Early Years Foundation Stage

KS1

LKS2

UKS2

Pupils should encounter religions and worldviews through special people, books, times, places, and objects and by visiting places of worship. They should listen to and talk about stories from a range of different religions and world views. Pupils should be introduced to subject specific words and use all their senses to encounter beliefs and practices. They should be encouraged to ask questions and talk about their own feelings and experiences. Pupils should use their imagination and curiosity to develop appreciation of, and wonder at, the natural world. They should learn to appreciate and value human beings, recognising and encountering diversity.. In planning and guiding what children learn, practitioners must reflect on the different rates at which children are developing and adjust their practice appropriately. Three characteristics of effective teaching and learning are:

• playing and exploring - children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’;

• active learning - children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements;

• creating and thinking critically - children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.

In line with the EYFS Reforms Framework, RE should, through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity, provide these opportunities for pupils. Sensitivity to the backgrounds and experience of young children is important, whether or not they come from a faith background.

General

Pupils should develop their knowledge and understanding of religions and world views, recognising local, national and global contexts. They should use basic subject specific vocabulary. They should raise questions about beliefs and find out about questions of right and wrong and begin to respond with their own views.

Pupils should extend their knowledge and understanding of religions, beliefs and values, recognising personal, local, national and global contexts. They should be introduced to an extended range of sources and subject specific vocabulary. They should be encouraged to be curious and to ask and discuss increasingly challenging questions about beliefs, values and human life, drawing on the insights of religions and other world views. Pupils should respond with their own ideas, identifying relevant information, selecting examples and giving reasons to support their ideas and views.

Pupils should extend their knowledge and understanding of religions, beliefs and values, recognising personal, local, national and global contexts. They should be introduced to an extended range of sources and subject specific vocabulary. They should be encouraged to be curious and to ask and discuss increasingly challenging questions about beliefs, values and human life, drawing on the insights of religions and other world views. Pupils should respond with their own ideas, identifying relevant information, selecting examples and giving reasons to support their ideas and views.

Material should be drawn from Christianity and at least one other religious tradition, particularly where represented in the class or setting.

Religions Focus

Teaching and learning should be focused around Christianity and Islam, alongside understanding of non-religious approaches to life. Aspects of other faiths may be included as appropriate, such as

teaching about specific festivals or rituals.

At key stage 2, teaching and learning should build on the KS1 focus around Christianity and Islam,

and be extended to the study of Judaism and Sikhism, alongside developing understanding of nonreligious

approaches to life. Aspects of other faiths may be included as appropriate, such as

teaching about a specific concept, festival or practice.

At key stage 2, teaching and learning should build on the KS1 focus around Christianity and Islam,

and be extended to the study of Judaism and Sikhism, alongside developing understanding of nonreligious

approaches to life. Aspects of other faiths may be included as appropriate, such as

teaching about a specific concept, festival or practice.

Although all areas of the EYFS goals are relevant, RE particularly supports development in understanding the world.

The Early Learning Goals for Understanding the World Past and Present

• Talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society;

• Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class;

• Understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling.

People, Culture and Communities

• Describe their immediate environment using knowledge from observation, discussion, stories, non-fiction texts and maps;

• Know some similarities and differences between different religious and cultural communities in this country, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class;

• Explain some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries, drawing on knowledge from stories, non-fiction texts and – when appropriate – maps.

The Natural World

• Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants; • Know some similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class;

• Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter.

As part of investigating the beliefs and practices of religions and other world views, pupils are taught to:

• Recall and name different beliefs and practices, including prayer, worship, festivals, rituals and ways of life, in order to find out about the meanings behind them;

• Retell and suggest meanings for some religious and moral stories, exploring and discussing sacred writings and sources of wisdom and recognising the traditions from which they come;

• Recognise some ways that people express beliefs and belonging through prayer, worship, symbols and actions, appreciating some similarities between communities.

• Describe links between stories and other aspects of the communities they

are investigating, responding to beliefs and teachings that arise from them;

• Describe different features of the religions and other world

views, discovering more about prayer, celebrations, worship, pilgrimages and the rituals which mark important points in life.

• Describe and understand links between stories and other aspects of the communities they

are investigating, responding thoughtfully to beliefs and teachings that arise from them;

• Describe and make connections between different features of the religions and other world

views, discovering more about prayer, celebrations, worship, pilgrimages and the rituals which mark important points in life.

As part of investigating how religions and other world views address questions of meaning, purpose

and value

• Explore questions about beliefs, expressing their own ideas and opinions in response, using

words, music, drama, art or poetry;

• Observe and recount different ways of expressing belief, responding sensitively for

themselves.

Observe and understand varied examples of religions and other world views so that they can

explain, with reasons, their meanings for the choices made by individuals

and communities;

• Discuss and present their own and others’ views on challenging questions about

belonging, meaning, purpose and truth, applying ideas of their own in different forms

including (e.g.) reasoning, music, art and poetry

Observe and understand wider varied examples of religions and other world views so that they can

explain, with detailed reasons, their meanings and significance for the choices made by individuals

and communities;

Discuss and present thoughtfully their own and others’ views on challenging questions about

belonging, meaning, purpose and truth, applying and interpreting ideas of their own in different forms

including (e.g.) reasoning, music, art and poetry

As part of investigating how religions and other world views influence morality, identity and

diversity, world views in their approach to questions of beliefs and meaning.

pupils should be taught to:

• Find out about questions of right and wrong and begin to express their ideas and opinions in

response;

• Notice and respond sensitively to some similarities between different religions and other

Discuss and respond to ethical questions, including what is right, wrong, just and fair;

• Consider  ideas about ways in which diverse communities can live together for the

well-being of all, responding  to ideas about community, values and respect.

Discuss and respond to ethical questions, including what is right, wrong, just and fair, and

the complexity of these questions;

• Consider and apply ideas about ways in which diverse communities can live together for the

well-being of all, responding thoughtfully to ideas about community, values and respect.