pluralistic society
• Develop positive attitudes and values and relate their learning to their own experiences of the world.
Key Stage 1 and 2
Different beliefs are studied both thematically, such as topics on leaders or places of worship, and discretely, such as a scheme of work on Easter. Pupils should begin to use basic subject specific vocabulary and raise questions, beginning to express their own views about what they have learnt. Teachers should encourage pupils to learn about the place of religion and belief in their local community, recognising diversity and the influence of those religions and beliefs. They should be given opportunities to talk about meaning, purpose and the value of life.
RE at John Burns reflects the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian, while taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain and our school context, such as Islam, and also different world views such as atheism and humanitarianism.
All the major world religions (Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Sikhism) and Humanism are covered by the end of Key Stage 2.
Where possible, pupils benefit from visiting places of worship or being visited by speakers. Opportunities to explore places of worship and invite faith speakers in are outlined in the RE scheme of work.