section two religious education and the bigger picture · that ‘every child matters’ through...

SECTION TWOReligious Education and

The Bigger Picture

“Growing Together”

SECTIO

NTW

OR

eligiousEducation

andThe

Bigger

Picture

SECTIO

NTW

OThe

Contribution

of RE

tothe

Purposesof Education

11

This section of the syllabus enables people to see the place andimportance of Religious Education within the wider context ofeducation in general. It clarifies the purpose and main aims ofRE and explores how RE makes significant contributions to themain aims of education and to important agendas such as:Every Child Matters; Community Cohesion; Inclusion; Spiritual,Moral, Social and Cultural Development; Learning Outside theClassroom and Information Communication Technology.

RE supports the purposes of the wholecurriculum. The 2002 Education Act states thatall pupils should follow a balanced and broadlybased curriculum which:

1. Promotes the spiritual, moral,cultural, mental and physicaldevelopment of learners.

Religious Education plays a significant role inthe promotion of spiritual, moral, cultural andmental development.

Religious Education gives the knowledge, skillsand understanding to discern and value truthand goodness, strengthening the capacity formaking moral judgements and for evaluatingdifferent types of commitment to make positiveand healthy choices.

Religious Education provokes challengingquestions about the ultimate meaning andpurpose of life, beliefs about God, the self andthe nature of reality, issues of right and wrongand what it means to be human. It can developpupils’ knowledge and understanding of

Christianity, of other principal religions, otherreligious traditions and world views that offeranswers to questions such as these.

A central concern of Religious Education is thepromotion of each pupil’s self–worth, enablingthem to reflect on their uniqueness as humanbeings, to share their feelings and emotionswith others and appreciate the importance offorming and maintaining positive relationships.

Religious Education and The Bigger Picture

The Contribution of Religious Educationto the Purposes of Education

SECTIO

NTW

OThe

Contribution

of RE

tothe

Purposesof Education

12

The Northamptonshire Agreed Syllabus,“Growing Together”, offers pupils opportunitiesfor personal reflection and spiritualdevelopment, deepening the understanding ofbeliefs and faith in people’s lives – individually,communally and cross-culturally.

2. Prepares all learners for theopportunities, responsibilities andexperiences of later life.

Religious Education plays an important role inpreparing pupils for adult life, employment andlifelong learning. It helps pupils to becomesuccessful learners, confident individuals andresponsible citizens. It is an exciting, thought-provoking and challenging subject relevant topupils of all faiths and none.

Religious Education challenges pupils to reflect,analyse, interpret and evaluate. It developsindependent and inter-dependent learning andmakes an important contribution to pupils’skills in literacy and information andcommunication technology. It promotes anenquiring approach in which pupils carefullyconsider issues of belief and truth in religionand other life stances. It also enhances thecapacity to think coherently and consistently,enabling them to evaluate thoughtfully theirown and others’ views, in a reasoned andinformed manner.

Religious Education seeks to develop pupils’awareness of themselves and others, enablingthem to develop a clear understanding of thesignificance of religion and belief in the worldtoday and to learn about the ways in whichdifferent faith communities relate to each other.Exploring the concepts of religion and beliefand their roles in the lives of people in a diversesociety helps pupils to develop moralawareness and social understanding.

At the heart of this Agreed Syllabus lies acommitment to focus on ultimate questions andethical issues. This enables pupils to appreciatetheir own and others’ beliefs and cultures andhow these impact on individuals, communities,societies and cultures. This Agreed Syllabusaims to promote religious understanding,discernment and respect, and to challengeprejudice and stereotyping.

“RE helps us to learn whywe’re different andto know that it’s okayto be different.”

GrahamAge 10

Exploring sacred text. Celebrating Divali - a model of Sita.

SECTIO

NTW

OThe

Importance

of Religious

Education

13

The Importance of Religious Education

THEIMPORTANCEOF RELIGIOUSEDUCATION

RE is centrally concernedwith the links between

religions and theexperiences that all

humans share.

RE offersopportunities for

personal reflectionand spiritualdevelopment.

RE develops pupils’knowledge and

understanding ofChristianity, other

principal religions, otherreligious traditions andother world views that

offer answers to ultimatequestions.

