RE
RE teaching enables children to understand what drives people of faith to live the way they do. This builds each child’s ‘religious literacy’ helping them understand the nature of religion and belief in the world in which they live.
The principles of our Sandlings ethos “Sandlings is a unique, nurturing school where everyone belongs an thrives” can be seen throughout our RE curriculum and provision.
At Sandlings, it has been agreed that having taken into account the requirements and guidelines presented in the Suffolk Agreed Syllabus, that we will study the Emanuel Project guidance and themes of study which cover the following religions:
• Christianity
• Islam
• Judaism
• Hinduism
• Sikhism
• Buddhism
Children explore the relgions through 5 threshold concepts:
- Understand beliefs and teachings -understanding the key teachings of various religions.
- Understand practices and lifestyles- understanding the day to day lives and practices of various religions.
- Understand how beliefs are conveyed- understanding how books, scriptures, readings and other important means of communication are used to convey beliefs.
- Reflect- an appreciation of how religion plays an important role in the lives of some people
- Understand values- an appreciation of how many people place values as an important aspect of their lives.
The characteristics we aim to foster in our children are:
• An outstanding level of religious understanding and knowledge;
A wide knowledge and deep understanding across a wide range of religions and beliefs and through this understanding have respect and tolerance for different faiths and cultures
• A thorough engagement with a range of ultimate questions about the meaning and significance of existence.
• The ability to ask significant and highly reflective questions about religion and demonstrate an excellent understanding of issues related to the nature, truth and Value of religion.
• A strong understanding of how the beliefs, values, practices and ways of life within any religion cohere together.
• Exceptional independence; the ability to think for themselves and take the initiative in, for example, asking questions, carrying out investigations, evaluating ideas and working constructively with others and use these skills across the curriculum
• Significant levels of originality, imagination or creativity, which are shown in their responses to their learning in RE.
• The ability to link the study of religion and belief to personal reflections on meaning and purpose.
Coverage
The teaching of Re is blocked into three units per year to allow children to immerse themselves into the subject and think deeply. It also helps children likely to be posted the opportunity to complete a theme in a blocked period of time