RE
School Vision
To give all the opportunity to be who God created them to be and have fullness of life.
Our RE Vision
To develop knowledge and understanding of religion, religious beliefs and practices, tradition and culture, promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and to prepare all pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of the present and the future. To become courageous advocates for themselves and others.
Curriculum
At St. Peter’s Elwick, we follow the Diocesan Syllabus for RE, using Understanding Christianity and Durham Diocese units. These units are used to deliver the core teaching and learning of a range of faiths, including Christianity. Durham Diocese units are also used as well as thematic units which enable pupils to compare beliefs and practices between different faiths and beliefs as well as exploring non-religious worldviews. Each class has a two-yearly cycle which enables the sequential learning of the RE curriculum. This also enables the development of key understanding through building on previous knowledge and supporting children in linking key ideas and religious understanding and theory. Our curriculum follows an enquiry approach and reflects the Understanding Christianity model of teaching.
Religious education is taught using concepts and content (this is through making sense of beliefs), methods (through understanding the impact) and personal reflection (through making connections.)
RE is provided for all pupils, and is inclusive and broad minded. Parents do have the right to withdraw pupils from RE: if you wish to do this, please make an appointment with the Headteacher.
Pupils at St. Peter’s Elwick have access to a rich and varied RE curriculum. This is supported by our Faith Journey, which is bespoke to our school. This journey ensures all pupils will have wider opportunities within school to carry out our school values, especially service.
Curriculum Overview
| Autumn1 | Autumn 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 2 | Summer1 & Summer2 | |
| EYFS Cycle A | UC F4 Being special. Where do we belong? | Diwali | UC F1 God Why is the word ‘God’ so important to Christians? | UC F3 Why do some Christians put a cross in the Easter Garden? | UC F6 Which stories are special and why? |
| EYFS Cycle B | DD Harvest 6-8 hours | UC F2 Incarnation Why do Christians perform nativity at Christmas? | DD Friendship | DD Prayer | UC F5 What places are special? |
| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 2 | Summer 1 | Summer 2 | |
| Y1/2 Cycle A | UC 1.1 God What do Christians believe God is like? 6-8 hours | UC 1.2 Incarnation Why does Christmas matter so much to Christians? 4-6 hours | UC 1.4 Gospel What is the ‘good news’ Jesus brings? 6-8 hours | UC 1.8 What does it mean to belong to a faith community? 6-8 hours | ||
| Y1/2 Cycle B | UC 1.9 What makes some places sacred to believers? 8-10 hours | UC 1.5 Salvation Why does Easter matter to Christians? 4-6 hours | UC 1.2 Creation Who made the world? 6-8 hours | UC 1.8 What does it mean to belong to a faith community? 6-8 hours |
| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 2 | Summer 1 | Summer 2 | |
| Y3/4 Cycle A | UC L2.1 Creation & Fall What do Christians learn from the Creation story? 6-8 hours | UC L2.2 People of God What is it like to follow God? 6-8 hours | UC L2.4 Incarnation What is the trinity? 6-8 hours | UC L2.9 What are the deeper meaning of festivals? 6-10 hours | ||
| Y3/4 Cycle B | UC L2.4 Gospel What kind of world did Jesus want? 6-8 hours | UC L2.5 Salvation Why do Christians call the day Jesus died ‘Good Friday’? 4-6 hours | UC L2.6 Kingdom of God For Christians, what was the impact of Pentecost? 6-8 hours | UC L2.10 How & Why do people mark the significant events of life? 8-10 hours |
| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 2 | Summer 1 | Summer 2 | |
| Y5/6 Cycle A | UC U2.9 Why do Hindus try to be good? 6-8 hours | UC U2.2 Creation Creation and science. Conflicting or complimentary 6-8 hours | UC U2.4 Incarnation Why do Christians believe Jesus was the messiah? 6-8 hours | UC U2.7 Salvation What difference does the resurrection mean for Christians? 6-8 hours | ||
| Y5/6 Cycle B | UC U2.5 Gospel How do Christians decide how to live? What would Jesus do? 6-8 hours | UC C2.8 Kingdom of God For Christians, what kind of king is Jesus? 6-8 hours | UC U2.12 What matters most to humanists and Christians? 6-8 hours | UC U2.14 Why is pilgrimage important for some religious believers? 6-8 hours |
Knowledge organisers for each half term’s unit of learning will be sent as QR codes to parents to support learning at home. These are also available any time from our school office.
Cultural Capital
Every child and family who join our family will have their own knowledge and experiences that will link to their culture and wider family. This might include: languages, beliefs, traditions, cultural and family heritage, interests, travel and work. Research shows that when children and families’ cultures are valued, both the child’s experience of learning and progress can benefit (Husain et al., 2018, p. 4 and Gazzard, E. 2018 in Chalmers, H. and Crisfield, E. 2019)
Cultural capital in RE is the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours, and skills that a child can draw upon and which demonstrates their cultural awareness, knowledge and competence; it is one of the key ingredients a pupil will draw upon to be successful in society, their career and the world of work.
Statement for SEND
Religious Education promotes a curriculum that puts all pupils, regardless of their needs, at the heart of what we do. By building mutual respect, we accept others for their differences believing that everyone is special and everyone has something to offer. Our inclusive and enriching curriculum, written for all children, provides pupils with meaningful and aspirational experiences as well as promoting personal growth for life-long learning. When the curriculum needs adapting, to suit the needs of individual children, appropriate modifications are made by the class teacher with support of the SENDCo and the Curriculum Subject Lead.
Awards
RE Quality Mark- Gold
Global Neighbours
Young Leaders Award
Our curriculum Mapping includes a variety of texts. Here are some examples
St. Peter’s Elwick would like to give thanks to the following publishers for allowing us to use their book cover image:
Reproduced from The Usborne Easter Story by permission of Usborne Publishing, 83-85 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8RT, UK. www.usborne.com. Copyright © 2011 Usborne Publishing Limited.
Concordia Publishing House: the Pentecost Story & Ruth and Naomi
Useful links for parents
Religious Education in Church of England Schools: Statement of Entitlement
Any clubs, websites, agencies and organisations listed on this webpage outside of St Peter’s Elwick CofE Primary School are independent of the school.
