DIAMOND HALL INFANT ACADEMY
SUBJECT POLICY – Religious
Education
Review Date:
Next review date:
Person in charge:
Spring 2015
Spring 2017
Catherine Morris
Diamond Hall Infant Academy Mission Statement
Together we will provide a welcoming, caring, stimulating, challenging, creative and inclusive
Early Years learning environment enabling all children to succeed and meet the challenges
of an ever–changing world.
1 Aims and Objectives
The main aim and purpose of religious education (RE) is to introduce children to important
concepts in religion, develop the skills to evaluate what they learn from religion and be
encouraged to foster positive attitudes that arise from the exploration of religion.
RE in Diamond Hall Infant Academy provides opportunities for children to:
 Acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity, Buddhism and
other religions;
 Develop an understanding of the influence of beliefs, values and traditions on
individuals, communities, societies and cultures;
 Develop the ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and
moral issues;
 Develop awareness of the fundamental questions of life raised by human experience
and how religious teaching can relate to them;
 Respond to such questions with reference to the teachings and practices of
religions and to their own understanding and experience;
 Reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences in the light of their study,
 Develop a positive attitude towards other people, respecting their right to hold
beliefs different from their own and towards living in a society of diverse religions.
2 Teaching and Learning Style
Diamond Hall Infant Academy uses a variety of teaching and learning styles for RE,
including direct experience, engagement of the senses, expression and symbolism. Progress
in religious education is dependent on the development of skills, which enables children to
understand the concepts. At Diamond Hall Infant Academy we provide a range of learning
opportunities to develop such a range of skills, which include investigation, interpretation,
evaluation, reflection and empathy.
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Religious education helps children to explore actions and behaviour influenced by beliefs,
values and attitudes that spring from religions. We therefore help our children to not only
examine the attitudes of others but also their own.
Inclusion and Diversity
Our aim is for each pupil to have equal access to the RE curriculum regardless of their
gender, ethnicity and whether they have a special educational need or not. In order to
overcome potential barriers to learning and assessment and respond to the diverse needs
of our children, staff ensure that activities and tasks are differentiated and employ a
range of teaching styles that includes pre-teaching, use of visual aids and modeling for
children with language barriers.
Teaching RE to children with special educational needs
Provision in RE will always take into account children’s special educational needs to ensure
that each child’s enjoyment and learning are maximized during each lesson. This may mean
providing additional support, different resources, restricting the choices open to the child
or simplifying the task if appropriate.
Planning
At Diamond Hall Infant Academy we follow Sunderland Education Authority’s Agreed
Syllabus 2014. The two core religions taught are Christainity and Buddhism. In addition
to this, in order to reflect the demographic of our school we celebrate and value other
religions.
The Foundation Stage
Teaching and learning objectives in Nursery and Reception are derived from Development
Matters and the Early Learning Goals within the EYFS curriculum. Additionally some
objectives are taken from the Sunderland Education Authority’s Agreed Syllabus.
Provision takes place in a variety of ways. Every week a session is timetabled to specifically
teach RE. In addition to this, special weeks/blocks of work are planned for to coincide
with specific religious celebrations throughout the year. Any opportunities to follow up
the teaching of RE are planned for via enhanced provision within the various learning
environments.
Key Stage 1
Curriculum planning takes place in two phases; long term and short term. Long term
planning maps out the objectives and skills to be covered during each year group. The long
term plan will ensure an appropriate balance and distribution of work across each term and
ensure there is not only continuity and progression but there are opportunities to revisit.
Depending upon the unit of work, it may be taught either in a block or weekly. Staff then
complete short term plans showing the learning objectives and outcomes and how this will
be taught. As in the Foundation Stage, additional sessions are planned for to coincide with
religious celebrations throughout the year, particularly those that reflect the religious
backgrounds of all our children.
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Programmes of Study
Key stage 1
The syllabus provides for a developmental approach to RE. Continuity and progression is
achieved by building on the knowledge, understanding and skills that pupils gain across and
between key stages.
