Curriculum Intent
At Shoreditch Park Primary we aim to provide an enquiry based RE curriculum, where pupils can develop an understanding and appreciation for beliefs, cultural practices and values. RE helps pupils to understand the place of religion and belief in the local, national and global community. RE contributes to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all pupils, whether or not they are from a religious tradition. It teaches the British values of tolerance and mutual respect in a diverse society, as well as allowing time to explore and celebrate a range of cultures, and beliefs. Pupils develop a sense of identity, uniqueness and belonging through self-awareness, discussion and reflection. This compliments our ASPIRE curriculum, in particular our pillars of Respect, Pride, Self Awareness and Inclusivity.
Our curriculum aims to foster curiosity and open mindedness. It is objective and does not promote any religion or tradition over another. Shoreditch Park Primary School is a Rights Respecting School. Our RE curriculum directly links to the following rights from the UNCRC:
ARTICLE 29 (education and children’s development) Education should help develop every child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to the full. It should develop children’s respect for their own rights and those of others, for their parents, for their own culture and the cultures of others, and for the natural environment.
ARTICLE 30 (minority and indigenous groups) A child from minority group has the right to enjoy their own culture, practise their own religion and use their own language.
ARTICLE 31 (play and cultural and artistic activities) Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in cultural and artistic activities.
Curriculum Implementation
At Shoreditch Park we structure our RE curriculum using a combination of the Hackney SACRE Agreed Syllabus guidance and PlanBee scheme of work. From Year 1 to 6, our children are taught a variety of the world’s largest religions. These include Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism and Sikhism. RE lessons take place every week. The curriculum map is planned to ensure that children build an ever-increasing picture over time, constantly developing their key subject knowledge and specialist vocabulary. Each time a religion is revisited, prior knowledge is built upon to ensure progression. For example, in Year 2, pupils will learn about Buddhism in the context of ‘Who was Buddha?’ Then in Year 4 and 5 they will learn about Buddhist Festivals and Buddhist worship respectively. Pupils are given the opportunity to compare religions and find their similarities and differences within our multi-religion lessons.
The RE curriculum covers two different aspects – learning about religion and learning from religion. Learning about religion involves knowledge, understanding and vocabulary. Learning from religion is exploration-based learning linked to ‘Big Questions’. ‘Big Questions’ relate to: What people believe and do (Believing), how people respond to big questions and issues (Thinking) and how beliefs and values make a difference to lives (Living). Big Questions are often explored through drama, oracy or philosophy sessions.
Our RE curriculum is very closely linked to our ASPIRE values and Rights Respecting. These are woven into every lesson and used as a tool for exploration of religious ideas, practices and teachings. Pupils develop their literacy skills as they acquire a broad religious language and vocabulary while exploring religious stories, poetry and prayers. Lesson outcomes are often drama or art based. For example, children will participate in role play to retell a religious story or make a Diwali Diya using salt dough. There are also opportunities to write about what they have been learning. Lessons are linked to Geography; looking at maps to discover the locations of religious stories and landmarks. Historical aspects of lessons might include the use of a timeline to show a series of events, or looking at artefacts and sources to explore and delve deeper.
At Shoreditch Park we benefit from a very diverse faith school community. Within RE lessons, pupils encounter an authentic voice of faith and belief. We encourage pupils to share their own unique and personal religious experiences. This is particularly beneficial when pupils teach their classmates about a particular religious tradition or festival. Here, our pupils become the “experts” and we believe that this not only builds self-esteem, but also enhances engagement and quality of lessons. We also welcome members of our school community, including parents and relatives, to come and speak to our classes about a particular RE topic.
