Religion and Worldviews

Curriculum Lead - Mrs Spalding

Young people are growing up in a world where there is increasing awareness of the diversity of religious and other worldviews and the impact this diversity can have on individuals and society. Learning about religion and worldviews contributes dynamically to young people’s education by provoking challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human.

In RE, young people learn about religion and worldviews in local, national and global contexts, to discover, explore, consider and interpret different responses to life’s big questions. Studying religion and worldviews gives opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of important aspects of human experience.

Learning in RE develops religious literacy, so that young people are equipped with systematic and powerful knowledge, deepening as they progress through the school. RE provides multiple opportunities to develop an understanding of key concepts from a range of religions and worldviews, through engaging with quality resources and deploying the skills needed to understand, interpret and critically evaluate texts, sources of wisdom and authority.

At New Pasture Lane Primary school we teach Religion and Worldviews throughout the school. Our Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception) follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (2021) and Key Stage One and Two follow the agreed syllabus from the East Riding and Hull Agreed Syllabus for Religion and Worldviews in accordance with the East Riding’s ‘Standing Advisory Council of Religious Education’ (SACRE).

The RE curriculum at New Pasture Lane is organised to support the development of children’s knowledge of religious and non-religious beliefs and worldviews, practices and ways of life and enable children to make links between these. It also develops children’s knowledge and understanding of the different members of our rich and diverse community.

Knowledge and skills are supported by first-hand experiences, including visits to local places of worship and visits from faith communities. Knowledge and skills are mapped to support children’s understanding of religion and faith. The RE curriculum is also designed to support positive attitudes and values, and encourage children to reflect and relate learning to their own experience. Children learn that there are those who do not hold religious beliefs and have their own philosophical perspectives, as part of its commitment to ensure mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths.

The syllabus recommends that any themes or ‘Big Questions’ are explored by investigating and reflecting on the responses of more than one religion or belief system. All the units therefore include an exploration of these themes or big questions through different perspectives. Each unit encourages and promotes the contemplation of key concepts or themes within religions and comparing these with responses in other faiths, religions and belief systems.

The syllabus has been created in a cyclical format to enable children to revisit and build on prior knowledge of the different beliefs and practices taught across the school.

The curriculum for RE aims to ensure that all pupils develop religious literacy through:

Knowing about and understanding a range of religions and worldviews, learning to see these through the disciplines of Theology, Philosophy and Social Sciences
Expressing ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religion and worldviews through a multidisciplinary approach whilst engaging critically with them
Gaining and deploying skills taken from the disciplines of Theology, Philosophy and Social Sciences to enhance learning about religions and different worldviews

World views

The inclusion of worldviews enables young people to connect with religion(s) in a much more profound and inclusive way. A worldviews approach enables pupils to explore and gain ownership of their own perspectives, fitting new understanding into their existing mental framework. Pupils then learn about religion and beliefs through connecting and contrasting them with their own way of seeing the world.

At New Pasture Lane, we are committed to providing our children with an exciting and positive learning environment, in which they have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding of religions to support their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

In Key Stage One and Two RE is taught in blocks of time over a half term so that pupils have opportunity to develop skills and understanding in the area they are studying, following the P4C enquiry led approach, they are encouraged to be critical, to analyse, to question, to discuss and evaluate their own learning.