DOBCROFT INFANT SCHOOL

Intent Implementation & Impact

At Dobcroft Infant School we follow the RE Syllabus for Sheffield pupils, SACRE (https://www.learnsheffield.co.uk/Partnerships/SACRE) , which  establishes what shall be taught in RE in Sheffield schools, and provides teachers with practical support and guidance about how to teach RE effectively.  The 2014 Sheffield RE Agreed Syllabus follows the structure of the DfE’s National Curriculum (2013), so that RE parallels the subjects of the National Curriculum.

Intent

Our aim is that our programme of Religious Education will do the following:

  • investigating religions and world views through varied experiences and disciplines;
  • reflecting on and expressing their own ideas and the ideas of others with increasing creativity and clarity;
  • to develop learning for diversity and reducing intolerance so that we celebrate similarities and differences;
  • provoke challenging questions about the meaning and purpose of life, beliefs, the self, issues of right and wrong, and what it means to be human.
  • develop students’ knowledge of Christianity, other principal religions, and religious traditions that examine these questions, fostering personal reflection and spiritual development;
  • encourage students to explore their own beliefs (whether they are religious or non-religious), in the light of what they learn, as they examine issues of religious belief and Faith and how these impact on personal, institutional and social ethics; and to express their responses. This will also build resilience to anti-democratic or extremist narratives.
  • enable children to build their sense of identity and belonging, which helps them flourish within their communities and as citizens in a diverse society;
  • teach children to develop respect for others, including people with different faiths and beliefs, and helps to challenge prejudice;
  • prompt children to consider their responsibilities to themselves and to others, and to explore how they might contribute to their communities and to wider society & in so doing, encourage empathy, generosity and compassion;
  • develop a sense of awe, wonder and mystery;
  • reflecting on and expressing their own ideas and the ideas of others with increasing creativity and clarity;
  • Visits and visitors: RE is the ideal vehicle for building links with faith communities in the local area of the school. Pupils need opportunities to meet people of different faiths and cultures to develop a respect for those who believe, think and practice differently, without feeling that their own identity or views are threatened.

Our Curriculum reflects the ethos & aims of the school as well as the context from which our children derive. This means that our curriculum provides the necessary building blocks to develop the necessary knowledge & skills, whilst also promoting British Values, healthy lifestyles & mental wellbeing, plus excellent behaviour & attitudes. It is underpinned with a large emphasis on SMSC development, a strong practical outworking for others in line with our Christian ethos, whilst also building character & readiness for the next stages of education & the learning journey beyond.

Implementation

At DIS, we believe that breadth and depth in RE for all pupils can be achieved if the following are taken into account:

  • Pupils should develop understanding of concepts and mastery of skills to make sense of religion and belief, at an appropriate level of challenge for their age.
  • RE should provide opportunities for pupils to develop positive attitudes and values and to reflect and relate their learning in RE to their own experience.
  • Build on the statutory requirements, it is recommended that there should be a wide ranging study of religion and belief across the key stages as a whole.
  • Not all religions need to be studied at the same depth or in each key stage, but all that are studied should be studied in a way that is coherent and promotes progression.
  • Pupils should have the opportunity to learn that there are those who do not hold religious beliefs and have their own philosophical perspectives, and subject matter should facilitate integration and promotion of shared values.
  • The study of religion should be based on the legal requirements and provide an appropriate balance between and within Christianity, other principal religions, and, where appropriate other religious traditions and worldviews, across the key stages as a whole, making appropriate links with other parts of the curriculum and its cross-curricular dimensions.
  • The breadth of study should take account of the four levels of community cohesion which all maintained schools are now obliged to promote. Decisions by SACREs and ASCs about the religions, other than Christianity, to be studied should take account of the balance of religion within: the school community, the community within which the school is located, the UK community, the global community.

Links are made with other subject areas wherever possible especially when looking at Global Neighbours /Global issues. DIS is a Rights Respecting school and we have councillors in each year group who focus on key aspects of rights for the community of Dobcroft but also outward looking to other local communities, UK and the world.  Links are made within assemblies to RE lessons to  reinforce /embed learning.

Learning Experience: What is the breadth of experience provided for our children?

  • Quality First teaching: variety of teaching styles & varied stimulus including religious artefacts
  • Quality Resources: Books, texts, online resources & programmes.  For the academic year 2021/22 each class has a new RE box that includes high quality key texts appropriate for that year group, small world resources linked to a key story e.g. Noah's ark.
  • Visits: Religious buildings

Visitors: to share how they celebrate religious days, leaders of different faiths (e.g. ministers, imams, etc).

                        

Impact

We aim for our teaching of RE to have a great impact on the lives of our children not only through the development of the whole child personally, socially, culturaly & emotionally, but also in laying the foundations for social mobility through the promotion of British Values as well as getting them ready for the next stages of their education.

Promotion of Social Mobility: How does this subject promote social mobility?

 We ensure that children have a broad range of curriculum experiences, free access to a wide variety of books and other resources, multiple opportunities to speak as well as listen, plus with our curriculum being part of the Rights Respecting acts our curriculum is designed to link to issues for all living in the world. We have high expectations of all our children in RE and excel in supporting all areas of a child’s development including character skills that underpin learning.

Promotion of British Values & SMSC: How does this subject promote British Values & SMSC?

Through our rich & varied RE curriculum, we ensure that our children are well equipped for life in modern Britain &, through subject linkage have an excellent understanding of Democracy, the Rule of Law, Responsibility & Liberty, Mutual Respect plus Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs. Our Curriculum is driven by SMSC Development &, as a result, pupils thrive – enjoying their lives, learning & want to make a difference for others.

Assessment: How is RE assessed?

  • Teacher assessment
  • Child self & peer assessment
  • Marking
  • Discussion
  • Observation
  • Summative end of year assessment.

Monitoring & Evaluation: How do we know we have been successful?

  • Lesson observations
  • Results / Data Analysis
  • Work scrutiny
  • Discussions
  • Case studies.

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