RE

Religious Education

At Hardwick Green, we follow the locally agreed (Stockton-on-Tees) Religious Education syllabus through Jigsaw RE.

Jigsaw RE is an enquiry-based programme that explores Christianity, other major world religions and Humanism in a progressive way from Nursery to Year 6. In the Early Years, learning is closely linked to the Development Matters framework and contributes meaningfully to children's personal, social and emotional development. Across all year groups, opportunities are carefully planned to support children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding.

Each unit begins with a "Big Question" such as:

"What is the best way for a Christian, Muslim, Jewish or Sikh person to show commitment to God?"

Children first explore the key concept from their own experiences before learning about religious beliefs and practices. For example, before studying commitment within a religion, children may discuss times when they have shown commitment themselves, perhaps to a sports team, a club, a hobby or an activity they enjoy.

Once children have developed a secure understanding of the concept, they investigate how followers of a particular religion or worldview understand and apply it. Through discussion, stories, artefacts, visitors, videos and creative activities, pupils develop their knowledge and understanding while learning to respect different beliefs and viewpoints.

The enquiry process

Each enquiry is split into four steps:

Step One: Engagement
The human experience underpinning the key question is explored here within the children’s own experience, whether that includes religion or not e.g. a human experience underpinning the question, ‘What is the best way for a Sikh to show commitment to God?’ is ‘commitment’, so lesson 1 aims to help all children resonate with the experience of ‘commitment’ in their own lives. If they can relate to this human experience they will be better able to understand the world of religion into which the enquiry takes them. Their personal resonance with this underpinning human experience acts as the bridge into the world of religion (which may be very much outside of their experience).

Step Two: Investigation
The teacher guides the children through the enquiry, children gaining subject knowledge carefully selected to assist their thinking about the key question.

Step Three: Evaluation
This lesson draws together the children’s learning and their conclusions about the key question of that enquiry. This is an assessment task which the teacher can assess by using the age-related expectation descriptors at the end of each enquiry.

Step Four: Expression
Children are taken back to Step 1, their own experience, to reflect on how this enquiry might have influenced their own starting points and beliefs. There is often further evidence for their books produced in this lesson. The whole learning experience of the class is gathered into a class Discovery RE Portfolio.

To enhance the learning of RE, we encourage learning about religious experiences, such as, visiting the local church, meeting religious speakers and handling real artefacts, learning through stories and drama where possible. 

Towards the end of each enquiry, children are given opportunities to answer the Big Question using the knowledge they have gained. They are encouraged to explain and justify their ideas, helping them to develop valuable critical thinking, reasoning and communication skills.

The final lessons of each enquiry provide time for personal reflection. Children consider what they have learned and how this may influence their own values and beliefs. For example, after learning about the Sikh tradition of sharing food through the Langar, a child might reflect on how they could demonstrate generosity and kindness in their own life. These lessons often involve creative responses, allowing children to express themselves through art, drama, discussion and practical activities.

Through RE, we aim to help children develop curiosity, understanding and respect for people of all faiths and beliefs, while also encouraging them to think deeply about their own identity, values and place in the wider world.

Religions and Worldviews Studied at Hardwick Green

At Hardwick Green, we have carefully selected the religions and worldviews studied in each year group to reflect the locally agreed syllabus and to provide children with a broad understanding of the diverse society in which they live. Pupils learn about:

• Christianity
• Islam
• Judaism
• Sikhism
• Hinduism
• Humanism

The sequence of learning has been designed to build children's knowledge progressively as they move through the school, revisiting key concepts and developing a deeper understanding of different beliefs, practices and traditions.

Impact

Our curriculum:

• Teaches pupils to have a better understanding of the religions that make up the UK landscape and how they can work from and alongside each other to create a cohesive community.
• Promotes inquisitive minds, respect, tolerance and understanding for all those around them including themselves.
• Enables high quality work to be produced and evidenced, showcasing a deep understanding of the main religions of the world, their community and their future.
• Creates evidence that will be seen through using the correct vocabulary, explanations and respectful opinions, as well as cross curricular evidence, for example, religious and cultural art work, drama, craft and presentations.
• Makes important contributions to other parts of the school curriculum such as citizenship, personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE education).
• Helps pupils create a life-long learning for exploring religious beliefs and understanding how it can help them in their future
• Develops pupils’ abilities to articulate and communicate ideas, options and feelings about their own religion and that of others.
• Develops essential skills such as self-confidence, collaboration, and self-reflection.
• Allows pupils to achieve well in R.E. which is reflected through a consistent learning journey and clear progress.
• Creates lasting memories from a range of religious experiences

The impact of our RE curriculum is constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. We use Enquire Learning Trust’s foundation subject assessment system, which shows pupils’ understanding in both substantive and disciplinary knowledge, and identifies next steps for learning and areas to be the focus of retrieval practice to ensure pupils know more and remember more in RE.