Intent

At Beechwood, we want all pupils to think for themselves and care for others. Through the teaching of our RE curriculum, pupils learn about a range of religions and their beliefs and values: developing a respect for different belifs and cultures. Through learning different religious stories, we want children to learn morals and values. In our lessons, we want children to think for themselves by making connections between different religions and using their prior knowledge to deepen their understanding. 

Implementation

From EYFS, up to Year 6, our children are taught the essential knowledge and skills taken from the Early Years Framework 2021 and the National Curriculum 2014. Our well-planned journey through the RE curriculum helps our pupils to build upon their prior learning and apply past knowledge to new situations; we are passionate about ensuring that our children’s learning transfers to their long-term memory. To ensure that this happens we constantly revisit concepts and themes both within year groups and subjects and across year groups and different subjects where applicable.
As soon as children come to our school, RE gives them valuable insights into the diverse beliefs and opinions held by people today. It helps with their own personal development and supports an understanding of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural questions that will surface again and again in their lives. We aim to encourage our children to value themselves and the communities within which they live. Our pupils learn from and about the Christian religion and other world faiths, so they can understand and appreciate the world around them. We encourage our pupils to ask questions about the world and to reflect on their own beliefs, values, experiences, behaviour, religious ideas and attitudes as well as consideration, bravery, loyalty and truthfulness. We include and promote British Values, ensuring that children are aware of their rights and responsibilities as UK citizens. Our curriculum encourages creativity, imagination, enquiry, debate, discussion and independence.
We use the Halton chosen syllabus (Lancashire Agreed syllabus) effectively throughout school which ensures that there is key progression across phases in both knowledge and enquiry skills. Children learn about the principal religions and non -religions in the UK, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Judaism. Through creative teaching and learning opportunities, children will be challenged. Staff use the progression maps to plan lessons that challenge all learners and ensure that children are building on their prior learning thus deepening their knowledge and understanding and developing their skills. British Values and SMSC will be linked to RE sessions where they can, and a holistic approach will be developed.
RE will give all learners the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life and meet each individual’s needs. They will develop empathy and understanding needed to be a citizen in the modern world.
Teaching of RE is also enhanced by trips and visits, we have connections with local churches and places of worship which help pupils to see what they have learnt in a real life setting. 

Impact

The impact of RE is evident in the respect and care that our children show when visiting places of worship and celebrating different festivals. By using retrieval tasks and defining in context maps, we are able to see how children build upon their prior learning to develop a secure understanding of different religions.

Whilst it is compulsory that we teach in RE, parents/carers do have the right to withdraw their child from these lessons at anytime. Please contact your child’s teacher if you would like to withdraw your child.