R.E. at Hillside

RE LTP

Vision

At Hillside, we aim to engage pupils in systematic enquiry into significant human questions which religion and worldviews address, so that they can develop the understanding and skills needed to appreciate and appraise varied responses to these questions, as well as develop responses of their own.  

Subject Leader 

I am Mrs Ashton, R.E subject leader here at Hillside Primary School. I have the important role of monitoring and developing the teaching and learning of R.E. in order for the pupils at our school to make the best possible progress. I am also responsible for auditing resources and CPD requirements to ensure that our resources and training are as up to date as possible. 

I attend regular Network meetings to ensure that I am aware of current updates and initiatives in R.E. I also recently attended the Understanding Christianity training, which I found invaluable. I then cascaded this knowledge to the rest of the staff in school. I also meet regularly with the schools in our Collaboration, to share good practice.  This has proved invaluable when assessing the development of R.E. in our school. Together as a collaboration we have introduced the highly successful Floor Books and also worked together to apply for and gain the REQM (R.E. Quality Mark Award) in recognition of our successes in R.E. I am pleased to say that Hillside achieved the Silver Award for this in June 2019. 

To ensure that these high standards are maintained, I monitor the Teaching and Learning on a termly basis, complete floor book scrutinees, pupil interviews and monitor the termly assessments that are uploaded onto our school’s assessment system. Feedback is given to staff for areas of development.  

I fully believe that with consistently high, quality teaching all pupils will be able to share their knowledge and understanding of religions and worldviews, recognising their local, national and global contexts. They will recognise an extended range of sources and subject specific vocabulary. They will be curious and ask increasingly challenging questions about religion, belief, values and human life. Pupils will learn to express their own ideas in response to the material they engage with, identifying relevant information, selecting examples and giving reasons to support their ideas and views.

Curriculum 

We follow the Stoke-on-Trent Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education 2021. This syllabus offers increased flexibility and extra support for planning as well as providing practical strategies, guidance and resources for teachers. Religious Education provides rich opportunities for children and young people to learn about things that matter in the lives of local people and the wider world. This agreed syllabus enables pupils to study beliefs, teachings and ways of living, and is structured so that they can explore a range of responses to questions of identity, meaning, purpose, values and commitments. In the process they can examine and reflect upon their own ideas and values. At a time when religious beliefs guide the lives of billions of people worldwide, understanding people’s views can be a first step to recognising and appreciating diversity. This is particularly important at a time of global tensions. This agreed syllabus inspires creative, challenging and thoughtful Religious Education to promote personal development. It offers support and guidance for teachers to enable Stoke-on-Trent pupils to make excellent progress. It encourages a thoughtful and questioning approach to life and seeks to lay the foundation for schools, so that their pupils grow in understanding of themselves and the world in which they live, preparing them for life in Britain today.

Principal aim 

The principal aim of RE is to engage pupils in systematic enquiry into significant human questions which religion and worldviews address, so that they can develop the understanding and skills needed to appreciate and appraise varied responses to these questions, as well as develop responses of their own.  

The curriculum for RE aims to ensure that all pupils:   

Make sense of a range of religious and non-religious beliefs, so that they can:  

• identify, describe, explain and analyse beliefs and concepts in the context of living      religions, using appropriate vocabulary  
• explain how and why these beliefs are understood in different ways, by individuals and within communities  
• recognise how and why sources of authority (e.g. texts, teachings, traditions, leaders) are used, expressed and interpreted in different ways, developing skills of interpretation  

Understand the impact and significance of religious and non-religious beliefs, so that they can:  

• examine and explain how and why people express their beliefs in diverse ways  
• recognise and account for ways in which people put their beliefs into action in diverse ways, in their everyday lives, within their communities and in the wider world  
• appreciate and appraise the significance of different ways of life and ways of expressing meaning  

Make connections between religious and non-religious beliefs, concepts, practices and ideas studied, so that they can:  

• evaluate, reflect on and enquire into key concepts and questions studied, responding thoughtfully and creatively, giving good reasons for their responses  
• challenge the ideas studied, and allow the ideas studied to challenge their own thinking, articulating beliefs, values and commitments clearly in response  
• discern possible connections between the ideas studied and their own ways of understanding the world, expressing their critical responses and personal reflections with increasing clarity and understanding  

Curriculum Design 

As part of my role as R.E subject leader, I aim to ensure that our RE curriculum is effective in the way that it builds in clear and visible progression, showing pupils, teachers and parents how to make progress in RE. I also aim to ensure that connections are made with the children’s own lives as well as with other subjects, where appropriate, to ensure that R.E is not taught as a stand-alone subject. In this way, pupils are able to immerse themselves in the topics covered and gain a deeper understanding. See cross-curricular links below. The curriculum has been designed as a spiral that revisits content regularly and builds on that prior knowledge. It is challenging, with high expectations and gives the children a deep understanding of world views and their own personal place in society.  

