Fostering respect, tolerance and knowledge of World Religions
We believe that it is vital for all our pupils to learn from and about religion, so that they can understand the world around them. Through Religious Education, pupils develop their knowledge of the world faiths, and their understanding and awareness of the beliefs, values and traditions of other individuals, societies, communities and cultures. We encourage our pupils to ask questions about the world and to reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences.
The 2020 Cornwall Agreed Syllabus has been created for Cornwall SACRE and approved by Cornwall Council. It provides a syllabus for RE for all our schools. Since 1944, all schools have been required to teach RE to all pupils on roll (except those withdrawn by their parents, see p. 9). RE remains part of the basic curriculum for all pupils. This syllabus explains the value and purposes of RE for all pupils and specifies for teachers what shall be taught in each age group. It provides a coherent framework for setting high standards of learning in RE and enabling pupils to reach their potential in the subject. It builds on the good practice established in the previous Cornwall syllabus over many years.
At Coads Green Primary school, pupils are taught using a two year rolling programme which reflects the 2020 Cornwall agreed syllabus.
Assessment
Assessment in Coads Green Primary School is viewed as building a picture over time of a child's learning progress across the curriculum and is viewed as an integral part of teaching and learning.
Assessment for learning (AFL) and Visible Learning underpin all learning. A variety of feedback is used to inform the pupils about their learning so that they become more involved in their own learning and from this gain confidence in what they are expected to learn and how to progress it further.
Core success criteria and learning intentions are used to track pupils understanding of their learning.
Pupil Retrieval Practices include:
KWL grids, quizzes, concept/ mind maps, questioning, success criteria, learning intentions and pupil targets.
Whole School Tracking and Progress
Coads Green Primary School uses iTRACK which is the online pupil tracking software that uses powerful data analysis to track pupil progress and attainment in real time.
The purpose of religious education
These purpose statements are taken from A Curriculum Framework for Religious Education in England (REC 2013). The Cornwall Agreed Syllabus 2020 asserts the importance and value of religious education (RE) for all pupils, with on-going benefits for an open, articulate and understanding society. The following purpose statements underpin the syllabus,1 which is constructed to support pupils and teachers in fulfilling them:
• 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.
• In RE pupils learn about religions and beliefs in local, national and global contexts, to discover, explore and consider different answers to these questions.
• Pupils learn to weigh up the value of wisdom from different sources, to develop and express their insights in response and to agree or disagree respectfully.
• Teaching therefore should equip pupils with systematic knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and beliefs, enabling them to develop their ideas, values and identities.
• RE should develop in pupils an aptitude for dialogue so that they can participate positively in our society, with its diverse religions and beliefs.
• Pupils should gain and deploy the skills needed to understand, interpret and evaluate texts, sources of wisdom and authority and other evidence. They should learn to articulate clearly and coherently their personal beliefs, ideas, values and experiences while respecting the right of others to differ.
The aims of RE
A Curriculum Framework for Religious Education in England (REC 2013).
The threefold aim of RE elaborates the principal aim. The curriculum for RE aims to ensure that all pupils:
1. make sense of a range of religious and non-religious beliefs, so that they can:
• identify, describe, explain and analyse beliefs and concepts in the context of living religions, using appropriate vocabulary
• explain how and why these beliefs are understood in different ways, by individuals and within communities
• recognise how and why sources of authority (e.g. texts, teachings, traditions, leaders) are used, expressed and interpreted in different ways, developing skills of interpretation
2. understand the impact and significance of religious and non-religious beliefs, so that they can:
• examine and explain how and why people express their beliefs in diverse ways
• recognise and account for ways in which people put their beliefs into action in diverse ways, in their everyday lives, within their communities and in the wider world
• appreciate and appraise the significance of different ways of life and ways of expressing meaning
3. make connections between religious and non-religious beliefs, concepts, practices and ideas studied, so that they can:
• evaluate, reflect on and enquire into key concepts and questions studied, responding thoughtfully and creatively, giving good reasons for their responses
• challenge the ideas studied, and allow the ideas studied to challenge their own thinking, articulating beliefs, values and commitments clearly in response
• discern possible connections between the ideas studied and their own ways of understanding the world, expressing their critical responses and personal reflections with increasing clarity and understanding
The Cornwall Agreed Syllabus 2020- 2025 can be found here.