Intent
Norton is predominantly a white British community that has English as first language and is largely Christian in religion.
The Glebe Primary Schools catchment area is widening and more children from deprived areas are joining our school. At The Glebe Primary School R.E. is taught in accordance with the Stockton Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education which was renewed in 2019. We are currently introducing the new Stockton Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education 2024, which will be delivered from November 2024.
The content of R.E. shall reflect the fact that religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian, while taking account of the teaching and practises of other principle religions.
We believe that R.E. is very important in that it prepares children for life in our multi- faith, multicultural society. Religious Education is not designed to convert pupils to any particular religion or religious belief.
The lessons have an intention of providing a high quality, coherent and progressive experience of the subject, with scope for cross-curricular learning.
Through each unit, children will know about and understand a range of religions and world views.
Pupils will be able to identify, investigate and respond to a variety of issues: SMSC, personal development, well-being and to community cohesion. Issues are there to ensure opportunities for children to develop positive attitudes and values and to reflect on and relate their learning in RE to their own experiences. The intent is to make sure that children understand the relevance of RE in today’s modern world and how it affects our lives.
By promoting mutual respect and tolerance in a diverse society it encourages children to develop their sense of identity and belonging. It enables them to flourish individually within their communities and as citizens in a diverse society and global community. It enables pupils to develop respect for and sensitivity to others, in particular those whose faiths and beliefs are different from their own. It promotes tolerance and enables pupils to combat prejudice.
Implementation
Our progressive curriculum builds on knowledge and skills each year with the aim of developing understanding.
Staff use this to monitor knowledge and skills that have been taught previously to ensure that children progress by knowing more, remembering more and doing more.
Where possible, we try to arrange visits to religious places of worship eg church, mosque. We work hard to develop links with the local religious community groups and figures. Whenever possible, we invite visitors to come into school to work with staff and children such as church youth workers and religious leaders. We enjoy taking an active part in our local community and try to get involved in a variety of annual events which celebrate and remember different festivals and historic periods eg Remembrance day service, Love Norton Advent trail etc
Through discussions with pupils we are able to gauge their views and attitudes towards the lessons they are taking part in and listen to their ideas and opinions.
When undertaking workbook scrutiny we can clearly see the progression of units as they are taught through the school. It also allows us to check for understanding and address and possible misconceptions / identify areas that need more support before they are next taught and topics which may need to be reviewed to deepen understanding.
Lesson drop ins allow us to check that lessons are engaging and teaching the questions of each lesson. It also shows us the activities and tasks that children most enjoy to work on and allows us to plan and provide more such tasks for the future.
The assessment system for RE is currently under review. Teachers are currently able to assess each unit of work and decide if each child understanding is ‘working towards’ ‘expected’ or ‘greater depth’ standard.
At the end of each term staff complete reflective evaluation forms which highlight the positive areas of each unit and areas for improvement. This allows me to see what the needs of staff are, what things are going well, which resources need to be purchased etc.
When needed I use staff meeting time to feedback information and gather feedback from staff.
Impact
From the above we aim to:
Promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural, mental and development of all pupils. To prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.
We will encourage pupils to respect them-self, others and the world.
To build tolerance and understanding and encourage pupils to appreciate diversity and variety in religion and cultures.
By encouraging pupils to learn from different religions, beliefs, values and traditions, while exploring their own beliefs and questions of meaning we will foster a more respectful, tolerant and open future society.
We will challenge pupils to reflect on, consider, analyse, interpret and evaluate issues of truth, belief, faith and ethics and to communicate their responses.
We want our pupils to be well rounded individuals and a respectful, responsible future generation.
We can’t presume that children are getting this from home so we must ensure that we are providing these opportunities for them.
RE Subject Overview (prior to Nov 2024)
The Glebe Long Term RE Overview_(from Nov 24)
RE is provided for all pupils, and is inclusive and broad minded. Parents do have the right to withdraw pupils from RE: if you wish to do this, make an appointment with the head teacher or deputy head teacher. The school does not support selective withdrawal from RE.
