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Welford and Wickham Primary School

Religious Education Policy

The Legal Position

Welford and Wickham School, in accordance with the 1988 Education Reform Act, provides Religious Education for all pupils registered at the school. Religious Education is part of the basic curriculum but not part of the National Curriculum because it is taught in accordance with a locally agreed syllabus (in our case the Berkshire Agreed Syllabus 1995). We must stress that Religious Education has the same status and importance as any other subject and the same high standards are applied to Religious Education as to all other subjects. We teach Religious Education according to the aims of the Berkshire Agreed Syllabus and it is clearly stated that Religious Education should not attempt to alter a child's own beliefs but to provide a knowledge of their own and other's beliefs.

The Aims

The aims of Religious Education are drawn from the Berkshire Agreed Syllabus and should help pupils to:

1. acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the other principal religions represented in Great Britain.
2. develop an understanding of the influence of beliefs, values and traditions on individuals, communities, societies and cultures.
3. develop the ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues with reference to the teaching of the principal religions represented in Great Britain.
4. enhance their spiritual, moral, cultural and social development by:
   1. developing awareness of the fundamental questions of life raised by human experience, and how religious teaching can relate to them;
   2. responding to such questions with reference to the teachings and practices of religions and to their understanding and experience;
   3. reflecting on their own beliefs, values and experiences in light of their study.
5. develop respect for other people’s right to hold different beliefs.
6. develop a positive attitude towards living in a society of diverse religions.

The Religious Education curriculum will be based on two Attainments Targets:

1. Attainment Target 1-----Learning about Religions
2. Attainment Target 2-----Learning from Religion

Skills:
Investigation, Empathy, Synthesis, Interpretation, Evaluation, Application, Reflection, Analysis, Expression.

Attitudes:
Commitment, Fairness, Respect, Self-understanding, Enquiry.

Choosing Materials

Material chosen will be drawn from six major religions, namely:
Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism according to the appropriate Key Stage. There will be no specific allocation for each tradition since factors such as topic focus and the pupil's home background will influence the choice of illustrative examples. In line with the Berkshire Agreed Syllabus 1995 the teaching of religions will reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian.

Resources

A variety of resources will be used when appropriate, namely:
books, artefacts, posters, videos, slides and people from local faith traditions.

Ways of Responding

Children will have the opportunity to respond to material in a variety of ways. This may be through:
poems, stories, reports on visits, art work, design technology, music, drama, maths work, discussions, displays and through their own behaviour.

Assessment and Record Keeping

At present there is no nationally laid down assessment framework. However the 1995 Document offers a useful model for planning and assessment. Although pupils will be encouraged to make personal responses these will not be assessed. Records will include information of core/optional units studied, information on pupils' experiences and outcomes of assessment with reference to evidence. It is not anticipated that teachers will report on all aspects of the two Attainment Targets at any one time, but will be selective, commenting on the range of statements of attainment throughout the Key Stages. At the end of each Key Stage there are statements that can be used to judge the extent to which pupils' attainment relates to expected levels.

Withdrawal from Religious Education

Parents may withdraw their child from Religious Education provided they give written notification to the school. Teachers can exercise their right to withdraw from teaching the subject. However, we hope that all parents and teachers would feel comfortable with the type of Religious Education being taught at Welford and Wickham.

Go to the Welford and Wickham Policy Index.