Pupils make progress in RE through:
 Developing knowledge and understanding of the practices and beliefs within religion
 Developing skills e.g. of critical thinking, evaluation, analysis, reflection in relation
to the religious material they learn about
The RE Concepts – Belief, Authority, Expressions of Belief, Impact of Belief
These concepts underpin the Programmes of Study. Throughout the key stages pupils
have the opportunity to deepen their understanding of these concepts and make
increasingly complex studies of religion.
The key focus for learning at each key stage is indicated through the three elements:
 Knowledge and Understanding of Religion
 Critical Thinking
 Personal Reflection
Learning outcomes advise what the majority of pupils should be able to do by the end of
the key stages. They are based on the key focus of learning and the RE levels and build on
previous knowledge, understanding and development of skills.
The exemplar plans use questions for the focus for units of work. These are designed to
enable pupils to develop and extend their learning about religious beliefs and practices
across key stages.
Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
Religious education provides opportunities for:
 Spiritual development, through helping children to consider and respond to
questions of meaning and purpose in life, and questions about the nature of values in
human society;
 Moral development, through helping children to consider and respond to areas of
morality using their knowledge and understanding of religious and ethical teaching.
This enables them to make reasoned and informed judgements on religious and
moral issues;
 Social development, through helping children to develop their sense of identity and
belonging, preparing them for life as citizens in a plural society;
 Cultural development, through fostering pupils’ awareness and understanding of a
range of beliefs, practices and values in their own society and in the wider world.
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Through exploring issues within and between faiths, developing their understanding
of the cultural contexts within which they live
Assessment and Recording
In Key Stage One, teachers assess children’s work in RE by using ongoing, formative
assessment primarily through observation and discussion with the children. Children
receive verbal, immediate feedback in terms of the positive elements of their work and
improvements are identified together with the children, ensuring children are aware of
the next steps and how they can progress in their learning. Assessments are made in
relation to the attainment targets set out in the Agreed Syllabus. Staff record the
progress made by children against their learning objectives to enable a judgement to be
made against the Agreed Syllabus’ levels of attainment at the end of the year.
Levels in RE reflect the three elements :
 Knowledge and Understanding of Religion
 Critical Thinking
 Personal Reflection
Level descriptors within the agreed syllabus describe the types and range of performance
that pupils working at that level should characteristically demonstrate. These levels are
used to pitch work appropriately for both Knowledge and Understanding of Religion and
Critical Thinking which can be assessed and reported on. They also show provision for
progression in Personal Reflection but this cannot be assessed or reported on.
See Appendix For Level Descriptors
In Foundation Stage RE is assessed using Development Matters looking closely at
Understanding Of The World.
Resources
There is a wide range of resources for RE teaching throughout the school. The main bank
of resources is kept in the Store Cupboard 2, situated in the admin corridor. Shared
resources include; books, artefacts and DVDs.
Monitoring and Review
The monitoring of standards in children’s work, levels and goals reached and the quality of
teaching and learning in RE is the responsibility of the RE subject leader with support
from the Positive Contribution Team. The work of the subject leader also involves
supporting colleagues in the teaching of RE and being informed about current
developments in the subjects and providing a strategic lead and direction for the subject
in school. The attainment of the children in Key Stage One is viewed at the end of each
academic year and the EYFS manager holds data regarding the number of children who
achieved the relevant FSP points that were highlighted above.
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The Legal Position Of Religious Education
Our school curriculum for religious education meets the requirements of the 1988
Education Reform Act (ERA). The ERA stipulates that religious education is compulsory
for all children, including those in the reception class who are less than five years old. The
ERA allows parents to withdraw their child from religious education classes if they so
wish, although this should only be done once the parents have given written notice to the
school governors. The ERA also allows teachers to refuse to teach religious education, but
only after they have given due notice of their intention to the school governors.
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