R.E

Intent

Religious Education is highly valued at Walmley Junior School because we want our children to encounter a range of cultures, traditions and worldviews and thus have the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to live, work and flourish in a global society. By teaching the 24 dispositions from the Birmingham Agreed Syllabus, pupils consider the key values that are equally applicable to, and inclusive of, the religious, those who have an established non-religious world view and those classing themselves as “nones”. We seek to deepen and broaden the spiritual and moral horizons of all pupils so that they understand that, for many people, religion forms a crucial part of their identity and culture. We feel that this is important in meeting the needs of our children, with almost one third being non-white British, and 14 ethnic groups represented. Many pupils have limited experience of any religious faith or established non-religious worldview when they join us. We want to equip our children with a tolerance, empathy, respect and understanding of others, particularly those whose faiths and beliefs are different from their own, and, in so doing, to combat prejudice and create a more harmonious and enriched society. Our aim is that our pupils reflect on and respond to their own experiences and those of other people, consider issues of right and wrong and are encouraged to act responsibly. 

Implementation

As a Foundation school in Birmingham, the Birmingham Agreed Syllabus lies at the core of our Religious Education curriculum. The 24 dispositions, four dimensions of learning and corresponding key questions drive our lesson planning. The revised Birmingham Model Plans form the basis of our RE curriculum. The curriculum is adapted to suit the needs of our children, using a range of different material to support teaching and learning, thus making the learning more engaging and adaptive. The 24 dispositions are organised into clusters, e.g. Community, and clear overviews for each year group have been developed.  

Progression of skills is ensured by the spiral curriculum with each disposition encountered twice – once in Y3 or Y4 and once in Y5 or Y6. This builds on learning from KS1 as children at Walmley Infant School have already covered the 24 dispositions once. In addition, the key questions for the dimensions of learning develop, with question “a” aimed at Y3 and Y4 and “b” aimed at Y5 and Y6. This means that children are helped to build on their prior learning. Intelligent repetition, through teaching the dispositions and using the key questions to drive our lesson planning, means that dysfluency is kept to a minimum and misconceptions and difficulties can be addressed. The development of skills is evidenced in the class RE Journal which moves with the children from Y3 through to Y6. 

We aim to make the teaching and learning varied, engaging and creative. Whilst extended writing is valued, much of the learning in RE takes place during discussion. We acknowledge the place of art, music and stories in many cultures and religions and therefore value creative activities in RE: role play, drama, art and stories feature in lessons. Where possible, we endeavour to acknowledge and develop cross-curricular opportunities in areas such as Geography, PSHE, online safety, art etc. 

We are proud that our RE curriculum is enhanced by well-established visits to places of worship. Pupils have the opportunity to visit five places of worship during Key Stage Two including the local church, a Hindu mandir, Coventry Cathedral, a Sikh gurdwara and a mosque. Many of our pupils comment not only on how much they learned, but also how much they enjoyed the experience. In addition, strong links with the local Anglican church are well-established. 

Regular monitoring of standards is undertaken by the subject leader and SLT, including learning walks and RE journal reviews. Ongoing formative assessment of pupils’ responses in discussion and activities during RE lessons inform our planning and teaching. The disposition is the first consideration when assessing a pupil’s progress. The key questions for each dimension of learning form the framework through which pupils’ understanding, knowledge and responses can be assessed. Age related expectations are informed through school devised criteria. Regular pupil discussions are arranged and evidence of learning is captured in the class RE Journal.  

Collective worship provides further opportunities to develop the dispositions, deepen understanding of major festivals and enhance the RE curriculum with a carefully planned rota each term.  

Impact

The impact of our RE curriculum is that our pupils understand that religion is an important part of many people’s identity and culture. They will have developed their understanding of the main religions of the world and non-religious worldviews, including visiting places of worship. They will have reflected on their own experiences and those of others. Walmley pupils leave our school with a tolerance, empathy, respect and understanding of others and their beliefs and are therefore ready to live and flourish both in their secondary school community and beyond in the multi-cultural city in which they live.  

Progression of Skills