Subject Leader: Emily Lee
It is our aim that children at Sydenham Primary School are able to enter into a rich discourse about the religious and non-religious traditions that have shaped our community, country and the world. We aim to provide children with opportunities to explore and discover religions from around the world and then provide them with a safe space to make sense of and prepare them for life in that world.
'The principal aim of Religious Education is to engage pupils in systematic enquiry into significant human questions which religion and worldviews address, so that they can develop the understanding and skills needed to appreciate and appraise varied responses to these questions, as well as develop responses of their own.'
(Coventry and Warwickshire agreed syllabus 2017).
In Religious Education, the children are exploring the big questions in life; finding out what people believe; and how this impacts how they live their lives. R.E. lessons are an opportunity for our children to explore their own ideas and share their beliefs with others.
At Sydenham Primary School we follow the Coventry and Warwickshire R.E. Agreed Syllabus. We ensure that our curriculum is relevant to the rich diversity of our school community, and use this to enrich our curriculum. We have strong links to our local Church, Gurdwara, Mandir and Buddhist Temple, and work in partnership with NATRE to develop connections with other local places of worship. As a Unicef Rights Respecting School, we encourage children to recognise their right to their own faith and encourage them to share their own beliefs and practices with their peers.
The R.E. curriculum is split into three main strands, Believing, Expressing and Living. These three strands are split into the ‘Big Questions’. We use the ‘Big Questions’ to build on the children’s knowledge and skills to enable them to progress through each key stage. These ‘Big Questions’ challenge and engage the children and give them opportunities to communicate and develop their debating skills. We aim to ensure that all of the children in our school understand that RE is relevant to everyone and that having a deeper understanding of the world enables them to make informed choices about how they want to live their lives.
Religious Education Quality Mark
As part of our cycle of continuous school improvement, we were assessed for the R.E. Quality Mark in May 2022, and were awarded Silver. We were re-assessed in June 2023, and were thrilled to receive the Gold award, and to get such positive feedback about our Religious Education teaching and learning:
'This is a school where religious diversity is taken very seriously, and pupils are encouraged to share their one beliefs and practices with their classmates. Tolerance and respect are key values. The curriculum is structures around Big Questions and places an emphasis on what it is like to live as a religious, or a non-religious person in the world of today. The subject is kept relevant and engaging and pupils are encouraged to question and debate. Relationships with local faith communities and places of worship are being established post-covid with a view towards a vibrant programme of visiting and welcoming visitors to the school. The teachers and pupils share an enthusiasm for the subject which is immediately evident.
This is a community school which is a gold award holder for UNICEF. This makes it very different to the faith schools, which are often the ones to seek accreditation with REQM and it was a real pleasure to see how the UNICEF principles are applied in the teaching of religion. The school has used the award as a way of assessing current practice and planning for future developments.
As a UNICEF Rights Respecting Gold school, the whole school ethos of this richly diverse school creates a safe environment of respect for all. RE leads the way, with big questions taking pupils on a journey, supporting the needs of all. The passionate RE subject leader is very well supported with a strong senior leadership team, committed to serving and learning from others. RE is brought to life through first hand memorable experiences underpinned by a vibrant programme of visits and visitors. Here, RE has a high profile and is celebrated with parents, affirming to the whole community. Pupils are proud of their achievements and are integral to continually and consistently improving the quality of RE. Well established Year 5 and 6 Learning Detectives help observe lessons, providing feedback to their peers on engagement in learning, an important aspect of pupil voice.'
Children learn 6 major religions in R.E.: Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Sikhism and Hindusim. Our emphasis is always on giving the children a moral understanding and knowledge of religious beliefs and practices to enable them to become tolerant, caring members of society.
Our children say:
"RE is Amazing! I like learning about languages and R.E. so I can tell my family and we can learn about them more."
"RE helps me learn about what people believe in and why so I can understand them better."
"My mum and I told my class about my religion, and I learn to be empathetic of other religions."
"We ask, 'Why do you think they believe that?', 'What do you feel about that?' "
"RE helps people to understand others and be able to respect their beliefs."
Please click on the link below to see our R.E. syllabus:
Warwickshire-Agreed-Syllabus-for-Religious-Education-SACRE.pdf