 

I have identified three key areas that underpin pupil’s learning in R.E. : Making sense of beliefs, Understanding the impact and Making connections. Pupils are taught the knowledge, skills and understanding of these areas, when learning about Christians, Muslims, Hindus and Jewish people.  Alongside this, the Principal aims for R.E. are taught and developed throughout each Key Stage and are detailed in the Progression map. 

Through careful planning, teachers at Hillside consider how their teaching contributes towards the principal aim of RE in the local area, and how they help pupils to achieve the threefold aim.  

This agreed syllabus requires that all pupils learn from Christianity in each key stage. In addition, pupils will learn from the principal religions represented in the UK, in line with the law. These are Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Judaism. Furthermore, children from families where non-religious worldviews are held are represented in almost all of our classrooms. These worldviews, including for example Humanism, will also be the focus for study.   

Religious traditions studied at depth at Hillside are:  

• 4–5s Reception Children will encounter Christianity and other faiths, as part of their growing sense of self, their own community and their place within it.  
• 5–7s Key Stage 1 Christians and Muslims or Jewish people  
• 7–11s Key Stage 2 Christians, Muslims, Hindus and Jewish people
  

Collective Worship

A calendar of weekly assemblies is created on a yearly basis to celebrate and remember the wide variety of multi-faith events that take place each year. R.E. ambassadors assist in the delivery of these assemblies along with various guest speakers, such as Karen Petherick (vicar at Milton Parish church and Mr Such (a verger at the same local church.) These assemblies build on pupil’s prior knowledge from R.E lessons and enable a deeper understanding of the world around them.

The contribution of R.E. to teaching in other curriculum areas 

English 

All religions studied at Hillside have a host of stories linked to them so English is an integral part of R.E. teaching at our school. At EYFS and Key Stage 1 level, the majority of topics taught begin with learning about stories linked to particular religions. Children are asked to retell these stories either in written form or through the medium of dance or drama. Many religious festivals also have stories linked to them, so the children gain a deeper understanding of each religion through learning these stories.  

Mathematics

The teaching of R.E. can contribute to children’s mathematical understanding in a variety of ways. In our school a variety of maths skills have been developed through R.E lessons. The use of Timelines to depict historical Religious data has been used in Key Stage 2, as has Percentages when finding the number of different religions in Stoke-on-Trent. Pattern and shape in R.E. are a reoccurring theme with the Tessellation in patterns in churches and mosques and the Symmetry found on crosses. Measurement can be introduced when learning about David and Goliath and Children in the EYFS and Key Stage 1 enjoy counting Noah’s animals in twos! Older children can work out the time difference between BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini, and younger children can practise their counting skills through a range of stories in the Bible. 

Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural (SMSC) education.

The R.E. curriculum forms an important part of our school’s spiritual, moral and social teaching

At Hillside we are fully committed to improving our pupils’ Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) mindfulness. The areas of SMSC are embedded into our school Values and Expectations. We seek to equally support the pupils’ academic achievement alongside developing their broader character. 

There are four specific areas to SMSC: 

Spiritual- This encompasses our school value of being respectful of each other and our feelings. Pupils broaden their imagination and creativity whilst at Hillside alongside understanding other people’s beliefs and values. 

 Moral- At Hillside we always encourage pupils to recognise the difference between right and wrong, as well as understanding that negative actions have consequences. Pupils also spend time investigating ethical issues through the well balanced RE curriculum. 

 Social-  Within Religious Education pupils are given the opportunity to develop their social skills through debate, speaking and listening, group work and using a variety of modern media. We also reflect on issues of community cohesion and the effect religion has on individuals. Pupils adhere to the Values and Expectations of the school, participating in school activities beyond the school day as well taking part in work in the local community. 

Cultural- Religion, Morality and Social skills are underpinned by the culture we live in. Within Religious Studies we look at issues of  how religious beliefs affect the culture we live in. We also review world faiths and show how the influence of culture and religion often go hand in hand throughout the world.  Our pupils are inspired to accept, respect and celebrate diversity. They learn to appreciate difference and develop their understanding of different cultures at Hillside and beyond. 

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) 

PSHE has close links with RE and helps to give pupils the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy, independent lives and to become informed, active, responsible citizens. The social, emotional and academic development of each individual pupil is an important focus. Pupils are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities and experiences across and beyond the curriculum, contributing fully to the life of their school and communities. Themes such as going for goals, relationships and the local community help our pupils to grow and develop into happy, well-adjusted and responsible young people. 

British Values 

At Hillside, we actively promote the British values of: 

• democracy  

• the rule of law  
• individual liberty  
• mutual respect  
• tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. 

Actively promoting the values means challenging opinions or behaviours in school that are contrary to British values.  Our RE lessons offer a structured and safe space during curriculum time for reflection, discussion, dialogue and debate. The excellent teaching of RE enables pupils to learn to think for themselves about British values.  In RE pupils learn the skills and develop attitudes that help protect themselves and others from harm throughout their lives. 

