At Crawford’s, our Religious Education (R.E.) curriculum contributes to children’s education by provoking challenging questions about the meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human. In our increasingly diverse society, children are enriched by the diversity of cultures and beliefs and need more than ever before, to understand other people’s beliefs, cultures and traditions which will in turn enable them to develop their own ideas, values and identities.
Our Crawfords’s Cogs underpin our whole school curriculum and are the lifelong learning skills that we believe children should be equipped with by the time they leave our school. Each Cog is linked to a biblical character and story which demonstrates that value. Each week we focus on a different Cog and weave it into our Collective Worship and learning so that the Cog values are fully embedded and the children can develop their skills as they move through the school.
Curriculum and scheme of work
We use the Emmanuel Project, which is a RE scheme of work for EYFS to Y6 that covers the Suffolk Agreed Syllabus for RE (2012). It was written by the Diocesan Schools' Adviser in consultation with local teachers and advised by members of different faiths on Suffolk SACRE.
The Emmanuel Project provides a complete set of 42 enquiry-based units for teaching RE across the primary school:
Topics may focus on a single religion or be based on a life experience theme, drawing on children’s own thoughts and ideas as well as those of several faiths.
Teaching and learning styles
All children have a one-hour lesson on RE each week. Lessons are fun, engaging and thought-provoking and use increasingly varied and active ways of working which include art and drama, debating, visits, posters, photos, videos, and interactive displays. In particular, we recognise the importance of teaching the two attainment targets of the Agreed Syllabus (learning about religion and learning from religion) in a balanced way. Lessons help to nurture informed and resilient responses to misunderstanding, stereotyping and division and they develop children’s skills of enquiry, reasoned argument and reflection in a safe environment.
Collective Worship
Collective worship is a very important part of Crawford’s day and allows us to come together and celebrate as a community. It offers a wider opportunity for pupils and staff to encounter faith by engaging in conversations about God, both as individuals and together. Children are encouraged and given the opportunity to: be still and reflect; foster respect and deepen their spiritual awareness; explore the big questions of life and respond to national events; celebrate special times in the Christian and Interfaith Calendar; share each other’s joys and challenges and express praise and thanksgiving to God.
On alternate Tuesdays, ‘Open the Book’ and Pastor Hugh lead collective worship. The children really look forward to the dramatisation of bible stories by the ‘Open the Book’ team and Pastor Hugh’s storytelling skills are a delight and always well received by the children.
Continuous Improvement
We aim to provide a high standard of RE teaching and are currently collaborating with other schools in the Tilian partnership to reflect on and improve our delivery and assessment of RE at Crawford’s. In December, we had an informative afternoon monitoring RE across the whole school. We carried out a learning walk, and book look and spoke to children from each class about their learning. The outcomes were discussed as a staff and a plan has been put in place for continual improvement to take place over the coming months.
Mrs Welch
RE Subject Voice
