Intent

We aim for every pupil to enjoy and express themselves through the teaching and learning of RE – learning about religion and belief but also learning from religion and belief.  We are aware that our profile is mainly white and broadly Christian based and our children need to be able to take their place in an outward, multi-cultural and multi-faith world.  We believe that a high-quality RE curriculum will promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life within the wider world. The principle aims for RE at Curbar is to enable pupils to participate in an on-going search for wisdom, through exploring questions raised by human experience and answers offered by the religions and beliefs of the people of Derbyshire and the wider community, so as to promote their personal development.  We follow the Derbyshire RE Agreed Syllabus to support class teachers in delivering all aspects of the curriculum. 

• We develop the pupils’ ability to be reflective about their own beliefs and perspective on life.
• We develop a knowledge of and respect for different people’s faiths, feelings and values.
• We develop a willingness to reflect on their own experiences.
• We teach pupils about themselves, others and the wider world in imaginative and creative ways.
• We consider the consequences of pupil behaviour and actions on others
• We recognise the difference between right and wrong, applying this to their lives.
• We appreciate the viewpoints of others in regard to ethical issues.
• We engage and cooperate effectively with people from a diverse range of belief systems.
• We develop a mutual respect and tolerance with those of different beliefs and faiths.
• We understand the wide range of cultural influences in their heritage and that of those around them, appreciating the things we have in common. 
• We participate and respond positively to creative, artistic and musical opportunities.
• We explore and celebrate cultural diversity locally, nationally and globally.

Please see the RE long term plan for the school below (on a two year cycle):

Implementation 

The R.E. syllabus sets a key question for each unit of learning, these are categorised into learning about Believing (religious beliefs, teaching and sources; questions about meaning, purpose and truth), Expressing (Religious and spiritual forms of expression; questions about identity and diversity) and Living (religious practices and ways of living; questions about values and commitments).

As the children progress through school they discover these aspects of learning, then explore them before connecting them together towards the end of their primary education. Once the children move on to secondary education they build on this by interpreting and applying their learning. The predominant mono cultural and mono religious nature of our immediate community increases the importance of learning in R.E. 

Our RE curriculum is delivered via a cycle which builds upon children’s knowledge in each area of Religious Education over time to ensure that the children gain a depth of knowledge by Year 6. 

Our curriculum is delivered through a variety of learning experiences including ​handling artefacts, exploring scared texts, using imaginative play or drama to express feelings and ideas, responding to images, games, stories, art, music and dance, meeting visitors from local religious communities, making visits to religious places of worship where possible, and where not, making use of videos and the Internet, taking part in whole school events- (multi-faith days, Harvest Festival, school performances), participating in moments of quiet reflection, participating in Open the Book assemblies, using computing to further explore religion and belief globally, comparing religions and world views through discussion, debating and communicating religious belief, world views and philosophical ideas and answering and asking ultimate questions posed by these. 

Impact

Our Religious Education Curriculum impacts pupils in the following ways:

• Extends their knowledge and understanding of religions and beliefs
• Develops a religious vocabulary and interpret religious symbolism in a variety of forms
• Reflects on questions of meaning, offering their own thoughtful and informed insights into religious and secular world-views
• Explores ultimate questions of beliefs and values in relation to a range of contemporary issues in an ever-changing society
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By the end of each key stage, pupils are expected to know, understand and apply skills related to attainment targets and learning themes embedded with in the Derbyshire Agreed Syllabus for RE.  Termly summative assessments are used to determine the children’s’ understanding and inform teacher’s planning and further differentiated support for pupils.

Please click on the RE Milestones (progress steps) below: