Religious Education (RE) is an important subject at Upham CE(A) Primary School. RE is an academic subject that enables children to think as:

A theologist – being interested in people’s beliefs, why they believe the things they do and how this shapes their lives.

A philosopher – being interested in how people think about the world and why, this includes reflecting about themselves.

A sociologist – being interested in how people live their lives and how they behave.

Throughout RE, children will develop their personal sense of spirituality. They will explore the beliefs of other people, so meet them by stepped through a metaphorical door and looking through a window to look out to the world. They will also reflect on how faith, or no faith influences how people think about big questions of life and living; the metaphor of a candle flame represents this. Finally, children will reflect on what they think about areas explored and explore their own ideas – holding a metaphorical mirror up to look at themselves.

Here is our policy for the Teaching of RE at Upham CE(A) Primary School:

Our RE Curriculum

For Years 1-6 there is a two-year curriculum (Year A and B) so children do not repeat the same learning, Year R (EYs) just run a one-year curriculum as they are pure Year R only. Each half term children in EYs, KS1 and KS2 explore a new unit of work. Each of these units has a lead concept, some of which are very generic and could apply across many religions. Others, particularly towards upper KS2, are more specific to particular religious. All learning in RE is planned through the enquiry cycle, from the Curriculum Syllabus Living Difference IV. This is the agreed syllabus for Hampshire.

The majority of learning in each is about Christianity but each class will also explore other world faiths. Dormice (Year R) and Hedgehogs (Years 1 & 2) learn about Judaism, Years 3 & 4 learn about Hinduism and Badgers (Years 5 &6) learn about Islam. In addition, aspects of learning about Sikhism, Buddhism and non-religious world views are incorporated.

Here is our curriculum overview:

Learning is carefully planned and planned knowledge outcomes for each unit are included within the RE Curriculum Intent and Progression map. Teachers also assess to this planned learning and report to parents through end of year reports if/ when children meet these expectations.

Important Resources

Material from the Church of England ‘Understanding Christianity’ resource is used to support the teaching of Christianity units. This material is not a curriculum but a source of information, subject knowledge and ideas for the teacher to dip into. It includes a key artwork representing the ‘Christian Story’ which we use to dip into and help children understand where the aspect they are exploring fits into the overall picture. A copy is also displayed in the school hall.

Parents Right of Withdrawal

Parents are entitled to withdraw their children from all, or part of, Religious Education, if they so wish, by informing the Headteacher. In the instance of this request, a meeting to discuss any concerns would first be taken to discuss potential solutions, clarify what RE provision does and does not look like and answer any parent questions. Following this, if the parents still wished to withdraw their child from RE they will need to request this in writing. The Headteacher will maintain a record of children who have been withdrawn and report summary numbers and frequency to governors.

Other Useful References