At Highfield Primary School, the aim of Religious Education is to help children to acquire and develop the knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the other principal religions represented in Great Britain; to appreciate the way that religious beliefs shape life and our behaviour, to develop the ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues. In conjunction with the Personal, Social, Health and Economic curriculum, our Religious Education curriculum provides the knowledge, skills and experiences necessary to enrich our pupils’ Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development (S.M.S.C.).

Our Religious Education Curriculum is designed to develop and explore:

• the pupils’ knowledge of the world faiths
• their understanding and awareness of the beliefs, values and traditions of other individuals, societies, communities and cultures
• attitudes of respect towards other people who hold views and beliefs different from their own
• their ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious issues
• our pupils ability to ask questions about the world and to reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences

Our curriculum content for Religious Education is delivered in line with the locally Agreed Syllabus: the Hillingdon SACRE and the Early Years Framework.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage (E.Y.F.S.) setting, our Religious Education provision is delivered through the Prime Area of: Personal, Social and Emotional Development and the Specific Area of: and Understanding the World.

In Nursery our children are taught to:

• develop their sense of responsibility and membership of a community
• continue to develop positive attitudes about the differences between people

In Reception our children are taught to:

• see themselves as a valuable individual
• think about the perspectives of others
• show sensitivity to their own and others’ needs
• talk about members of their immediate family and community
• name and describe people who are familiar to them
• understand that some places are special to members of their community
• recognise that people have different beliefs and celebrate special times in different ways
• talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society
• know some similarities and differences between different religious and cultural communities in this country, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class

In the E.Y.F.S, Religious Education is taught through a thematic approach, which enables the children to explore their knowledge and understanding of the world in context.

In Key Stages One and Two Religious Education is taught in weekly blocks. This approach enables children to have a more focused and immersive experience so that knowledge can become more deeply embedded and previous knowledge recalled quickly and built upon sequentially.

Our curriculum is designed to ensure that exciting and engaging units, relevant to our children, provide solid building blocks to develop the children’s knowledge, skills and concepts. Tasks are carefully selected, adapted and designed to provide appropriate challenges to all learners and to develop independent working and confidence. In order to nurture and develop our children’s critical thinking skills, extensive opportunities for learning outside the classroom are encouraged in all practice.

Ultimately, our curriculum is designed to enable our children to develop, explore and understand the beliefs and values of the world around them. The teaching of respect and empathy for others is embedded throughout our Religious Education delivery; as our final goal is for our children to be active and positive contributors to the diverse society in which they live in now, and in future settings.