Religious Education

Religious Education at London Fields Primary

All primary schools need to ensure that there is a "distinct curriculum in place for teaching RE at all key stages.” (Ofsted) and provide an RE curriculum which promotes respect and empathy, whilst teaching children knowledge to shape their understanding of our diverse world. Our RE curriculum is balanced so that the breadth and depth of study ensures all pupils make sense of a complex world, which involves learning about a variety of different religious and non-religious traditions and beliefs. RE is considered an important part of a child’s education, especially their early education, because it allows young people to develop their beliefs and values.  It helps pupils understand the place of religion and belief in the world. It contributes educationally to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all pupils, whether or not they are from a religious background. At London Fields, we provide a safe space for pupils to have discussions, ask questions, and to show curiosity towards each other when learning bout the views, beliefs and morals that they may or may not have in common.

Our Religious Education curriculum develops essential characteristics of religiously literate pupils:

• An outstanding level of religious understanding and knowledge.
• A thorough engagement with a range of ultimate questions about the meaning and significance of existence.
• The ability to ask significant and highly reflective questions about religion and demonstrate an excellent understanding of issues related to the nature, truth and value of religion.
• A strong understanding of how the beliefs, values, practices and ways of life within any religion cohere together.
• Exceptional independence; the ability to think for themselves and take the initiative in, for example, asking questions, carrying out investigations, evaluating ideas and working constructively with others.
• Significant levels of originality, imagination or creativity, which are shown in their responses to their learning in RE.
• The ability to link the study of religion and belief to personal reflections on meaning and purpose.
• A wide knowledge and deep understanding across a wide range of religions and beliefs.

How Religious Education is taught at London Fields

The Religious Education curriculum is designed to help pupils form a Religious Education schema within their long-term memories.

Schema theory states that all knowledge is organised into units. A schema is, therefore, a conceptual system for understanding knowledge. 

Our Religious Education schema is a way of organising Religious Education semantic and procedural knowledge in a meaningful way; it is an appreciation of how facts are connected and the ways in which they are connected.  It is distinct from information, which is just isolated facts that have no organisational basis or links.

Big Ideas help form the basis of the schema. Big Ideas are key concepts that underpin the subject. There are three Big Ideas in Religious Education:

• Exploring Beliefs (To know some of the teachings of the key religions. Understand some of the beliefs held in the community. Explain how some beliefs are shared between religions.)
• Understanding Practices (To know the meaning and celebrations for notable festivals. To identify religious buildings and key practices followed by worshippers.)
• Reflecting (To recognise and express feelings about their own identities and relate these to religious beliefs/ teachings.) 

Each Big Idea has facets of knowledge (knowledge categories) which help to strength the schema. Learning knowledge in each of the categories allows pupils to express and demonstrate their understanding of the Big Idea.

Over the course of an academic year, pupils in Y1-Y6 experience a number of RE topics in which the Big Ideas are returned to over and over again so the pupils gradually build an understanding of them. Pupils also get opportunities to apply their knowledge and develop fluency in key procedural knowledge in other curriculum areas. Our RE curriculum involves a philosophical approach – across each year group there is a big question that pupils consider across the year – building up links between the topics they study. Each topic also asks a philosophical, theological or social science question that the pupils explore.

The EYFS curriculum prepares pupils for RE in Year 1 and beyond by providing opportunities for pupils to develop positive attitudes about differences between people and are exposed to resources that reflect the diversity of life in modern Britain. Pupils begin to talk about differences they notice between people and similarities between different families and communities, which leads to an understanding that people have different beliefs and where they meet people from different religious backgrounds who share or have differing beliefs. Pupils are given the opportunity to celebrate and value cultural, religious and community events and experiences and are taught to recognise that people have different beliefs and celebrate special times in different ways. Pupils begin to name and explain the purpose of places of worship and place of local importance to the community. Pupils are given the opportunity to visit places of worship and places of local importance to the community.

Click here for more general information about the curriculum. 

Click here for more information about the EYFS curriculum.

Religious Education Trips, Visitors and Workshops

We strongly believe that trips, visitors and workshops are highly valuable for developing a deep understanding of the Big Ideas in Religious Education and bringing the subject to life. Examples of how we have provided children with hands on authentic experiences of the diversity of religion within the wider community are as follows:

• Tour of the London Buddhist centre with mindfulness strategies
• Tour of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir and its exhibition in Neasden
• Tour of the Suleymaniye Mosque
• Tour of Ealing Gurdwara
• Tour of St Michael and All Angels Church
• Judaism Workshop
• Humanism Workshop

At London Fields we benefit from a very diverse faith school community.  During our RE lessons, teachers offer opportunities for pupils to encounter an authentic voice of faith and belief.  This means that we encourage dialogue between pupils and praise those who want to share their own unique and personal religious experiences.  This is particularly beneficial when pupils teach their classmates about particular religious traditions or festivals.  Here, our pupils become the “experts” and we believe that this cannot only raise self-esteem but also give a positive image of each faith and enhance the quality of learning in RE.  We can also welcome members of our school community, including parents and relatives, to come and speak to our classes about a particular RE topic.

Religious Education at Home

 If you would like to support children at home you could visit:

• Religious buildings, many welcome visitors.
• Victoria and Albert museum – Buddhist sculptures and paintings, Christian artefacts
• British museum – exhibitions, religious relics.
• Ask your child about their Religious education learning-they will have lots to tell you!