Religious Education and Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development.
Religious Education
Religious Education has an important part to play as part of our broad, balanced and coherent curriculum to which all pupils are entitled. High quality learning experiences in Religious Education are designed and provided by careful planning through the locally agreed syllabus taking into account the need to offer breadth of content.
We follow the Wiltshire locally agreed syllabus which we deliver using Understanding Christianity and Discovery RE in our teaching of Religious Education.
Discovery RE explores 6 principle world religions while Understanding Christianity focuses on Christianity. This helps to ensure a balanced coverage across the RE Curriculum.
Discovery RE follows four steps to explore each term: engagement (linking content to children’s own lives), investigation (exploring and learning about the religion), evaluation (use critical thinking skills to consider the over-arching question posed) and expressions (allow children to express their personal opinions and beliefs).
Understanding Christianity begins the term linking to children’s previous knowledge and recapping appropriate Bible stories. It then explores Bible stories and how Christians engage with this and allows children to reflect on their own understanding of these.
The Two Year rolling plan overview covers a range of both Discovery RE and Understanding Christianity modules whilst ensuring children develop an understanding of ‘The Big Story’ (Understanding Christianity) to learn about the main events within the Bible. Links are also made between religions to compare and discuss further in line with Wiltshire’s agreed syllabus.
Parents have the right to withdraw their child from Collective Worship and RE lessons – please contact the Headteacher, Mrs Gilbert, if you should wish to do so. Should you be considering withdrawal from RE, please feel free to discuss the term’s content with the class teacher.
In order to make religious education a lively active subject we employ a variety of teaching methods including art, music, discussion, the development of thinking skills, drama, the use of artefacts, pictures, stories, and the use of periods of stillness and reflection.
Where possible we want our pupils to have opportunities to encounter local faith communities through visits to local places of worship or experiencing visits from members of local faith communities.
RE in the EYFS
Understanding of the world educational programme (taken from the EYFS Framework 2024)
Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community. The frequency and range of children’s personal experiences increases their knowledge and sense of the world around them – from visiting parks, libraries and museums to meeting important members of society such as police officers, nurses and firefighters. In addition, listening to a broad selection of stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems will foster their understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically diverse world. As well as building important knowledge, this extends their familiarity with words that support understanding across domains. Enriching and widening children’s vocabulary will support later reading comprehension.
Early learning goals that link to RE are:
Understanding the world
- ELG – People and communities – Children talk about past and present events in their own lives and in the lives of family members. They know that other children don’t always enjoy the same things, and are sensitive to this. They know about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and among families, communities and traditions.
In foundation stage pupils will:
- Learn about and celebrate a range of festivals and celebrations from around the world, for example Christmas, Easter, Chinese New Year, Eid, Diwali – these may change or be added to depending on the children in FS, as we try to celebrate the festivals that the children in the class will celebrate at home.
- Look at what makes us the same and different to others.
- Learn about different feelings and talk about how they are feeling, how others are feeling and what we can do to make others feel good.
- Develop compassion for others through a caring and supportive environment.
- Take part in key celebrations in our church school year, including Harvest, Easter and Christmas.
RE Impact
Through Religious Education lessons children are able to learn about and understand Christianity and other religious and non-religious views. As part of this, children explore religious stories and consider the values shown in these. Through lessons, children are able to ask questions and critically reflect on religious and non-religious beliefs to allow them to consider the impact on their own lives.