RE provokeschallenging questions

about the ultimatemeaning and purpose oflife, beliefs about God,

the self and the nature ofreality, issues of right andwrong, and what it means

to be human.

RE has an importantrole in preparing pupils foradult life, employment andlifelong learning. It enablespupils to develop respect forand sensitivity to others, in

particular those whose faithsand beliefs are different from

their own. It promotesdiscernment and enables

pupils to combatprejudice.

RE encouragespupils to develop their sense

of identity and belonging.It enables them to flourishindividually within their

communities and as citizensin a diverse society and

global community.

RE challengespupils to reflect on,consider, analyse,

interpret and evaluateissues of truth, belief,faith and ethics and to

communicate theirresponses.

RE encouragespupils to learn fromdifferent religions,beliefs, values andtraditions, while

exploring their ownbeliefs and questions

of meaning.

RE enhances pupils’awareness and

understanding of religionsand beliefs, teachings,practices and forms of

expression, as well as ofthe influence of religionon individuals, families,

communities andcultures.

TheIm

portanceof R

eligiousEducation

SECTIO

NTW

O

14

“RE means we get to find out howother people live their lives and

think about what is special to mylife and my family.”

HannahAge 7

“I love RE because it is aboutgiving my own opinion, not just

having right and wrong answers.It’s okay to disagree.”

ThomasAge 9

“I particularly enjoy going onvisits to places of worship

because it made the religionfeel very real.”

ElizabethAge 14

“I enjoy RE because it helps youto understand other people’s

religious beliefs and it teaches youto respect others and their

different cultures. It also helps youto understand the meaning and

the main purpose of life.”

BenAge 11

Photographs reproduced with kind permissionof The Evening Telegraph.

Celebrating Faith in Northamptonshire

SECTIO

NTW

OThe

Aim

sof Education

andthe

Aim

sof R

E

15

The Aims of Education and the Aims ofReligious Education

This Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education,“Growing Together,” has three main aims.

RE in the whole curriculum: Learning and teaching activities in RE contribute to the achievement ofcurriculum aims for all children and young people to become successful learners, confidentindividuals and responsible citizens.

In RE this includes:� Building increasing knowledge and understanding of

religions, beliefs and of the fundamental questions of life;� Developing skills and attitudes that enable broad minded and

open hearted engagement in a diverse world;� Finding interest and satisfaction in studying their own

views and the views of others on ultimate questions;� Being increasingly skilled at making links between beliefs,

values, ways of life and religious practice and with their ownexperiences, ideas and viewpoints.

SUCCESSFULLEARNERSwho enjoy learning, makeprogress and achieve

In RE this includes:� Developing, through good learning, their own sense of

identity in terms of beliefs and values: “If I know who I am,then I can accept who others are without fear or threat.”

� Reflecting on ultimate questions and on the ideas andpractices of belief systems. They are then helped tounderstand more about themselves and others, and how tocommunicate. They are encouraged to develop their ideasand express them appropriately;

� Exploring and enquiring into the idea of human well being,as expressed variously in different faiths and beliefs, andbeing able to learn confidently from the experiences andideas of others;

� Making sense of the idea that a fulfilling life can be livedfrom many different perspectives, including religious andspiritual perspectives, and an unfulfilling life may be narrowor restricted: “The open mind never stops learning.”

CONFIDENTINDIVIDUALSwho are able to live safe,healthy and fulfilling lives

1

2

SECTIO

NTW

O

16

TheA

ims

of Educationand

theA

ims

of RE

In RE this includes:� Asking and exploring a range of answers to questions about

life, individuals and society;� Raising issues of local, national and global concern and

placing them in spiritual and moral contexts;� Understanding the beliefs and practices of religions and

world views, enabling pupils to make connections betweenbelief and action;

� Considering and clarifying the values and commitments bywhich we live, developing an understanding of positivecontributions to society;

� Considering the beliefs behind environmental action, theneeds of refugees or the work of aid agencies, to becomeaware of the connections between beliefs, lifestyles andultimate questions;

� Considering the idea of responsibility, e.g. for self, others, theworld, and ultimate truth (for some, God);

� Evaluating ethical issues and expressing views usingreasoned arguments. Pupils can then enhance their capacityand desire to make a positive contribution to debates anddecisions in society.

