Intent

Religious Education (RE) makes an important contribution to the spiritual, moral, cultural and social development of our pupils. Through RE, we aim for pupils to be inspired, curious and tolerant towards different religions and beliefs, developing a positive attitude towards other people, respecting their right to hold different beliefs from their own.  We intend to prepare children to live and participate in a society with many different religions and beliefs. We also aim to ensure children develop life skills such as developing a sense of identity and belonging, acquiring respect for themselves and others and the ability to become deep thinkers, exploring challenging questions about beliefs.

Implementation

We offer discrete RE lessons to all pupils guided by specific half termly units. In KS1, key vocabulary is distinctly taught and there are opportunities for hands on experiences. Building upon the learning from KS1, KS2 RE lessons are often taught through philosophy to encourage deep thinking, discussion and debate. These lessons are taught by a specialist teacher every other week. Across the school, we provide further opportunities to learn from religious beliefs, ideas and practice including Philosophy for children (P4C), PSHE and circle time. Children frequently draw from their religious and cultural knowledge and experiences linking this to other topics explored throughout the year.

In addition to this, RE is taught and promoted through whole school assemblies, celebrations and events. RE is taught through a mixture of written and practical engaging experiences. We aim to make wider links throughout the community by visiting local places of religious interest and worship, as well as inviting religious and cultural leaders to speak to us and encouraging the children to be experts in their own beliefs, sharing their own knowledge and experience with their peers. RE is celebrated and shared with parents and the school community through the use of twitter.

At Tidemill Academy, RE is planned and taught with regard to the agreed syllabus for all schools in the borough of Lewisham (from the standing advisory council on Religious Education (SACRE)). Planning includes explicit vocabulary with a clear learning objectives, differentiated activities and opportunities for assessment. This planning is sequenced to enable progression of key ideas and vocabulary throughout KS1 and KS2. In KS1 children will explore, identify and name religious beliefs and their characteristics, be able to reflect whilst responding and asking questions, allowing for investigation and independent use of the vocabulary learnt through discussion in KS2.

In addition to this, Tidemill combines the statutory units from the SACRE with planning which supports the religious diversity of our school and surrounding area. Each half term children focus on a specific unit which allows them to explore the six main religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. These specific units allow opportunities for further exploration through visitors, trips and events as well as allowing progression of knowledge and skills across the year and their time at Tidemill.