Becoming The Best We Can Be
We use the Oxfordshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education to deliver RE at St Nicholas. This draws on the rich history of the major religious traditions in Britain, giving due prominence to Christianity to reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian, whilst taking account of the principal world faiths, local communities and non‐ religious beliefs that may form the family background of many children in our school. Our RE teaching challenges pupils to reflect on, engage with, question and explore their own and others’ understanding of life.
RE is taught as a separate subject in dedicated weekly RE Lessons. RE in Reception supports the achievement of the Early Learning Goals through appropriate subject content, according to the needs of the pupils. Throughout key stage 1, pupils explore key questions through conceptual enquiry into Christianity whilst also drawing from at least one of Hinduism, Islam or Judaism, as well as non‐religious worldviews as appropriate. Teachers should also take the pupils’ own background, experiences and questions into consideration. They learn about different beliefs about God and the world around them. They encounter and respond to a range of stories, artefacts and other religious materials. They learn to recognise that beliefs are expressed in a variety of ways, and begin to use specialist vocabulary. They begin to understand the importance and value of religion and belief, especially for other children and their families. Pupils ask relevant questions and develop a sense of wonder about the world, using their imaginations. They talk about what is important to them and others, valuing themselves, reflecting on their own feelings and experiences and developing a sense of belonging.
Progression is reflected in many ways with the Agreed Syllabus (see page 45 Progression and assessment) at the heart of this lies the important of planning learning experiences that will challenge pupils appropriate so that they gain skills and perspective as well as in knowledge and understanding.