The RE (Religious Education) curriculum at Rhodes Avenue complements the school vision by supporting and encouraging children to acquire core knowledge and understanding of beliefs and practices of religious and worldviews including: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Humanism. In an imaginative, creative and explorative way, children will learn to empathise, and challenge themselves to understand religious concepts whilst also learning more about themselves and gaining a deep awareness of their own and others’ identities.
Intent
RE at Rhodes Avenue provides an opportunity for children to explore with curiosity similarities and differences within our school community, the UK and the wider world. Children develop awareness to reflect on their own beliefs and values, growing respect for themselves and others, celebrating diversity and challenging stereotypes.
Implementation
Haringey Council is responsible for deciding the syllabus for Religious Education. At Rhodes Avenue we follow Awareness, Mystery and Values (AMV), the agreed syllabus for Haringey. To enhance this offer we use Jigsaw RE – Discovery RE, an enquiry-based scheme, with golden threads which inform our planning, enabling children to learn both ‘about’ religion and ‘from’ religion.
The curriculum is shaped by six key areas of enquiry – our golden threads: Beliefs, teachings and sources; Identity, diversity and belonging; Meaning, purpose and truth; Values and commitments; Forms of expressing meaning; and Practices and ways of life.
Learning ‘about’ religion includes enquiry into and investigation of the nature of religion, its key beliefs and teachings, practices, their impacts on the lives of believers and communities, and the varying ways in which these are expressed. It also includes the skills of interpretation, analysis and explanation. Pupils learn to communicate their knowledge and understanding using key vocabulary. It also allows children to demonstrate curiosity, empathy and respect for a wide variety of world religious views through Big Questions such as: Could the Buddha’s teachings make the world a better place? Does God want Christians to look after the world?
Learning ‘from’ religion is concerned with developing pupils’ reflection on and response to their own experiences and their learning about religion. It develops pupils’ skills of application, interpretation and evaluation of what they learn about religion, particularly to questions of identity and belonging, meaning, purpose and truth and values and commitments, and communicating their responses.
Through the delivery of RE, we provide opportunities to support the children in developing their sensitivity to relevant ethical issues such as religious fasting, beliefs about the afterlife, different levels of observance, and to demonstrate positive attitudes towards themselves and others.
Whole School Religious Education Curriculum Overview
As a whole school we come together to celebrate key religious festivals through our whole school Community Celebration programme, including Holi, Eid, Chanukkah, and Easter. Each year group visits a religious place of worship, which actively enhances their learning and understanding.
Impact
By the time children leave Rhodes Avenue they will:
Grow in their ability to be reflective about their own beliefs, religious or otherwise, that inform their perspective on life and their interest in and respect for different people’s faiths, feelings and values.
Have the opportunity to consider challenging questions about the meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, the self and the nature of reality.
Develop awareness and understanding of religions and beliefs as well as the influence of religion on individuals, families, communities and cultures.
Flourish individually within their communities and be confident to combat prejudice as members of a diverse society.
Sensitively consider ethical issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human.
Have the opportunity for personal reflection and spiritual development.
Have an extensive base of religious / worldviews knowledge, understanding and vocabulary.
Be upstanding members of the community with an informed awareness of the world we live in and the positive impact we can have.
Parents legal right to withdraw
Religious Education must be taught by all state-funded schools in England. Parents have a legal right to withdraw their children from all or part of lessons.
