Religion and Worldviews
curriculum vision on a page re.pdf
Intent
• knowledge of key beliefs, practices and sacred texts
• understanding of how religion and worldviews shape lives
• the ability to ask and answer deep theological and ethical questions
• precise religious and worldview vocabulary
• respectful comparison between different traditions
Our curriculum prepares pupils to be religiously literate, thoughtful and informed citizens in modern Britain.
Implementation
We use the Kent Agreed Syllabus to plan the teaching and coverage of Religion and Worldviews, alongside Understanding Christianity, RDBE planning, and NATRE resources to support our planning and teaching of Christianity. Through this, children develop their own thinking and deepen their understanding of Christianity, helping them to make sense of the world and their own experiences within it.
In Reception and Key Stage One, children encounter a range of world faith stories, including Christianity and Judaism, faith stories from Islam, and an introduction to Humanism. In Key Stage Two, children also study Sikhism, Hinduism, Islam and Humanism. Please see our RE curriculum overview for more details.
How Our Children Think In Religion & Worldviews
Our curriculum develops children's understanding through three disciplinary lenses:
Pupils investigate key concepts such as God, salvation, and worship through sacred texts and traditions.
Pupils explore how religion and worldviews shape communities, behaviour and identity.
Pupils evaluate big questions about meaning, purpose, truth and morality, drawing on their learning.
These strands build progressively from EYFS to Year 6.
See below for an overview of the Kent Agreed Syllabus:
Religion and Worldviews is taught weekly in all classes across Key Stages.
To ensure our curriculum is accessible to all children, we use a range of adaptive teaching strategies, which are outlined below.
adaptive teaching strategies re final.pdf
Long Term Plan
See below for Kent syllabus overview:
As shown in the syllabus overview above, we ensure that children are exposed to a wide range of faiths and worldviews throughout their time in school. These are introduced in the early years and revisited in later years, allowing children to develop both depth and breadth of understanding. Weekly reflection time at the end of lessons encourages pupils to make meaningful links between different faiths and worldviews and their own beliefs and perspectives.
Progression of Skills & Knowledge
Early Years (Reception):
Children begin by exploring simple ideas about God and a range of world faiths. They learn through stories and first-hand experiences, giving them early exposure to different cultures and beliefs.
Key Stage 1 (Years 1–2):
Children begin to learn about ‘big questions’ about religion and worldviews and explore religious practices and symbols. Learning is framed through key figures, stories and ideas from religions such as Christianity and Islam.
Key Stage 2 (Years 3–6):
Children deepen their prior learning by comparing different religions and worldviews, exploring moral and ethical questions, and reflecting on their own views. This supports critical thinking while fostering understanding and empathy for those with different beliefs.
Throughout the curriculum, key themes and concepts are revisited, enabling children to build a secure and increasingly sophisticated understanding of both religious and non-religious worldviews.
By the end of Year 6, pupils will:
• demonstrate secure knowledge of Christianity and at least three other religions or worldviews
• use accurate religious and theological vocabulary
• explain how beliefs influence believers’ lives
• make thoughtful comparisons between religions and worldviews
• ask and explore meaningful theological and ethical questions
• express informed personal responses, supported with evidence
• show respect and understanding for diversity in modern Britain
Curriculum Policy
Subject in Action
Take a look at some examples of work from across our school curriculum:
Early Years
Key Stage One
Key Stage Two
Adaptive Teaching Toolkit
adaptive teaching strategies re final.pdf
Inclusion & Adaptive teaching in Practice
• regular recapping of key vocabulary
• visual and concrete supports for abstract concepts
• scaffolded discussion structures
• targeted adult support where appropriate
Pupils with SEND are enabled to participate fully in theological discussion and work.
Regular reflections ensure that more confident pupils develop extended reasoning.
Take a look below at our gallery of adaptive teaching strategies used in our teaching of Religion and Worldviews to ensure children get the best outcomes in their learning.
Enrichment Opportunities
Regular enrichment opportunities in the teaching of Religion and Worldviews ensures our children can fully immerse themselves in their learning and provides memorable opportunities to support them in building a deeper understanding of the faiths and world views.
Some enrichment opportunities we have carried out most recently are:
- Visits from and to the Nasir Mosque for Years 2 and 5
- A visit to the Siri Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara in Year 3
- A visit from Humanist speaker Luke Donellan in Year 3
- A visit to the Hindu temple in Year 4
- Visits from the Bible Explorers in Years 5 and 6
Additionally, we have a strong relationship with the Family Trust who carry out workshops across the school to support the teaching of key Christian calendar events such as Easter and facilitate a free after school club to enable our children to explore Christianity in more depth, in a fun way.
Our partnership with St Margaret's Church and the Rochester Baptist Church, and our close proximity to historic Rochester and the Cathedral means we are privileged to have a wealth of resources to support our children in their learning of Christianity.
Impact
An important aim of Religion and Worldviews is to encourage children to reflect on their learning and make their own informed decisions about what they believe. This supports children in understanding that religion continues to influence and sustain many people in the world today, while also reflecting on what this may mean for their own lives.
We believe that the values underpinning Religion and Worldviews enable our children to become confident, reflective, spiritual and morally aware individuals who can shine their light by playing an active role in shaping modern Britain.
Assessment
• ongoing formative assessment in lessons,
• start and end-of-unit reviews
• vocabulary checks and retrieval activities
• pupil discussion and written outcomes
• recall key knowledge
• use accurate vocabulary
• explain beliefs and practices
• make connections between worldviews
Below is an example of a ‘Start of Unit Review’ compared with a ‘Post Unit Review’, demonstrating the progress children make in their learning.
y5 pre and post review example.pdf
Pupil Voice
Religion and Worldviews has a high profile within our school curriculum and is comparable with other core curriculum areas.
Useful Links for Parents and Pupils
An outline of the statutory requirements for the teaching of RE:Legal Requirements and Withdrawal
Religions of the World
Animated BBC films to teach 3-7 year olds about different religions:
My Life, My Religion
Short BBC films for 7-11 year olds featuring children from 5 of the world’s major religions:
BBC Bitesize 7-11 year olds can find out about different religions and non-religious worldviews through BBC Bitesize:
True Tube
A series of films suitable for pupils aged 7-11 on a variety of topics such as a History of Islam in 10 minutes, the Easter story in 3 parts, a day in the life of a vicar, Bar and Bat Mitzvah, visits to places of worship in the Holy Cribs series and much much more.
Humanists UK
A collection of links and guidance to support parents with explaining the Humanist world view.