Pupils will be given an insight into different religions, developing their knowledge and understanding as they move through school. As part of this, they will be introduced to a variety of religious symbols and will learn about their significance and meanings. In Key Stage 1 they will learn about special books and symbols of Christianity and Islam. In Years 3 and 4 they will also begin to learn about Judaism and Hinduism and compare the symbols within religions. In Years 5 and 6 they will look further into the significance of the symbols in each religion. Pupils will also look at the importance of the same symbols across different religions; for example in Year 4 they learn about the importance of light in ceremonies like Hanukkah, Diwali and Pagan solstices.

Pupils will learn the different ways people connect with a higher power or deity (including God) through acts of worship, ceremonies and on an individual level. This will include a study of rituals and celebrations. They will learn about different places of worship and key artefacts found inside them and will also have the opportunity to visit a church, mosque and synagogue in the local area. They will learn about celebrations in different religions, such as Ramadan in Year 1 and Pesach in Year 3.  

Pupils will develop knowledge of the aspects which are most important to followers of religions. They will also learn that beliefs can be unrelated to faiths and deities. 

In our diverse community, 57% identify as Christian, 24% have no religion and 12% Muslim (https://www.streetcheck.co.uk/postcode/ls83lz). Pupils will be encouraged to develop a positive attitude to those who hold different religious beliefs to themselves and respect for their values and traditions. They will be introduced to key figures such as Jonah in Year 1, Abraham and Moses in Year 3 and Gurus in Year 4.

Particularly through the use of story (including religious stories) pupils will learn about the consequences of choices. They will learn that the major religions were formed to help people make positive choices. In Year 2 they will learn the importance of compassion and forgiveness through religious stories such as The Feeding of The Five Thousand and The Prodigal Son. They build upon this in Year 3 by thinking about the importance of promises and helping and caring for each other through stories such as Noah’s Ark and the Good Samaritan. 

Followers of religion often feel part of a community and they make a commitment to living a virtuous life. In Year 4 pupils consider the importance of being part of a community and explore how different faiths work together. Pupils in Year 5 begin to understand how we have codes of living and think about how our actions can affect others. In Year 6 they think about the responsibilities and commitments that growing up brings.

Pupils will understand the commonalities and differences between religions, and the link to some non-religious practices and beliefs. They will know how religious messages from the past have been interpreted. They will also understand that people disagree about what is known about how religions were formed.

In Year 1 pupils look at the special books in Christianity and Islam and understand that both teach morals to help people lead a better life. Year 2 pupils explore the different views of creation that Christians, Muslims and Humanists hold, and this is developed in Year 3 when pupils compare the creation stories of other religions, as well as non-religious views. Year 4 pupils look at the different denominations within a faith.

Our intention for our RE curriculum is to provide insight, creativity and experience. They will gain insight by acquiring and developing knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the other principal religions represented in the United Kingdom; they will begin to appreciate the way that religious beliefs shape life and our behaviour, they will develop their ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues and therefore their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development will be enhanced. They will have the opportunities in our lessons to react creatively to ideas and experiences, whether that is through our Peace Mala initiative or alongside our PSHE, history or geography curricula. We Understand it is essential to give our students first-hand experiences wherever possible, whether this be by a visit to a place of worship, a visit into school by a religious figure or by observing real life artefacts.