The RE classroom is a democratic classroom where all pupils have an equal right to be heard and democracy is modelled by the teacher and expected of every pupil.  In RE pupils examine different codes for living and consider the value of the rule of law where all people are equal before the law.  They consider questions about identity and belonging. Religion is a good case study of the balance between individual liberty and the greater good.  RE can challenge pupils to be increasingly respectful and to celebrate diversity of different cultures, faiths and beliefs. 

Computing  

Information and communication technology enhances our teaching of R.E. wherever appropriate in all key stages. The children use ICT in a variety of ways such as word processing, RE quizzes, research on the internet and presenting information via PowerPoint.  

Geography 

Geography goes hand-in-hand with many of the topics taught within R.E. It is fundamental that, when learning about different cultures and religion across the wider world, children have some understanding of the locality and origins of these cultures. Atlases are used to track the wide variety of journeys taken by key figures in history. 

Art  

Art is a subject that links particularly well with R.E. The children at Hillside are encouraged to explore the ways in which religions express meaning through art, or study past cultures and see what kind of art they created and consider the way that the religion of those peoples may have inspired or informed their art. On any visit to a place of worship, the architecture, images and pictures will be of central importance. For example at Milton church there are stained glass windows and although at the local Mosque in Normacot there will be an absence of images, decorative use of calligraphy and geometry will be seen.  

Enrichment 

At Hillside, we place great importance on educational visits and visitors to enhance the R.E. curriculum. These visits provide rich opportunities for children and young people to learn about things that matter in the lives of local people and the wider world.  

• Each Easter and Christmas, the whole school visits the local Parish Church in Milton for a service. At Easter time, each class contributes to the service with a poem or song and at Christmas time, a variation on the Christmas Nativity is performed by the children in Key Stage 2. 
• Hillside has invited a number of religious leaders into school to supplement the children’s learning including a local Jewish Rabbi and ministers from different branches of Christianity. 
• Each year a group of pupils attended the annual R.E. conference. The aim of the annual conference is for the pupils to learn from one another through shared experience and dialogue. A variety of themes are explored on this day and the children feed back to the rest of the school.  
• Each year, we hold a Celebration of R.E. day. Each day has a specific theme that is studied through the 4 religions, Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Hinduism. Examples of activities that take place on these days are Music, Drama, Dance, DT, Artwork, Treasure hunts and a change around day where the children moved classes each hour to work with different teachers. The children particularly enjoy these days and learn a lot. 
• This year, we held an Interfaith ‘Design a mug’ competition.

Pupil Voice 

At Hillside, we place great emphasis on the views of our pupils, not only to ensure the understanding and progression but also to review the curriculum and make adaptations where necessary.  

Here is a selection of Pupil voice collected in the Summer Term. 

Nursery child- ‘I won the cup competition and my picture was put on the cup.’ (Interfaith Design a mug competition.) 

Reception child- ‘We saw the cave where Jesus got out of, at the church. It was brilliant!’ (The visit was part of our learning about special places.) 

Year 1 child- ‘We made a Shabbat meal in the classroom. It was so much fun!’ 

Year 5 child- ‘I liked the RE day in September when we did some artwork linked to the key concepts of Christianity.’ 

Careers 

Religious Education is a pathway to many different careers such as a chaplain, advice worker, archivist, charity fundraiser, charity officer, civil service administrator, community development worker, editorial assistant or equality, diversity and inclusion officer. 

At Hillside, we believe that it helps with pupil’s own personal development and supports an understanding of the spiritual, moral, social & cultural questions that surface again and again in their lives. In tackling difficult questions, it provides pupils with insight that can work to challenge stereotypes, promote cohesion, and tackle extremism. 

Growth Mindset

At Hillside Primary School, we know that pupils who have a positive attitude towards their learning will make good progress and be successful. Consequently, instilling all our pupils with 'Growth Mindsets' is a key priority for the school and is embedded in our teaching and learning in RE as well as across the other subjects.  

We want all our pupils to relish challenges, embrace their mistakes as part of the learning process, value the importance of effort, respond carefully to feedback and take inspiration from others. This will help them to achieve, not only with us, but also in their future lives as adults.

Assessment for learning 

The learning

outcomes in the Stoke on Trent Agreed Syllabus support teachers at Hillside in assessing whether pupils are on track to meet end of key stage expectations.  Assessment requires teachers to know what individual pupils know and can do. The learning outcomes on each key question outline will help teachers to assess this, and to devise appropriate learning activities to enable pupils to secure their understanding and skills.   

Schools need to be able to track progress of pupils. Again, the ‘emerging, expected and exceeding’ outcomes on each key question will allow teachers to track progress across a year group. This is because the outcomes have been written to assist pupils in moving towards the end of key stage outcomes, which is why the key question outlines have been linked to recommended year groups.     

R.E. floor books are used in all classrooms, displaying examples of children’s work/photographs and Pupil voice. Teacher’s use this evidence alongside the assessment pyramid to make an accurate judgments of a child’s progress in R.E. Assessments are then recorded using the Hillside assessment procedure. 

Careers