Religious Education

Intent

At Olga, we believe that all children are naturally curious, empathetic, and open to diverse beliefs, practices and worldviews. They build meaningful connections with the world around them, empowering them to make positive contributions to society.

Religious Education has a significant role for the development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. At Olga, through the teaching of RE, we promote children to  be respectful and open-minded towards others with different faiths and beliefs and encourage pupils to develop their sense of identity and belonging through self-awareness and reflection and incorporating our school values of kindness, curiosity and courage.

The curriculum is carefully sequenced building upon key knowledge, skills and vocabulary from Early Years to Year 6. We aim to ensure children at Olga are given opportunities to visit religious buildings of all major world religions throughout their time at Olga Primary School.

The aims of teaching Religious Education are to:

• develop a sense of self, of community and of the world beyond.
• gain the knowledge and understanding of different religious beliefs, ways of life, symbols, social rules and customs.
• realise questions about the different God/gods and religion can be interpreted in different ways.
• are able to develop their own values, beliefs and attitudes through reflection of their own and others’ experiences.
• show sensitivity, tolerance and respect for their own and other’s feelings and actions.

Implementation

At Olga Primary School, we follow the guidance from Tower Hamlets as the basis of our teaching of Religious Education which will ensure children will:

• develop their knowledge and understanding of the world’s major religions.
• deepen their understanding and awareness of the beliefs, values and traditions of other individuals, societies, communities and cultures.
• gain an understanding of the ways in which beliefs influence people in their behaviour, practices and outlook.
• develop a positive attitude towards other people who hold religious beliefs different from their own.
• be able to ask questions about the world and to reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences.
• experience first-hand visits to local places of worship and visits from faith communities.
• develop a genuine interest in the subject and a real sense of curiosity about the world and the people who live here.

The RE syllabus offers a considered path through ideas and issues in six of the world's major religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Hinduism) as well as the opportunity for thoughtful consideration of non-religious or alternative worldviews such as Humanism. This wide-ranging extent is particularly important in our diverse borough and school. This syllabus helps us equip pupils with tools and skills to learn, analyse and come to understand ideas and practices that shape their lives and that of their friends and families.

At Olga Primary School, RE is taught for approximately:

• 36 hours per year in Reception (50 minutes a week or some short sessions implemented through continuous provision)
• 36 hours per year in KS1.
• 45 hours per year in KS2.

At Olga, Children start each unit and every lesson by returning to and recapping their prior learning within the unit and of previous years. This helps to ensure new learning is built upon children’s existing knowledge. Children have opportunities to learn about religions inside and outside of the classroom and have various visitors throughout the year in assemblies and in the classroom.

Impact

Our Religious Curriculum at Olga focusses on progression of knowledge and skills throughout the key stages. The impact is measured using the following methods:

• Continuous discussion with children about their learning.
• Questioning and feedback in lesson
• End of unit assessment task
• Images and videos of practical work
• Book looks and pupil voice
• Learning walks

Pupil voice

“I liked learning about the Holi festival in Hinduism. People splash paint on each other” Y3 pupil

“I liked learning about different religions around the world and visiting a Hindu Temple” Y4 pupil

“RE helps us to understand different religions and what they believe in. I like finding out about different practices. We researched Epiphany and how it is celebrated in different countries.” Y5 pupil  

“In RE, we get to visit different places of worship to see how others practice their religion. This year we visited East London Mosque” Y5 Pupil

“RE is important because it helps us to understand and respect people who believe in different things from us.” Y6 pupil