Religious Education at Lingham Primary School

Why is RE important?

At Lingham Primary, we aim to deliver a high-quality, inclusive RE curriculum that enables pupils to engage with challenging moral questions, appreciate the diversity of religion and develop their own personal belief systems.

Our curriculum ensures that pupils have a deep knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other principal religions and non-religions represented in Great Britain. Through their lessons, pupils learn to appreciate the impact that religious beliefs have on people’s lives and communities, they engage with questions raised by religions and they develop the ability to express personal beliefs and values, whilst respecting the right of others to differ. We are passionate about pupils understanding the diverse nature of religious views as it fosters the key British values of mutual respect and tolerance.

RE has a significant role in helping pupils to respond to challenging spiritual, moral, social and cultural questions that may arise in their lives. The RE curriculum at Lingham Primary is carefully designed so that children learn about religion in order to learn from religion. For example, when listening to the story of The Good Samaritan, pupils reflect on how they themselves could be a good neighbour. Where possible, meaningful links are made between religious teachings and our school values. In the example of The Good Samaritan, pupils are reminded of the need to show respect to everybody.

How is RE taught?

RE is taught discretely through a weekly lesson in KS1 and KS2. RE is also embedded within the F2 curriculum, mainly as a contributor towards early learning goals in Understanding the World and Personal, Social and Emotional Development.

Our curriculum is designed to develop the knowledge and skills outlined in the Wirral Agreed Syllabus (see files). Within KS1 and KS2 each half-termly topic will explore one or more of the following big ideas:

• Continuity, Change and Diversity
• Words and Beyond
• A Good Life
• Making Sense of Life’s Experience
• Influence, Community, Culture and Power
• The Big Picture

Our lessons use an enquiry-based approach through the Discovery RE scheme. Each unit has an over-arching question and individual lessons are broken down into smaller questions; this enables th

e children to build up the knowledge that is needed to respond to the overall question. Within each unit there are opportunities for pupils to reflect on their own experiences or belief systems before exploring related religious knowledge.

We strive for our children to gain ‘real-life’ experiences in order to inspire curiosity and embed their knowledge. Wherever possible, these experiences also foster links with our local community. For example, visiting Moreton Methodist to learn more about Christmas (Year 2) and Easter (Year 5).

Our programme of study reflects the fact that religious traditions in Great Britain are in 

the main Christian, and as a result, Christianity is taught across all key stages. From F2 onwards, other principal religions are also introduced (see table below for more detail).

How do we measure the impact of RE?

Assessment criteria have been developed in line with the expectations laid out in the Wirral Agreed Syllabus and the Discovery RE scheme. A variety of activities/methods are used to ensure that the planned curriculum has been taught and understood by our pupils. See table below for a progression of knowledge and skills across the autumn term.

Each lesson begins with a retrieval activity to assess recall of relevant prior knowledge and skills. This will include content from the current unit but also that from previous years. Our RE on a page document (see files) ensures that teachers are aware of the knowledge and content that has been taught in earlier year groups. End of unit assessments involve quizzes to assess specific content knowledge but also include more open-ended tasks such as ICT presentations, class discussions or a creative activity.

For more information about how we teach RE at Lingham, please see the files below.