Religious Education
Statement of intent for the Religious Education curriculum
The starting point for the Religious Education curriculum is the Manchester Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education 2016-21 for pupils from Reception to Year 6 and Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage (Making relationships; managing feelings and behaviour; People and communities). The units of work suggested in this syllabus have been used to develop a Religious Education curriculum for the pupils. The curriculum has been made bespoke through coverage of the five main world religions, humanism and atheism, as well as the three-part sequence to each unit of work; knowledge-giving, enquiry and personal response to the big questions. The Religious Education curriculum engages pupils through the enquiry of significant human questions which religion and world views address. This approach enables pupils to understand and develop the skills needed to appreciate and appraise varied responses to these questions, as well as develop responses of their own. Resources are adapted, when necessary, to ensure SEND and disadvantaged pupils can access all aspects of the same curriculum.
The Religious Education curriculum is sequenced in a way to enable pupils to build on their prior knowledge as they move throughout school. Pupils revisit each of the 5 main religions throughout the year and build on their prior knowledge. The Religious Education curriculum addresses the typical gaps in knowledge for our pupils by the inclusion of the main world religions as well as the viewpoints of humanism and atheism. Through the Religious Education curriculum and associated field trips, pupils learn about the varied world views and use these to respond to philosophical enquiries. Pupils have access secondary sources and high quality reference material in the school library and from trusted resources.
Where reluctance to participate (for a number of factors) is present, every effort is made to work in partnership with the parents and the community to overcome these. This ensures the Religious Education curriculum prepares the pupils for life in modern Britain, where they will need to demonstrate mutual tolerance and respect, collective responsibility and observe the right to individual liberty. This is in accordance with the Equality 2010, which identified religion and beliefs as protected characteristics. This is also reflected in the school vision of being a "harmonious place."