Religious Education

What is Religious Education?

"The evolution of society’s religious and non-religious landscape highlights that it is all the more important for pupils to build up accurate knowledge of the complexity and diversity of global religion and non-religion."

Ofsted Research review series: religious education,
May 2021

Intent

At Ladypool Primary School we follow the Birmingham Agreed Syllabus for RE which is designed to promote children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The use of this syllabus will ensure a Religious Education that complies with the legal requirements.

The syllabus is based around 24 ‘dispositions’ – or values - which encourage pupils to think about, and act upon, a growing understanding of their own faith or viewpoint, whilst acknowledging the views of others. Lessons focus on discussion and guidance to assist the formation of character-based judgements through the acquisition of knowledge.

The syllabus includes the nine religious traditions recorded to have significant representation within Birmingham: Bahá'i, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Rastafari and Sikhism, and established non-religious worldviews such as Atheism, Humanism and Secularism.

At Ladypool we aim to nurture kind, caring and empathetic learners through our teaching of Religious Education. By teaching about different beliefs and faiths we aim to promote healthy discussions and debate in order the deepen children’s understanding of themselves, their peers and the world around them. Through cultural days, visits to places of worship and celebrations; links are made throughout the curriculum to celebrate the diversity within our Ladypool family and local community.

Implementation

The delivery of the religious subject matter in the curriculum is designed to develop 24 dispositions in the children taught by way of a spiral curriculum over two year cycles.

The 24 Dispositions in the Birmingham Agreed Syllabus are:

Being Imaginative and Explorative	Appreciating Beauty	Expressing Joy	Being Thankful
Caring for Others, Animals and the Environment	Sharing and Being Generous	Being Regardful of Suffering	Being Merciful and Forgiving
Being Fair and Just	Living by Rules	Being Accountable and Living with Integrity	Being Temperate, Exercising Self-Discipline and Cultivating Serene Contentment
Being Modest and Listening to Others	Cultivating Inclusion, Identity and Belonging	Creating Unity and Harmony	Participating and Willing to Lead
Remembering Roots	Being Loyal and Steadfast	Being Hopeful and Visionary	Being Courageous and Confident
Being Curious and Valuing Knowledge	Being Open, Honest and Truthful	Being Reflective and Self-Critical	Being Silent and Attentive to, and Cultivating a Sense, for the Sacred and Transcendence

During our pupils’ first few years in school, they are progressively introduced to the dispositions. Subsequently, they re-visit all 24 with increasing depth, enabling a growing sophistication of spiritual and moral character, disposition by disposition, and a growing knowledge of religious traditions and non-religious worldviews. Each time a disposition is encountered, the traditions of one faith or a number of faiths and non-religious worldviews are used to resource the learning. A sacred scripture, religious practice, rite of passage, an institution, piece of literature, art or music can equally trigger learning.

Rather than starting studies from the perspective of a religion or worldview, in Birmingham the dispositions are the starting point, enabling a universal viewpoint to be shared and understood before extending study to points of agreement, and distinctiveness, through four dimensions of learning.

These dimensions are;

Learning from experience,
Learning about religious traditions and non-religious worldviews,
Learning from faith and non-religious worldviews and
Learning to discern.

Children’s reflections, images and other outcomes are recorded in a class floor book.

The time given to the teaching of R.E. is approximately: -

25 hours per year KS1

25 hours per year KS2

Impact

The curriculum will:
• promote children’s engagement in learning through enquiry-led approaches that develop skills, dispositions and attitudes to learning
• equip children for their futures in a rapidly changing world recognising the importance of dialogue and understanding between different groups
• value, celebrate and build on children’s religious and cultural heritage
• promote mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
• help children develop an understanding of all faiths and none, and participate in the celebration of different religious events in understanding and accepting differences
• develop children holistically; their intellectual, practical, aesthetic, spiritual, social and emotional capacities
• ensure an understanding of protected characteristics of the Equality Act and how, through diversity, they can be celebrated
• help children to develop compassion for others.’

Ladypool RE curriculum map 22-23

Birmingham Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education 2022

Birmingham SACRE religious adherence frequently asked questions

Collective worship