Religious Education is unique in the school curriculum in that it is neither a core subject nor a foundation subject but the 1988 Education Act states that ‘Religious Education has equal standing in relation to core subjects of the National Curriculum in that it is compulsory for all registered pupils’.
St Mary’s CE Middle School is a Church of England Voluntary Aided School therefore the provision of RE must be in accordance with the Trust Deed of the School. The Governors in consultation with the Head teacher have decided, following advice from the diocese, to adopt the Locally Agreed Syllabus for RE and supplement this with material from the Diocese and elsewhere.
The Nature of Religious Education
In Religious Education at St Mary’s CE Middle School we aim that pupils might:-
- Develop a knowledge and understanding of Christianity and its impact on our local community, and on our society today
- Develop a knowledge and understanding of some of the other principal religious traditions represented in Great Britain today
- Develop a sense of respect for religious traditions, beliefs and practice.
- Grow in their spiritual development
- Develop a sense of awe and wonder and mystery
- Develop skills and attitudes which will support their personal, moral, social and cultural development (See locally agreed for specific skills and attitudes)
- Explore some questions of meaning and consider how the world’s religions have responded to them.
- Think about their own beliefs and values in the light of the beliefs of others, both religious and non-religious, and the values of the school community.
All pupils at St Mary’s CE Middle School receive one hour of discrete Religious Education teaching each week and corresponds to the 5% of curriculum time recommended by QCA and by the Dorset Agree Syllabus for Religious Education. This lesson is timetabled for the same time and same day each week and, in most cases, each class is taught by the same member of staff for the entire year.
The religions taught in Years 5 and 6 are Christianity and Islam and those taught in Years 7 and 8 are Christianity, Buddhism and Sikhism.
The units taught in Year 5 are as follows:
- The Christian Creation Story
- School Based Study: What does it mean to be part of a Church School?
- How have Jesus’ followers put his teachings into practice?
- What is important to Muslims?
The units taught in Year 6 are as follows:
- Are miracles evidence of God?
- How important is the Mosque to the Muslim community?
- Wearing the Hijab in Europe today
- Jesus Christ Superstar – the sequel
- Why do people go on pilgrimage?
The units taught in Year 7 are as follows:
- What do Sikh and Christian religions teach about equality?
- What do Christians believe about love, peace and justice?
- What do Christians believe about the environment?
The units taught in Year 8 are as follows:
- What has this country’s refugee situation got to do with religion?
- What do Buddhists believe about suffering and tranquility?
- Oxfam Unwrapped Project
- Expressing meaning through Art, Music and Film
In order to make religious education a lively, active subject we employ a variety of teaching methods including art, music, discussion, the development of thinking skills, drama, the use of artifacts, pictures, stories, and the use of periods of stillness and reflection.
Where possible we want our pupils to have opportunities to encounter local faith communities through visits to local places of worship or visits from members of local faith communities.
Visiting speakers are welcome and included in our Religious Education units whenever possible and appropriate. We value these opportunities very highly and believe that they enrich pupil’s Religious Education experience greatly.
Religious Education is statutory for all pupils, at all key stages. At St Mary’s CE Middle School we believe that all pupils, regardless of their religion, beliefs, ethnic origin, ability and gender, have equal entitlement to access and experience success in Religious Education.
At St Mary’s CE Middle School we wish to be an inclusive community but recognize that parents, of course, have the legal right to withdraw their children from religious education on the grounds of conscience. We would ask any parent considering this to contact the head teacher to discuss any concerns or anxieties about the policy, provision and practice of religious education at our school.
Assessment and Recording
It is expected that each teacher of Religious Education will be responsible for the regular assessment of his or her pupils through marking work set. Pupils at St Mary’s CE Middle School are formally assessed in Religious Education on several occasions throughout their time with us. Each assessment comes in the form of a written task and is marked, and given a level, according to the Attainment Targets for Religious Education, provided by the Dorset Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education. The level achieved will be used by the co-ordinator to track pupil progress through the school and will be used by the class teacher to ensure that each pupil is set work that is appropriately challenging. These assessments come at the end of the following units:
- Year 5: How have Jesus’ followers put his teachings into practice?
- Year 6: Are miracles evidence of God?
- Year 6: Wearing the Hijab in Europe today
- Year 7: What do Sikh and Christian religions teach about equality?
- Year 7: What do Christians believe about love, peace and justice?
- Year 8: What do Buddhists believe about suffering and tranquility?
As part of our Year 7 RE unit on Sikhism, we have been
comparing the Sikh wedding process with the Christian one. Amongst
other things, we have discovered that Sikh women get together a couple
of days before the wedding for a 'Henna party' where they decorate each
other's hands and feet using Henna dye. We thought that it would be
great to experience this tradition and so I ordered some Henna for our
own 'Henna party'! The children have had great fun decorating their
hands and arms and are proudly sporting various designs around the
school at the moment. Don't worry - it only lasts for a few weeks so
all traces will be washed away over Christmas. Mrs T x
Y6 Mosque Trip
In late November, Year 6 visited The Mosque in Bournemouth to
support their RE topic: How important is the Mosque to the Muslim community?
I went with the children on the first trip and came away feeling
exceptionally proud of them. Not only had they shown total respect
for both the building and the Muslims that we met at The Mosque but they
had shown such genuine interest in all of the features of the Mosque
and asked some some superb questions. When speaking to the children
afterwards, they had learnt a great deal about the religion of Islam,
what is inside a Mosque and also what it can be used for.
We were all amazed by the huge and decorated glass domes that have been added to
The Mosque since last year - they were just beautiful!
Congratulations Year 6 on a very successful trip. Mrs T x