RE is multifaith:
At Newlyn School we follow the Cornwall Agreed Syllabus 2020-25. This has been created for Cornwall SACRE and approved by Cornwall Council. It provides a syllabus for RE for all our schools. Since 1944, all schools have been required to teach RE to all pupils on roll. RE remains part of the basic curriculum for all pupils. This syllabus explains the value and purposes of RE for all pupils and specifies for teachers what shall be taught in each age group. It provides a coherent framework for setting high standards of learning in RE and enabling pupils to reach their potential in the subject. It builds on the good practice established in the previous Cornwall syllabus over many years.
As education policy changes, the legal requirement for RE for all registered pupils remains unchanged. RE is an entitlement for all pupils, unless they have been withdrawn by their parents from some or all of the RE curriculum.
Right of withdrawal
This was first granted when RE was actually religious instruction and carried with it connotations of induction into the Christian faith. RE is very different now – open, broad, exploring a range of religious and non-religious worldviews. However, parents have the right to withdraw their children from RE lessons or any part of the RE curriculum and the school has a duty to supervise them, though not to provide additional teaching or to incur extra cost. Where the pupil has been withdrawn, the law provides for alternative arrangements to be made for RE of the kind the parents want the pupil to receive. These arrangements will be made by the parents; the school is not expected to make these arrangements. This RE could be provided at the school in question, or by another school in the locality. If neither approach is practicable, the pupil may receive external RE teaching as long as the withdrawal does not have a significant impact on the pupil’s attendance. However, it is good practice to talk to parents to ensure that they understand the aims and value of RE before honouring this right.
Intent
Here, at Newlyn School, the aim of Religious Education is to help children to acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the other principal religions represented in Great Britain, including Cornish traditions, festivals and Saints; to appreciate the way that religious beliefs shape life and our behaviour, develop the ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues and enhance their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. To uphold British values, including respect and tolerance. We encourage and enable children to express balanced opinions based on knowledge of differing religions and world views.
Implementation
We teach Christianity explicitly through using the Cornwall Agreed Syllabus 2020-2025 and the recommended learning through questions units. RE is taught once a week or in blocks around religious celebrations.
Impact
The children at Newlyn School enjoy learning about other religions and why people choose, or choose not to follow a religion. Through their R.E. learning, the children are able to make links between their own lives and those of others in their community and in the wider world.
We teach RE using the Cornwall Agreed Syllabus 2020-2025.
Pupils are to study in depth the religious traditions of the following groups:
Coverage |
||
EYFS |
Children will encounter Christianity and other faiths, as part of their growing sense of self, their own community and their place within it. |
Consideration of other religions and non-religious worldviews can occur at any key stage, as appropriate to the school context, including Cornish traditions, festivals and beliefs. |
KS1 |
Christians, Jews and Muslims
|
|
KS2 |
Christians, Muslims, Hindus and Jews
|
The range of religious groups in the UK. Groups such as Quakers, the Bahá’í faith, Jehovah’s Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the Jains are not excluded from study in this scheme for RE. Schools are always advised to make space for the worldviews of the local community, which is why the table above expresses minimum requirements.
- Notice the language. ‘Christians’ rather than ‘Christianity’, ‘Hindus’ rather than ‘Hinduism’. This is to reflect the fact that RE starts with encounters with living faiths rather than the history and belief structures of traditions. This also recognises the diversity within and between religions and other traditions.
- Non-religious worldviews. Good practice in RE, as well as European and domestic legislation, has established the principle that RE should be inclusive of both religious and non-religious worldviews. Schools should ensure that the content and delivery of the RE curriculum are inclusive in this respect.
Year Group |
Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
Summer 1 |
Summer 2 |
EYFS |
F1 Why is the word ‘God’ so important to Christians? |
F2 Why is Christmas special for Christians? |
F3 Why is Easter special for Christians? |
F4 Being special: where do we belong? |
F5 Which places are special and why? |
F6 Which stories are special and why? |
Class 1 |
1.1 What do Christians believe God is like? |
1.3 Why does Christmas matter to Christians? |
1.9 How should we care for others and for the world, and why does it matter? |
1.5 Why does Easter matter to Christians? |
1.6 Who is a Muslim and how do they live? |
Double Unit |
Class 2-3 |
L2.1 What do Christians learn from the Creation story? |
L2.3 What is the ‘Trinity’ and why is it important for Christians? |
L2.5 Why do Christians call the day Jesus died ‘Good Friday’? |
L2.7 What do Hindus believe God is like? |
L2.9 How do festivals and worship show what matters to Muslims? |
L2.11 How and why do people mark the significant events of life? Christians, Hindus, Muslims, non-religious |
Class 4 |
L2.2 What is it like for someone to follow God? |
L2.4 What kind of world did Jesus want? |
L2.6 For Christians, what was the impact of Pentecost? |
L2.8 What does it mean to be Hindu in Britain today? |
L2.10 How do festivals and family life show what matters to Jewish people? |
L2.12 How and why do people try to make the world a better place? Christians, Muslims, non-religious |
Class 5 |
U2.1 What does it mean if Christians believe God is holy and loving? |
U2.3 Why do Christians believe Jesus was the Messiah? |
U2.5 What do Christians believe Jesus did to ‘save’ people? |
U2.7 Why do Hindus want to be good? |
U2.9 Why is the Torah so important to Jewish people? |
U2.11 Why do some people believe in God and some people not? Christians, non-religious |
Class 6 |
U2.2 Creation and science: conflicting or complementary? |
U2.4 How do Christians decide how to live? ‘What would Jesus do?’ |
U2.6 For Christians, what kind of king is Jesus? |
U2.8 What does it mean to be a Muslim in Britain today? |
U2.10 What matters most to Humanists, Christians? Christians and non-religious, with opportunities to include other faiths studied |
U2.12 How does faith help people when life gets hard? Christians, Muslims and/or Jews and/or Hindus, non-religious |