RELIGION AND WORLDVIEWS
How we prepare our pupils to be knowledgeable, enquiring, reflective and respectful citizens of the world.
Religion and Worldviews Statement Of Intent
We want our children to develop their knowledge and understanding of a range of religious and non-religious worldviews*, which not only reflect the local community Kingston serves but will also prepare pupils for the religious and belief diversity in Britain and the wider world; supporting our pupils to engage deeply with the questions raised by the study of worldviews to enable pupils to reflect on and develop their own personal worldviews.
As reported in the 2011 census, the cultural and religious traditions in our local area are mainly Christian with a significant percentage stating no religion. Our distinctive Religion and Worldviews curriculum is inclusive to all our children, regardless of whether they have a religious belief or not.
Last Census Data, 2011, Kingston School is within St Peters and Cedar Hall Wards
Implementation
We have carefully chosen to use Enquiring Minds & Open Hearts: Religious Education for all, The Agreed Syllabus for RE, Sheffield 2019-2024 (Document can be downloaded below). The worldviews focus of study within this syllabus sets it apart from some other locally agreed syllabuses and the opportunity to limit the number of religions taught to ensure depth, over overstretched breadth, aligns with our Kingston teaching and learning philosophy.
Religion and Worldviews is taught from EYFS to Year 6. In EYFS children focus on religious celebrations and beliefs reflected within each EYFS cohort. Christianity, Hinduism and non-religious Worldviews are taught from Year 1 to Year 6, and Islam is additionally studied in Key Stage 2. Knowledge is revisited and deepened as children progress up through the school, with age appropriate themes and big questions imbedded in our Religion and Worldviews curriculum.
We teach Religion and Worldviews through enquiry and knowledge-based learning, exploratory talk, dialogue and our debating curriculum. We have a flexible approach to the delivery of our Religion and Worldviews curriculum. In Foundation Stage, learning starts with experiences and events which relate to the children and their immediate families with opportunities to develop spiritually, morally and to strengthen their understanding of culture planned and delivered through ongoing high quality EYFS provision. From Year 1 onwards delivery of the curriculum may be taught in weekly lessons, blocks of longer lessons or Religion and Worldview days according to teacher discretion.
Religious Education is a compulsory subject for us to teach and we have made best efforts to create a curriculum that meets the needs of all our children. However, parents have the right to withdraw their child from Religious Education- please arrange to speak to our headteacher if you wish to discuss this further.
Pupils are taught:
- Knowledge and understanding of religion and worldviews
- Expression and communication of ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religion and worldviews
- Gain and deploy skills needed to engage seriously with religions and worldviews
Our religion and worldviews curriculum makes a distinctive and significant contribution to our children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. We actively encourage our children to express their own personal beliefs, ideas and values whilst respecting the rights of others to have different views, values and ways of life.
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| Sheffield RE Syllabus 2019.pdf | Download |
The Curriculum across Kingston Primary School:
In Foundation Stage
Religion and Worldviews are integrated into the EYFS Prime areas of Communication and Language and Personal, Social and Emotional Development in addition to the specific area of Understanding the World: People and Communities. Children in Foundation Stage at Kingston listen and talk about stories, are introduced to subject specific words and use all their sense to explore beliefs, practices and forms of expression, they ask questions and reflect on their own feelings and experiences and use their imagination and curiosity to develop their appreciation of and wonder of the world they live.
In Key Stage 1
A Our pupils are taught to know about and understand Christian, Hindu and world views, to:
- A1 Recall and name beliefs and practices, including festivals, rituals and ways of life, in order to find out about the meanings behind them
- A2 Recall and suggest meanings to some religious and moral stories, exploring and discussing sacred writings and sources of wisdom and recognising the communities from which they come
- A3 Recognise some different symbols and actions which express a community’s way of life, appreciating some similarities between communities
B Our pupils are taught to express ideas and insights into Christian, Hindu and world views, to:
- B1 Explain reasonably their ideas about how beliefs, practices and forms of expression influence individuals and communities
- B2 Express with increasing discernment their personal reflections and critical responses to questions and teachings about identity, diversity, meaning and value
- B3 Appreciate and appraise varied dimensions of religion
C Our pupils are taught to gain and deploy the skills for learning from Christianity, Hinduism and world views, to:
- C1 Explore questions about belonging, meaning and truth so that they can express their own ideas and opinions in response using words, music, art or poetry
- C2 Find out about and respond to examples of co-operation between people who are different
- C3 Find out about questions of right and wrong and begin to express their ideas and opinions in response
In Key Stage 2
A Our pupils are taught to know about and understand Christian, Hindu, Muslim and world views, to:
- A1 Describe and make connections between different features of Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and world views, discovering more about celebrations, worship, pilgrimages and the rituals which mark important points in life in order to reflect thoughtfully on their ideas
- A2 Describe and understand links between stories and other aspects of the communities they are investigating, responding thoughtfully to beliefs and teachings that arise from them in different communities
- A3 Explore and describe a range of beliefs, symbols and actions so that they can understand different ways of life and ways of expressing meaning
B Our pupils are taught to express ideas and insights into Christian, Hindu and Muslim world views, to:
- B1 Observe and understand varied examples of Christian, Hindu, Muslim and world views so they can explain, with reasons, their meanings and significance to individuals and communities
- B2 Understand the challenges of commitment to a community may be valuable, both in the diverse communities being studied and in their own lives
- B3 Observe and consider different dimensions of religion, so that they can explore and show understanding of similarities and differences between different religions and world views
C Our pupils are taught to gain and deploy the skills for learning from Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and world views, to:
- C1 Discuss and present thoughtfully their own and others’ views on challenging questions about belonging, meaning, purpose and truth, applying ideas of their own thoughtfully in different forms including for example, reasoning, music, art and poetry
- C2 Consider and apply ideas about ways in which diverse communities can live together for the well being of all, responding thoughtfully to ideas about community, values and respect
- C3 Discuss and apply their own and others’ ideas about ethical questions, including ideas about what is right and wrong and what is just and fair, and express their own ideas clearly in response
* What is a worldview? A worldview is a person’s way of understanding, experiencing and responding to the world. It can be described as a philosophy of life or an approach to life. This includes how a person understands the nature of reality and their own place in the world. A person’s worldview is likely to influence and be influenced by their beliefs, values, behaviours, experiences, identities and commitments.
Institutional worldviews include religious and non-religious worldviews, such as Humanism, Secularism or Atheism. Personal worldviews are an individual’s own way of understanding and living in the world, which may or may not draw one, or many, institutional worldviews. Commission on Religious Education, 2018.