RE Coordinator: Miss Katy Hayhoe
Baydon St Nicholas Two Year Rolling Plan for Religous Education
Baydon St Nicholas SIAMS Report March 2018
Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development and Understanding
| AREA | EXAMPLES OF WHAT WE DO | IMPACT | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPIRITUAL | Beliefs, religious or otherwise, which inform their perspective on life and their interest in and respect for different people’s feelings and values | Religious Education lessons. Strong links with the church. Rector/vicar leads worship weekly. Robust PSHCE scheme of work in place, taught throughout the whole school, linked to SEAL and worship themes. | Stimulates an interest in exploring, challenging and developing empathy with the beliefs and experiences of others in a respectful but meaningful way whilst learning to manage their own feelings |
| Sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them, including the intangible | Creating opportunities for enquiry based learning. RE lessons from the updated Wiltshire agreed syllabus. | Pupils are confident in exploring all aspects of the world and their lives and thrive on new experiences. | |
| Use of imagination and creativity in their learning | Opportunities for creative thinking in lessons. The children are encouraged in the majority of lessons to respond in an individual manner. | Pupils take responsibility for their own learning. | |
| Willingness to reflect on their experiences | Pupil voice is important in every classroom. Pupils are encouraged to share opinions and increase skills of evaluation and reflection in most lessons. This is an on-going process | Pupil voice is taken into account and lead on certain issues (for example promotion of anti-bullying week). Pupils are able to reflect on current work and identify next steps for learning. | |
| MORAL | Ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong and their readiness to apply this understanding in their own lives | PSHCE and RE curriculum. Exploration of themes in worship. | Behaviour throughout school is outstanding. Pupils respect their peers and adults. They are supportive to each other academically and socially. |
| Understanding of the consequences of their actions | Pupils are clear about expectations of behaviour. Encouragement of independence throughout the school. Outside experts are used to explore life issues (e.g. drugs awareness Life Education Van, fire safety officer for Yrs 2/6) | Pupils take on responsibility in all areas of school life. Outside visitors comment on the sensible pupils from Baydon. | |
| Interest in investigating, and offering reasoned views about, moral and ethical issues | Use of Espresso Newsbites throughout the school leads to meaningful discussion and ideas on world events. Exploration of these events is encouraged in upper KS2. PSHCE and RE lessons | Pupils of all ages are enthusiastic about sharing and challenging opinions. They realise their opinions are valued and when sharing opinions can back these up with reasons and evidence. | |
| SOCIAL | Use of a range of social skills in different contexts, including working and socialising with pupils from different religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds | Pupil actions during Marlborough cluster and MAEP events. Social skills encouraged through all lessons and time in between teaching sessions. | Pupils represent our school with pride at various events throughout the year. |
| Willingness to participate in a variety of social settings, cooperating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively | Pupils are supportive in and out of lessons with each other. | Pupils given the confidence to handle situations independently and when to involve adult support. | |
| Interest in, and understanding of, the way communities and societies function at a variety of levels | RE Lessons, Fair Trade week, global awareness through lessons | Pupils respect and understand the differences between cultures. | |
| CULTURAL | Understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage | Understanding of the local area through village walks (Yr3/4). Understanding employment in the surrounding area (Newbury Racecourse Trip Yr5/6) | Pupils have a clearer understanding of the area in which they live |
| Willingness to participate in, and respond to, for example, artistic, musical, sporting, mathematical, technological, scientific and cultural opportunities | Pupils involved in sports, art and musical activities within school. Support school out of hours in these areas (clubs, St Johns musical evening) Attendance at St Johns Maths Day | Pupils able to use experiences to affect other areas of curriculum learning within and outside school | |
| Interest in exploring, understanding of, and respect for cultural diversity and the extent to which they understand, accept, respect and celebrate | Links made internationally with other schools (Zambia 2013-2014). Working in close partnership with St Johns Marlborough on a global learning programme. | Pupils accept and celebrate diversity and beginning to understand they are part of a global community |
Collective Worship
Collective worship is clearly based on the traditions of the Christian Church. However, it is also a shared activity that allows for a variety of responses, providing an opportunity for those of any religious faith or none to focus and reflect on stimuli which allow the human spirit to respond with integrity.
Our school is committed to respect the religious communities, or non-religious backgrounds, from which pupils and staff come. We want our times of worship to be a place of spiritual refreshment for all.
During collective worship we aim to:
- explore Christian faith and values with children and staff
- discover and celebrate key moments of the Christian calendar, and to enjoy and celebrate special moments of the lives of our school communities
- help children to develop a sense of awe and wonder at the world around them, developing a spiritual dimension to their lives and personal relationships
- provide regular time and opportunity for reflection, enabling children to move from what is of immediate but passing concern to the broader and more lasting concerns of life
- provide time and opportunity for thanksgiving and to enjoy the unity which derives from sharing friendship, acceptance, joys, hopes and fears
- develop an awareness of and concern for the needs of others as well as personal needs
- provide time to share with others the things they have been doing, their thoughts and ideas
- help children to think about Christian values and how these might be shared and put into practice by all
- give children experience of being active members of a caring community
We meet once a day as a school community. Worships are led throughout the week by various teachers, and visitors, including the local clergy.
For information on how we promote British values please see the British Values section of our website.