Religious Education at James Bateman Middle School
Linked to the launch of the current agreed syllabus for Religious Education in Staffordshire, our schemes and topics have been updated. The new curriculum allows the children to reflect more on their own beliefs, as we are learning and exploring a variety of religions and cultures. Our RE curriculum is designed to get our pupils thinking about Religion and asking questions about all faiths. At James Bateman, pupils will not just learn about religions, but also learn from other religions.
The Syllabus is designed to help our pupils become broad-minded and tolerant citizens with a good understanding of the World’s main faiths. A key part of our curriculum is respecting other people’s thoughts and beliefs, as well as others religious views.
In KS2, pupils will learn about various topics including: sacred texts and scripts, religious diversity, commitment to faith and how this can be shown, justice, hope, as well as a range of values and beliefs. In Year 5, the pupils will visit the National Memorial Arboretum around Remembrance Day, where they will be able to: remember those that have lost their lives and explore the idea of peacemakers. The will also start to question why God would let these things happen, linking back to the idea of free will.
In KS3, pupils will be exploring questions and topics linked to: religious figures, the environment, places of worship, incarnation and where do we look for God? Year 7 and 8 gifted and talented pupils will also get a chance to visit Lichfield Cathedral and take part in the Inspire program, where they will have a day full of interactivity, inspirational sessions, spiritual exploration, reflection & deep learning.
To celebrate a range of religions, we also have a yearly Faith in Focus day. On this day we celebrate four main religions – Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism and Hinduism. The children have a chance to take part in a range of activities including: traditional dance, food tasting, research, learning about traditional stories, drama and meditation.
For a more detailed overview about what is being taught in each year group, have a look at the curriculum map for RE.