Religious Education
RE Curriculum Statement
At William Austin Infant School, we believe that there should be an atmosphere of care and mutual respect in the teaching and learning of Religious Education. We follow the Religious Education locally agreed syllabus for Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Luton. The syllabus recommends the content to be covered on each religious tradition, at each Key Stage. Christianity is the main focus of study in Key Stage 1 and we have chosen to study the Islamic faith as our second religion. Although Christianity and Islam are the main religions studied, other world religious are also looked at. This is so children can develop a greater awareness of other cultures and global diversity and therefore learn to respect and tolerate each other.
Through the teaching and learning of Religious Education, our fundamental British Values are promoted to encourage our children to respect the religious, spiritual and moral values of others and to consider their own values and beliefs. Help familiarise your child with the religious or non-religious beliefs and values you hold in your family. Share religious or traditional stories with your child at home. Identify religious buildings or signs and symbols within your local area, how do you know which religion it belongs to? Help to promote a cohesive community, share the importance of your own beliefs and values and let your child know that it important to show respect towards others’ beliefs.
At William Austin Infant School we provide opportunities for a range of religious workshops and assemblies, of which, parents are regularly invited to. These workshops and assemblies celebrate the religious festivals for Eid, Diwali, Christmas, Harvest and Easter.
Year R
Year R will learn about religious celebrations, festivals and events that happen throughout the school year, such as Eid-al-Fitr, Diwali, Christmas, Chinese New year, Easter and Eid-al-Adha . Children learn about how the events are celebrated and reasons why they are special. Children have opportunities to explore and investigate religious and cultural artefacts. We encourage children to explain their own knowledge and ask questions to find out more.
KS1
In KS1 children will cover three topics per year. The topics are focussed around Christianity and Islam with aspects of other world faiths used as a comparison.
Year One
Autumn: What does it mean to belong?
Children will think about groups that they belong to, religious and non-religious groups. Children will think about what it means to belong to Christianity and Islam and how people are welcomed into the religions.
Spring: How and why do we celebrate special times?
Children will learn about special events and celebrations. They will look at celebrations of birthdays and weddings along with celebrations within Christianity and Islam. They will think about how and why events such as, Christmas, Eid-ul-Fitr and Easter, are celebrated.
Summer: How do we show we care for others and the environment?
Children will think about stories within Christianity and Islam that show we should care for others and think about how we can show care for others. Children will think about how we can care for animals and our environment. They will learn what they can do to help protect the environment we live in.
Year Two
Autumn: What is a special place? Who are Jesus and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)?
Children will learn to reflect and discuss what places are special to them. They will develop the understanding of why it is important to have a special place and the different reasons a place can be special. Children will learn about special places to Christians and Muslims and gain an insight as to what happens in these special places.
Children will also learn who Jesus and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) are and why they are special.
Spring: What is a prayer? What are holy books?
Children will learn about prayer and what it means for Muslims and Christians. It will provide them with the opportunity to develop their own thinking and creating their own prayer. Children will learn about Islam and Christianity, thinking about, why is the Qur’an important to Muslims and why the Bible is important to Christians.
Summer: Use of light in religions.
Children will learn the importance of light in Christianity and in Islam. This topic creates the opportunity for the children to explore other religions and how light is important to them. Here the children will learn about the Hindu festival of light, Diwali and the Jewish festival of light, Hannukah.