At Carden Primary School we believe in providing high quality, active, purposeful and experiential learning opportunities. Our aim is to engage and equip pupils with the skills, knowledge and understanding they require to be successful learners.
Through our teaching of R.E we aim to ensure that our children have an understanding and respect of the wider world and the rich diversity around us. By encouraging the children to discuss, explore and share different beliefs we foster a culture of inclusion and acceptance.
Our Core Values and Learning Journey Skills underpin our language rich curriculum which is mapped to include coverage of the national curriculum as well as numerous enrichment activities and outdoor learning opportunities.
Our RE curriculum follows the Jigsaw scheme and is challenging, engaging and encourages a curiosity to question and learn from others. This is achieved through creative, active and purposeful experiences to fully engage the children.
We believe that the RE curriculum influences children’s understanding of others both in and out of school; we value and celebrate experiences and achievements from home and encourage the children to talk, discuss and accept our differences.
Our ultimate goal is for all learners to be confident, happy individuals, who make positive contributions within their community. We want our children to be curious about different religions and to accept and respect religious beliefs regardless of their own beliefs and practices.
At Carden, we use the Jigsaw scheme of work to teach Religious Education. This is a comprehensive, enquiry-based RE curriculum for UK primary schools (ages 3-11/12) that teaches about major world religions and Humanism through flexible, well-resourced weekly lessons, focusing on big questions, personal reflection, and developing empathy, respect, and understanding of diverse worldviews. It’s designed to support the statutory RE curriculum, align with local agreed syllabi, and integrate personal, spiritual, moral, and cultural (SMSC) development.
Children start exploring Religious Education in the Early Years through learning about celebrations and festivals. Some religious themes are linked to our PSHE curriculum, understanding the world, expressive arts and design, literacy and maths.
The knowledge which children gain in the Early Years, supplements the KS1 curriculum planning, where children have an opportunity to further understand concepts in Christianity and Judaism. The curriculum is delivered through implementation of children’s previous knowledge in the next year group. Concepts, themes and ideas are extended and other religions such as Islam, Buddhism and Sikhism are studied as pupils move through KS2. In each year group children are given opportunities to build upon their knowledge and skills drawing upon real life experiences and current world issues and contexts.
Children make good links to learning when experiences of RE curriculum are made meaningful. For example, the school holds special religious and charitable events and assemblies to promote the key themes of religious education such as our Eid Family picnic, Diwali, Chinese New Year, Easter and Christmas celebrations. Members of the school community are invited to talk to children about their religions. Pupils have opportunities to visit local religious buildings.
Our RE curriculum and delivery helps children gain a love for learning and respect for different religions. Children show increasing knowledge about diverse communities and ways of life in each key stage. An effective programme of study helps children to gain skills necessary to hold balanced conversations about religions and worldviews. Teachers aim high to give educational opportunities which bring a positive outlook towards communities across the city and beyond. Overall, children are able to link their learning at school our Carden Core Values and British Values.
