Religious Education

Religious Education explores big questions about life, to find out what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that pupils can make sense of religion, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living.

At Parkside Middle School we aim to provide an RE curriculum that is ambitious, challenging, enriching and inclusive.  We recognise that RE can be a first step to recognising and appreciating diversity and want Parkside pupils to learn about things that matter in the lives of local people, people within our country and in the wider world.  RE can support pupils in developing ideas, values and identities: we encourage our pupils to express their insights and learn to agree or disagree with others respectfully.  At Parkside, Religious Education contributes dynamically to our pupil’s education and life by provoking challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human.

In RE, our pupils learn about religions and worldviews in local, national, and global contexts, to discover, explore and consider different answers to these questions. They learn to weigh up the value of wisdom from different sources, to develop and express their insights in response, and to agree or disagree respectfully. Parkside pupils gain and deploy the skills needed to understand, interpret, and evaluate texts, sources of wisdom and authority and other evidence. Also, they learn to articulate clearly and coherently their personal beliefs, ideas, values, and experiences while respecting the right of others to differ. We emphasise the importance of Big Ideas and Big Concepts through powerful texts, discussions, debates, artwork, famous people, and topical news related reports.  Our pupils are ‘challenge seeking species’ who will flourish in their RE lessons, speaking, reading, and writing like theologians.

Pupil Voice Intent

Religious education encourages us to learn from different religions, beliefs, values, and traditions while exploring our own beliefs and questions of meaning. RE matters because you can learn to respect and understand different religions and how other people live their lives.

The curriculum for RE at Parkside aims to ensure that all pupils:

1. Make sense of a range of religious and non-religious beliefs, so that they can:

  • identify, describe, explain and analyse beliefs and concepts in the context of living religions, using appropriate vocabulary.
  • explain how and why these beliefs are understood in different ways, by individuals and within communities.
  • recognise how and why sources of authority (e.g. texts, teachings, traditions, leaders) are used, expressed and interpreted in different ways, developing skills of interpretation.

2. Understand the impact and significance of religious and non-religious beliefs, so that they can:

  • examine and explain how and why people express their beliefs in diverse ways.
  • recognise and account for ways in which people put their beliefs into action in diverse ways, in their everyday lives, within their communities and in the wider world.
  • appreciate and appraise the significance of different ways of life and ways of expressing meaning.

3. Make connections between religious and non-religious beliefs, concepts, practices and ideas studied, so that they can:

  • evaluate, reflect on and enquire into key concepts and questions studied, responding thoughtfully and creatively, giving good reasons for their responses.
  • challenge the ideas studied, and allow the ideas studied to challenge their own thinking, articulating beliefs, values and commitments clearly in response.
  • discern possible connections between the ideas studied and their own ways of understanding the world, expressing their critical responses and personal reflections with increasing clarity and understanding.

Enrichment trips and visits to local places of worship – we aim to provide our pupils with the opportunity to visit a range of places of worship across a range of religions, to broaden their understanding and horizons.

Religious Traditions Studied

KS2- Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and consideration of non-religious world-views

KS3 – Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and consideration of non-religious world-views

It is every pupil’s entitlement to have access to the key concept underpinning religions and beliefs, whether they are of that tradition, or not. The business of religious education is an exploration of the influence of religions and beliefs on individuals, culture, behaviours and national life.

Year 5

Autumn

Transition Module

The Big Story of the Bible.

What does it mean if Christians believe God is holy and loving?

Holy Bible
Mary & Jesus

Spring

Was Jesus the Messiah?

What did Jesus do to save human beings?

Summer

What matters most to Humanists and Christians?

What does it mean to be a Muslim in Britain today?

RE_Gurdwara_1

Year 6

Autumn

What do Christians believe Jesus did to ‘save’ people?

Creation and science: conflicting or complementary?

KJV Bible
Om symbol

Spring

Why do Hindus want to be good?

Summer

Why is the Torah so important to Jewish people? [God/Torah]

How can following God bring freedom and justice?

Church_1

Year 7

Autumn

What is good and what is challenging about being a Jewish teenager in the UK today?

What is good and what is challenging about being a Jewish teenager in the UK today?

Atheist
RE_Gurdwara_2

Spring

How are Sikh teachings on equality and service put into practice today?

What is good and what is challenging about being a Muslim teenager in Britain today? - Part 1

Summer

What is good and what is challenging about being a Muslim teenager in Britain today? - Part 2

Does the world need prophets today?

Mosque_1

Year 8

Autumn

If God is Trinity, what does that mean for Christians?

Why are people good and bad?

The Holy Trinity
SONY DSC

Spring

What do Christians believe about God’s heavenly kingdom and life after death?

Summer

How can people express the spiritual through the arts?

Gurdwara art