RESPONSIBLECITIZENSwho make a positivecontribution to society

3

The above photograph has been reproducedwith kind permission of The Evening Telegraph.

Dramatising religious story.

“I enjoy RE because I likelearning about my religion.

I like to hear about what otherpeople believe and why they

believe it. I like hearing storiesand doing all the different

activities. I find RE an interestingsubject and I think learning

about people’s beliefs isfascinating.”

BenjaminAge 12

SECTIO

NTW

OThe

Two

Attainm

ent Targetsfor

Religious

Education

17

Learning about Religion and Belief andLearning from Religion and Belief

Religious Education can be seen as a journey during whichpupils should have the opportunity to explore questions ofhuman existence and behaviour and questions of meaningand value.

There are two attainment targets in Religious Education. They reflect the knowledge, skills andunderstanding needed to enable the aims of the subject to be achieved and to promote personaldevelopment and awareness.

AT 1 – Learning About Religion and BeliefAT 2 – Learning From Religion and Belief

The Two Attainment Targets forReligious Education

AT1 -LEARNING ABOUT

RELIGION AND BELIEF

Enquiring into, investigating andunderstanding religions and beliefs.

This includes thinking about andinterpreting religious beliefs, teachings,sources, practices, ways of life and ways

of expressing meaning with referenceto the specific beliefs and

religions studied.

RE is atits most effectivewhen these two

attainment targetsare closely related

in the learningexperience.

AT2 -LEARNING FROM

RELIGION AND BELIEF

Questioning, exploring, reflectingupon and interpreting human

experience in the light of religionsand beliefs studied.

This includes communicating reflections,responses and evaluations about questions of

identity, belonging, diversity, meaning,purpose, truth, values and

commitments, making increasinglyinsightful links to the specific

religions studied.

SECTIO

NTW

O

18

EveryC

hildM

attersin

Religious

Education

Every Child Matters in Religious Education

The Northamptonshire Agreed Syllabus forReligious Education, “Growing Together”,promotes access, inclusion and individuallearning.

It regards Religious Education as a stimulating,interesting, relevant and enjoyable subject.It enables the exploration of powerful questionsof meaning and value and consideration ofsignificant ethical issues.

It promotes Religious Education as achallenging subject which enables reflectionon, interpretation and evaluation of, importantissues of truth and belief.

“Growing Together” encourages pupils torespond and communicate their responses tothese issues in creative and varied ways.

The planning and delivery model allowsexploration of the human condition, supportingthe philosophy that every person matters.

This Agreed Syllabus makes a significantcontribution to the implementation of the viewthat ‘Every Child Matters’ through itsexplorations of religious and ethical teachingsand ideas and the development of key attitudesof sensitivity, respect, open-mindedness,self esteem and an appreciation of the naturalworld.

“RE is great because you learn about yourself and others.We do drama, art, music and lots of other things.

They help me learn all about other people.”

LucyAge 7

Working collaboratively in RE.

SECTIO

NTW

O

19

EveryC

hildM

attersin

Religious

Education

� Exploring what it means torespect the body, whilereflecting on religious beliefs;

� Investigating healthy livingthrough religious teachingsabout food and drink; caring forthe environment;

� Exploring attitudes to sexualrelationships that promote thewell being of all;

� Encouraging a healthy mind andspirit through reflective activitiessuch as circle time that enablepupils to understand prayer,stilling and meditation, andtaking part in reasoned debate;

� Encouraging a positiveself-image by enabling personalreflection and exploration ofideas about the self fromdifferent religious traditions;

� Enabling the consideration ofteachings and examples fromthe faiths about self-respect,drug taking and intoxicants;

� Appreciating the rich diversityof humanity.

� Talking about emotions andchoices and how they arereflected in religious stories andcelebrations;

� Finding out about how a baby iswelcomed into the community;

� Recognising and exploring theways religions honour the earth,and some issues about thehuman impact on the planet;

� Learning about practice andbelief to do with weddings andmarriage in religious ways oflife;

� Exploring varied attitudes tosexuality and lovingrelationships from religions andbeliefs;

� Thinking about what Hindusmean by the law of Karma andhow our own actions can havegood or bad consequences;

� Considering questions about thevalue or sanctity of human life;

� Describing the importance, forsome people, of prayer,meditation, calmness or stillnessin life’s rhythms;

� Asking what is meant by‘spiritual health and well being’,and thinking about differentanswers.

