Head of RE: Mr I Parker | i.parker@kirkburtonmiddleschool.co.uk
RE MISSION STATEMENT
The central purpose of RE teaching at KMS is to understand both ourselves as individual humans as well as the variety of beliefs and lifestyles within local, national and global communities.
Religious Education achieves this by asking fundamental questions such as; Who am I? How can I know what is true? Where have I come from? How can I work out what is good and bad? Answering these questions fosters a sense of empathy, tolerance and resilience which allows young people to become full and active members of their local communities, national populace and global society.
We deliver the RE curriculum through carefully planned units of learning supported by a wide variety of resources including but not limited to video clips and documentaries, booklets, worksheets, textbooks and other printed resources. Further to this lessons consistently involve discussion & debate, pupil questions, independent research, individual, pair & group activities and personal reflection time where pupils think about the significance of what they have learnt.
Purpose of RE
- Preparing students for life in modern Britain and with confidence take the next step in their school career.
- Articulating personal beliefs & values and respecting the right of others to differ.
- Developing resilient responses to misunderstanding, stereotyping and division.
- Raising awareness of other cultures and experiences.
- Developing critical thinking skills.
Why is RE important?
Our world is enriched by a wide and profound diversity of cultures and beliefs. Human beings are strengthened and empowered by learning from each other. Engaging and stimulating RE helps to nurture informed and resilient responses to misunderstanding, stereotyping and division. It offers a place of integrity and security within which difficult or ‘risky’ questions can be tackled within a safe but challenging context. Religious education contributes dynamically to children and young people’s education in schools by provoking challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human.
What happens in RE?
In RE pupils discover, explore and consider different answers to these questions, in local, national and global contexts, through learning about and from religions and other world views. They learn to appraise the value of wisdom from different sources, to develop and express their insights in response, and to agree or disagree respectfully.
Teaching should equip pupils with knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and other world views, enabling them to develop their ideas, values and identities. It should develop in pupils an aptitude for dialogue so that they can participate positively in society with its diverse understanding of life from religious and other world views.
Pupils should gain and deploy the skills needed to understand, interpret and evaluate texts, sources of wisdom and authority and other evidence. They learn to articulate clearly and coherently their personal beliefs, ideas, values and experiences while respecting the right of others to differ.
RE curriculum
In school, the curriculum is based on the Local Agreed Syllabus for Calderdale and Kirklees, produced by SACRE for teaching from September 2019
The syllabus has three aims for pupils:
- To know about and understand a range of religions and other world views;
- To express ideas and insights about questions of beliefs and meaning;
- To investigate and respond to important questions for individuals and the wider community.
At Key Stage 2 (Year 6), teaching and learning is focused around Christianity and Islam, alongside understanding of non-religious approaches to life.
At Key Stage 3, teaching and learning is extended to include Hinduism & Buddhism alongside understanding of non-religious approaches to life.
Other faiths/non faiths will be studied alongside the core religions. Pupils will additionally study Christianity (through a variety of units of work across the key stage) and Buddhism (as a specific unit of learning).This is to help prepare students for GCSE RE where these are the two main religions studied as part of the AQA specification at Shelley College.
Further details about the units of learning studied in each year group can be found on the individual pages for each year group.
RE curriculum
RE policy
Enquiries and questions
The school welcomes enquiries or questions about RE. In the first instance parents should contact their child’s class teacher or the RE co-ordinator (Mr Parker).
What career…?
Students can choose to study an A Level in Religion, Philosophy and Ethics, which can lead into a BA Honors degree in RPE. Huddersfield post-16 colleges and The University of Huddersfield offer RPE courses for further study
In Year 6 RE is taught in a 1 hr lesson per week in conjunction with PSE. Therefore each class is receives 20 hrs of RE in Year 6.
In Year 6 we study 2 units of learning:
CHRISTIANITY
WHAT DO CHRISTIANS BELIEVE?
WHERE DO CHRISTIANS WORSHIP?
HOW ARE CHRISTIANS GUIDED IN THEIR ACTIONS?
ISLAM
WHAT DO MUSLIMS BELIEVE?
HOW DO MUSLIMS ACT OUT THEIR RELIGION?
HOW IS ISLAM SIMILAR AND/OR DIFFERENT TO CHRISTIANITY?
