Aims and purposes of RE
RE provides opportunities for children to:
- develop their knowledge and understanding of, and their ability to respond to, Christianity
and the other principal religions represented in Great Britain;
- explore issues within and between faiths to help them understand and respect different
religions, beliefs, values and traditions (including ethical life stories), and understand the
influence of these on individuals, societies, communities and cultures;
- consider questions of meaning and purpose in life;
- learn about religious and ethical teaching, enabling them to make reasoned and informed
judgements on religious and moral issues;
- develop their sense of identity and belonging, preparing them for life as citizens in a plural
society;
- develop enquiry and response skills through the use of distinctive language, listening and
empathy;
- reflect on, analyse and evaluate their beliefs, values and practices and communicate their
responses.
RE does not seek to urge religious beliefs on children nor to compromise the integrity of their
own beliefs by promoting one religion over another. It is not the same as collective worship,
which has its own place within school life.
Content of RE at key stages 1 and 2
During RE in key stages 1 and 2 children acquire and apply knowledge and understanding of:
- Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism;
- how these religions influence individuals, communities, society and the world.
As well as learning about religions, children also develop their ability to respond to what they
have learnt.
Language and communication
Children develop language skills through:
- talking about their work and presenting their own ideas using sustained and systematic
writing of different kinds;
- studying sacred texts and stories;
- extracting information from sources such as reference books, CD-ROMs, e-mails and the
internet.
Values and attitudes
Children:
- work with others, listening to each other's ideas, and treat others with respect;
- have opportunities to consider their own experiences, attitudes and values, and those of
other people;
- develop respect for evidence and critically evaluate ideas that may or may not fit the
evidence available;
- identify puzzling questions and suggest answers;
- develop their understanding of why certain things are held to be right or wrong;
- relate to moral and religious issues.
Building on children's earlier experiences
In reception and nursery classes children will have had opportunities to find out and learn
about the world they live in. These experiences are likely to have included:
- learning about the beliefs and cultures of others;
- sharing the celebration of different festivals;
- hearing stories from a variety of cultural and religious traditions.
RE is required to be taught to all registered children in schools. This includes
those in reception classes, and this scheme of work includes three units for reception
children: Units
RA,
RB
and
RC. Unit
RA,
which is about how harvest is celebrated in two different religions, aims to build
on children's early experiences by developing their knowledge and understanding
of celebration. Units
RB and
RC
focus on familiar feelings and experiences, including friendship and obedience.
Expectations
Progression in RE is shown through the different
expectations at each key stage. Levels 1 to 5 of the non-statutory national expectations
in RE can be found in the table below. The following
expectations are based on levels 2 and 4, which are the expectations for the majority
of children at the end of key stages 1 and 2 respectively.
By the end of key stage
1, most children will be able to: retell religious stories, identify some religious
beliefs, teachings and practices, and know that some are characteristic of more
than one religion. They suggest meanings in religious symbols, language and stories.
They respond sensitively to the experiences and feelings of others, including
those with a faith, and to other people's values and concerns in relation to matters
of right and wrong. They realise that some questions that cause people to wonder
are difficult to answer. (Level 2.)
By the end of key stage 2, most children will
be able to: describe the key beliefs and teachings of the religions studied, connecting
them accurately with other features and making some comparisons between religions.
They show understanding of what belonging to religions involves. They show how
religious beliefs, ideas and feelings can be expressed in a variety of forms,
giving meanings for some symbols, stories and language, using technical terminology.
They ask questions about the significant experiences of key figures, puzzling
aspects of life and moral and religious issues and suggest answers from their
own and others' experience, making reference to the teaching of religions and
showing understanding of why certain things are held to be right and wrong. (Level
4.)
Non-statutory national expectations in religious education (levels 1-5)
|
Attainment
target 1: Learning about religions Knowledge and understanding of: |
Attainment
target 2: Learning from religion Response, evaluation and application of
questions of: |
| beliefs and teachings
(what people believe) |
practices and lifestyles
(what people do) |
expression and
language (how people express themselves) |
identity and experience
(making sense of who we are) |
meaning and purpose
(making sense of life) |
values and commitments
(making sense of right and wrong) |
| Level 1 Children: |
recount outlines of
some religious stories |
recognise features
of religious life and practice |
recognise some religious
symbols and words |
identify aspects of
own experience and feelings, in religious material studied |
identify things they
find interesting or puzzling, in religious materials studied |
identify what is of
value and concern to themselves, in religious material studied |
| Level 2 Children: |
retell religious stories
and identify some religious beliefs and teachings |
identify some religious
practices, and know that some are characteristic of more than one religion |
suggest meanings in
religious symbols, language and stories |
respond sensitively
to the experiences and feelings of others, including those with a faith
|
realise that some
questions that cause people to wonder are difficult to answer |
respond sensitively
to the values and concerns of others, including those with a faith, in relation
to matters of right and wrong |
| Level 3 Children: |
describe some religious
beliefs and teachings of religions studied, and their importance |
describe how some
features of religions studied are used or exemplified in festivals and practices |
make links between
religious symbols, language and stories and the beliefs or ideas that underlie
them |
compare aspects of
their own experiences and those of others, identifying what influences their
lives |
compare their own
and other people's ideas about questions that are difficult to answer |
make links between
values and commitments, including religious ones, and their own attitudes
or behaviour |
| Level 4 Children: |
describe the key beliefs
and teachings of the religions studied, connecting them accurately with
other features of the religions making some comparisons between religions |
show understanding
of the ways of belonging to religions and what these involve |
show, using technical
terminology, how religious beliefs, ideas and feelings can be expressed
in a variety of forms, giving meanings for some symbols, stories and language
|
ask questions about
the significant experiences of key figures from religions studied and suggest
answers from own and others' experiences, including believers |
ask questions about
puzzling aspects of life and experiences and suggest answers, making reference
to the teaching of religions studied |
ask questions about
matters of right and wrong and suggest answers that show understanding of
moral and religious issues |
| Level 5 Children: |
explain how some beliefs
and teachings are shared by different religions and how they make a difference
to the lives of individuals and communities |
explain how selected
features of religious life and practice make a difference to the lives of
individuals and communities |
explain how some forms
of religious expression are used differently by individuals and communities |
make informed responses
to questions of identity and experience in the light of their learning |
make informed responses
to questions of meaning and purpose in the light of their learning |
make informed responses
to people's values and commitments (including religious ones) in the light
of their learning |
Features of progression
Progress in RE can be characterised
by:
- acquiring wider and more detailed knowledge of religious beliefs and practices;
- deepening understanding of the meaning of stories, symbols, events and practices;
- more fluent and competent use of religious language and terminology;
- increased levels in skills of responding to questions of identity, meaning, purpose, values
and commitment.
As they move through key stages 1 and 2, children progress:
| from:
|
to:
|
| using
everyday language |
increasingly
precise use of religious vocabulary |
| personal
knowledge of a few areas of RE |
understanding
a wider range of areas and the links between them |
| unstructured
exploration |
more systematic
investigation of questions |
| identifying
what is of value and concern to themselves or others |
asking
questions and suggesting answers to moral and religious questions |
|
