R.E

Subject Vision :

 Our aim at Cooper and Jordan is to provide children with a rich, interesting curriculum focusing on our own Christian values whilst learning about other major world religions. The children will learn about traditional and modern-day religions as well as how different religions are linked through places and people. 

 Through the teaching of Religious Education in our school we aim to give our pupils:

• A clear understanding of the teachings of Jesus and the Bible.
• Think about how the Bible and its teachings can guide us in everyday life.
• Knowledge about a range of religions and different views.
• Encouragement to express ideas and give insights about different beliefs and meanings.
• Time to investigate and respond to different questions about them as individuals and the wider community.

 As well as a focus on our Christian values, throughout their time at Cooper and Jordan children will also learn about the Islamic faith, Hindu faith, and Sikhism. The lessons will teach children about:

• Identity and belonging 
• Beliefs and teachings  
• Forms of expression 
• Practices and ways of life 
• Celebrations in each religion

Assemblies are an important time when pupils and teachers are in one place for a shared purpose and communal worship. We are also focused on thinking about the Spiritual aspect of everything that we carry out in school in R.E lessons as well as in the wider curriculum. 

If you would like to find out more click here to be taken to our Worship and Spirituality Page.

Curriculum : 

Our curriculum across the school is split between units from Understanding Christianity and the Walsall Syllabus. We have decided to do this as it allows the children to explore their own Christian faith in detail whilst also allowing them the chance to develop their understanding of other major religions from around the world. The curriculum has been carefully designed to ensure that their is progression in the children's understanding building upon ideas that have been introduced in younger years to allow the children to really explore areas of their faith as they move into the later stages of Key Stage 2.

EYFS:

 In EYFS, the children begin by thinking about why people are special and focusing on the main stories of the Bible looking in particular at the Nativity and Easter. The focus in EYFS is to introduce these stories to the children and think about how special everything that God has made is. The children will also look at the ideas of Creation, ready to build on these as they move into Key Stage 1. Much of the curriculum in EYFS is based on discussion and story telling, thinking about how the children interact with the world around them and learning about the life of Jesus.

KS1 & KS2:

In KS1, the children build upon the teachings from EYFS and begin to think more about the deeper meaning in the Nativity and Easter story. The children continue to think about the world around them and how their actions can make positive changes in the world. Different religions are also introduced with Year 1 learning more about Sikhism and  Year 2 beginning to discover more about Islam. Our aim in Key Stage 1 is not only to help secure the children's knowledge of key events in the Bible but also begin to think deeper about their own experiences and how these compare to other people in the local community; as well as around the world. In Year 2, the children also start to think carefully about events and experiences that they have in their life, especially during the topic 'Questions that puzzle us.'`

These themes are built upon in Key Stage 2 and again more religions are introduced. Year 3 look at a range of holy buildings, with the chance to visit those in the local area and find out more about the importance of Holy Books. The children also learn about different pilgrimages that occur around the world and begin to think about what it is like to follow God. In Year 4, the topic of Hinduism is introduced as well as the 5 pillars of Islam. They also begin to look at the similarities and differences in Christian and Hindu beliefs. Year 5 look at the similarities between Christian Aid and Islamic Relief and between commitments in Sikhism, Islam and Christianity. The children finish the year by finding out about inspirational people in Christianity and Islam. Year 6 start by discussing ideas of creation from a Christian viewpoint as well as looking at that of Science. Key leaders of Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism are discussed and they end their time in Key Stage 2 by looking at how Art can be used to express spiritual ideas.

Assessment:

With regards to assessment in R.E, this is carried out throughout each lesson by use of our Lesson Questions rather than a Lesson Objective. We have found that this has given the children chance to really think deeply about the topics that we cover and leave them open for the children to lead their own learning. Lesson Questions such as 'How do we know what we do not know?' in Year 2 may sound extremely complex at first, but it has really allowed our teaching staff to develop a detailed and interesting curriculum that the children really engage in. This is something that is carried out throughout the school and is supplemented by our Big Questions. These are questions that really are there to get the children thinking about their own faith, practices and behaviour in line with our school values. An example of one of these questions is 'Do Miracles still happen in the modern day?'. This is the type of question which has led to insightful and thoughtful discussions in class which have shown the children's understanding of the world and their place within it.

We do carry out slightly more formal styles of assessment in each year group focusing on the Lesson Questions that have been asked. Children RAG these to show how they are feeling about the question that has been carried out in the session and this helps us to inform and adapt our planning each week. This is also supported with a mark by the teacher to show the understanding that individual children have shown in the year; again these are used to help support future planning.

Trips & Enrichment:

 We are extremely fortunate to be on the same road as the magnificent Aldridge Parish Church. This means that we are able to visit for worship times as well as getting the chance to explore the church and the significance it holds for people's faith and also the local community. We are also blessed to have close ties with the Thomas Project, a fantastic local organisation that provide help for people in Aldridge and the surrounding areas. 

Pupil Voice:

Jacob said "I like the lessons because they are fun and we do exciting work!"

Carys said "It was great when we made the candles at Christmas and we thought about God’s light."

Nate said "I like that we can do art in it as well we went outside to make pictures using nature and also that we get our own personal bibles in Year 3 that we can keep forever."

Leyton said "We get the chance to learn about new religions and how others worship in their holy buildings."

Amelia said "We learn about different religions and I find this interesting because I love learning about the differences between people."

Cooper said "I like learning about God and how better to live my life through his teachings in the Bible."