Intent
At Monkshouse School our intent for Religious Education (RE) is to provide all our pupils with a rich and engaging curriculum that fosters their understanding, respect, and appreciation for different religious and non-religious beliefs and practices represented in the United Kingdom. Through our RE curriculum, we aim to develop pupils’ knowledge, understanding, and skills, enabling them to make reasoned and informed judgements about the world’s religions and their own beliefs, values, and identity. We strive to promote spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development, contributing to pupils’ personal growth and preparing them to be respectful and responsible citizens in a diverse society. RE plays an important role along with other curriculum areas, for example PSHE, in promoting social awareness and understanding in our children. We encourage our children to ask questions about the world and to reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences. Our curriculum is designed to encourage creativity, imagination, enquiry, debate, discussion and independence.
Implementation
We use the Lincolnshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education (2025 – 2030) as the basis for our curriculum. A range of religions are covered and world views are explored and discussed. The syllabus approaches learning through 4 key areas of enquiry;
- Belonging, identity and community
- Experience and the Sacred, Truth
- Interpretation and meaning
- Beliefs, Influences and Values.
To ensure the high-quality delivery of our RE curriculum, we adopt the following pedagogical approaches:
1. Promoting active learning: We provide a wide range of opportunities for pupils to engage actively with their learning through hands-on activities, discussions, debates, visits to places of worship, and
encounters with people from different religious backgrounds. We also timetable Godly Play at least once a year for each year group.
2. Encouraging critical thinking and reflection: Through planned questioning and opportunities for dialogue, we encourage pupils to think critically, evaluate evidence, challenge assumptions, and develop their own reasoned opinions. To that effect we use Star Sessions (KS1) and Philosopher’s Café (KS2) in order to support the development of deeper thinking.
3. Respectful and open atmosphere: We foster an inclusive and welcoming environment where pupils feel safe to express their thoughts and beliefs. We promote mutual respect and understanding, facilitating open discussions while valuing diversity and difference.
Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
To ensure the highest standard of RE teaching, the curriculum co-ordinators participate in regular CPD opportunities and look out for any appropriate training for staff or feedback to staff at staff meetings . This would include:
1. Deepening subject knowledge.
2. Pedagogical strategies.
3. Evaluation and sharing of best practices: We promote a culture of collaborative learning, where teachers regularly reflect on their practice, share ideas, and learn from one another.
4. Godly Play, STAR Session and Philosophers Café training is provided for all staff when they join school.
Impact
Our intent and implementation are underpinned by a system to measure and evaluate the impact of our RE curriculum on pupils. We strive for the following impact:
1. Enhanced religious literacy: Pupils develop a broad and deep understanding of a range of religious and non-religious beliefs, enabling them to engage thoughtfully with the diverse worldviews they encounter.
2. Respectful and empathetic citizens: Pupils learn to respect and value differences, developing empathy and an appreciation of the values and beliefs held by others. This fosters harmonious relationships and prepares pupils to contribute positively to society.
3. Critical thinking and reasoning skills: Through the study of RE, pupils develop critical thinking skills, allowing them to evaluate information, consider different perspectives, and form their own well-reasoned opinions.
4. Personal development and well-being: RE provides opportunities for pupils to explore questions of meaning, purpose, and identity, contributing to their personal growth and well-being. Pupils develop self-awareness and a strong moral compass, enabling them to make responsible choices in their lives.
The impact of our RE curriculum is evident in the positive attitudes our pupils demonstrate towards others, their mature reflections on complex moral and ethical issues, and their ability to engage thoughtfully with religious and non-religious diversity within our society.