As part of our lessons in Year 6 we are invited to spend a morning/afternoon at Kirkburton Church, where we are warmly hosted by the community of Christians who worship there. Pupils are given a tour of the church and spend time listening and asking questions about life as a Christian. This visit is supported by lessons both before and after our time at the church to further support and enhance the pupils understanding of Christianity
Assessment
Pupils will undertake an assessment at the end of each unit of learning. Along with the written work in their booklet and their performance in class, their teacher will make a judgement about a pupil’s performance in relation to the 3 KPI/AREX.
In Year 7 RE is taught for 1 hr per week. Each pupil studies 3 units of learning which are listed below.
HINDUISM
WHAT GODS DO HINDUS BELIEVE IN?
HOW DO HINDUS WORSHIP?
WHERE DO HINDUS LIVE?
RELIGIOUS ART AND SPIRITUALITY
HOW DO RELIGIONS USE ART TO DEVELOP SPIRITUALITY?
HOW DOES RELIGIOUS ART DISPLAY KEY IDEAS ABOUT DIFFERENT RELIGIONS?
HUMANISM
HOW WAS THE UNIVERSE CREATED?
HOW DO RELIGIOUS AND NON RELIGIOUS PEOPLE DIFFER ABOUT WHAT TO BELIEVE?
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT ARGUMENTS USED TO EXPLAIN ANSWERS TO BIG QUESTIONS ABOUT EXISTENCE?
Assessment
Pupils will undertake an assessment at the end of each unit of learning. Along with the written work in their booklet and their performance in class, their teacher will make a judgement about a pupil’s performance in relation to the 3 KPI/AREX.
In Year 8 pupils study RE for 1 hr per week. We study 3 units of learning which are listed below.
RELIGIOUS SPECIAL PLACES
WHERE CAN WE FIND RELIGIOUS SPECIAL PLACES?
WHAT MAKE A LOCATION A RELIGIOUS SPECIAL PLACE?
WHY IS VISITING A SITE AN IMPORTANT PART OF A PARTICULAR RELIGION?
EVIL AND SUFFERING
WHAT IS EVIL?
WHO IS EVIL?
WHY IS THERE EVIL AND SUFFERING?
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT EVIL AND SUFFERING?
A CASE STUDY OF EVIL: THE HOLOCAUST
BUDDHISM
WHAT DO BUDDHISTS BELIEVE?
HOW DO BUDDHISTS WORSHIP?
HOW IS BUDDHISM DIFFERENT FROM CHRISTIANITY?
Democracy
RE teaches pupils the skills of debate and discussion which are a fundamental component of a democratic society. Pupils learn how to formulate an argument that corresponds to their beliefs and to express these both verbally and in written form. Pupils also learn how to listen to other’s points of view and understand how and why these might differ from their own. Pupils also learnt about various historical figures e.g. Gandhi who campaigned using democratic methods.
The rule of Law
RE explains the concept of religious law to students and gives examples from a variety of religions. Students are taught how UK law is superior to religious law and that religious law must conform to parliamentary law. Students are taught how in British society parliamentary/democratic law is the highest form of law and that all citizens are bound by this law within UK society.
Individual Liberty
Students are taught about different religions and beliefs across the RE curriculum. Students are taught that religious belief/non-belief is a matter of personal, individual choice both for themselves and others. Pupils are taught that the law does not permit bias/discrimination based on religious/non-religious belief and there is a clear legal framework of individual rights and liberties of which religious faith is a component part.
Mutual Respect
This is clearly an aspect of the fundamental values that RE can contribute heavily towards. Within the RE curriculum there is explicit units of work which teach a variety of different faiths and non-faith perspectives. Students are taught to understand how faith and non-faith perspectives may differ within a framework of respect and tolerance/acceptance. RE clearly offers an opportunity to correct misconceptions, misunderstandings and stereotypes with regards to people of different faiths and non-faiths. Pupils are continuously taught about the reasons for a respect of others with different beliefs and why and how British society functions within a framework of tolerance/acceptance of personal beliefs.
Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs
This is clearly an aspect of the fundamental values that RE can contribute heavily towards. Within the RE curriculum there is explicit units of work which teach a variety of different faiths and non-faith perspectives. Students are taught to understand how faith and non-faith perspectives may differ within a framework of respect and tolerance/acceptance. RE clearly offers an opportunity to correct misconceptions, misunderstandings and stereotypes with regards to people of different faiths and non-faiths. Pupils are continuously taught about the reasons for a respect of others with different beliefs and why and how British society functions within a framework of tolerance/acceptance of personal beliefs.
