Our Religious Education Curriculum at Thomas Harding

Our Intent Statement

At Thomas Harding we believe that Religious Education promotes respect and open-mindedness towards others with different faiths and beliefs and encourages pupils to develop their sense of identity and belonging through self-awareness and reflection. The principle aim of RE is to engage pupils in an enquiry approach where they can develop an understanding and appreciation for the expression of beliefs, cultural practices and influence of principle religions and worldviews in the local, national and wider global community.

Our RE curriculum exposes children to a wider range of religions and it  reflects the  children in our school community. The sequencing of learning means that pupils are able to revisit religions in different contexts and embed their learning, through a variety of stimulating lessons. RE helps pupils (and the school as a whole) to reflect on the ways in which beliefs influence the way people live their lives

Implementation 

Thomas Harding Junior School  teaches RE from the Bucks Agreed Syllabus 2016-2021, which was created in conjunction with Bucks SACRE (School Advisory Council for Religious Education).  The main focus of our RE curriculum is Christianity with Hinduism, Judaism and Islam being studied thematically in Years 3 to 6. 

Experiences and enrichment opportunities at Thomas Harding Junior School 

• handling artefacts

• exploring scared texts

• using  drama to express feelings and ideas

• responding to images, games, stories, art, music and dance

• meeting visitors from local religious communities

• making visits to religious places of worship where possible, and where not, making use of videos and the internet

• taking part in whole school events- (multi-faith days, Harvest Festival, school performances)

• participating in moments of quiet reflection

• participating in assemblies

• using research to further explore religion and belief globally

• comparing religions and worldviews through discussion

• debating and communicating religious belief, worldviews and philosophical ideas and answering and asking ultimate questions posed by these

Impact

By the time our children leave Thomas Harding Junior  school they will:

• Be confident when  articulating their personal beliefs, ideas, values and experiences while respecting the right of others to have different views, values and ways of life. 
• Be reflective learners with a strong understanding of the  values, beliefs, stories and practices of a range of different faiths, including Christianity. 
• Be able to  articulate their own personal sense of understanding and belonging.
• Be able to  demonstrate a respect and tolerance of other faiths, accepting and respecting the diversity of the wider world.