Examples of the meaning ofthis outcome connected to RE:

Rel

igio

usEd

ucat

ion

enco

urag

esch

ildre

nto

behe

alth

yth

roug

h:

Practical classroom connectionsand examples for the RE teacher:

Photographs reproduced with kindpermission of The Evening Telegraph.

SECTIO

NTW

O

20

EveryC

hildM

attersin

Religious

Education

� Giving opportunities to exploreprejudice and discrimination,including teachings from thefaiths;

� Offering opportunities toconsider rules and principlesthat guide individuals withincommunities and support thevulnerable;

� Encouraging pupils tounderstand the differencebetween right and wrong;

� Helping them to consider whoshould be their role models;

� Reflecting on the value ofsecurity gained from family life,from religious community andritual, from faith in thetranscendent and from othersources;

� Encouraging them to beincreasingly able to takeresponsibility for who they areand what they do.

� Talking about how religionsbelieve that people have aresponsibility to respect andcare for the world and all livingthings;

� Exploring issues of conflict andviolence through stories, such asthose of Gandhi and Dr MartinLuther King;

� Using the Jewish TenCommandments or the BuddhistFive Precepts to think aboutpupils’ own ways of life;

� Looking at dilemmas fromreligious stories and consideringhow we decide what is good;

� Thinking about why somepeople (such as Guru Nanak orMoses, for example) are seen asrole models in their religions;

� Considering how religiousfamily life can be supported byshared faith;

� Using ideas about religiousidentity to think about their ownidentity.


Religious

Educationhelps

childrento

staysafe

by:


Visitors from the Jewish Faith Community bringing religion alive for KS1 pupils.

SECTIO

NTW

O

21

EveryC

hildM

attersin

Religious

Education

� Providing a rigorous,challenging, good quality REcurriculum that enables pupilsto learn about themselves andothers through exploring religionand the big questions of life;

� Encountering living faith (e.g.through visits and visitors) andbeing given opportunities to askand develop answers to theirown questions of meaning andpurpose;

� Setting clear and challengingstandards, including usingassessment criteria, to enable allpupils to take pride in theirachievements in RE;

� Raising standards by promotingnational accreditation of REachievements for 14-19s;

� Creating an inclusive REcurriculum that inspires allpupils, including those withadditional educational needs.

� Recognising and developingpupils’ own values andcommitments and those ofothers;

� Enjoying opportunities that REprovides to experience awe andwonder and express their ownideas creatively;

� Using religious concepts andbeliefs to provoke thinkingabout pupils’ own beliefs andideas;

� Visiting places of worship todevelop understanding ofcommunity life and faith;

� Using adults other than teachersto contribute to pupils’ learningabout religions throughwelcoming visitors to school inRE;

� Giving pupils time and space toproduce RE work of which theycan be proud;

� Using the widest possible rangeof learning styles to explorereligious and spiritual questions;

� Giving pupils musical, artisticand creative models of learningand tasks that use their creativeskills;

� Using all available opportunitiesto credit the achievements ofpupils in RE;

� Understanding that there are notfinal, specific right or wronganswers;

� Taking opportunities for pupilsto express their own beliefs,values and ideas.


Rel

igio

usEd

ucat

ion

help

sch

ildre

nto

enjo

yan

dac

hiev

eby

:


Modelling Ganesha. Linking RE with Art.

SECTIO

NTW

O

22

EveryC

hildM

attersin

Religious

Education

� Enabling pupils to exploreconcepts of identity, communityand belonging in religions, anddevelop positive views of theirown and respect for others;

� Encouraging pupils to evaluatethe impact of religious rules andcodes for living and themeaning of being ‘law abiding’;

� Giving opportunities to considerthe nature of ‘being human’ andthe positive common bondsfound in shared humanexperiences and a sharedglobal environment;

� Enabling pupils to express theirown views and ideas on all thequestions RE addresses;

� Encouraging open-mindednessin handling disputed questions,developing the ability todisagree respectfully.

� Learning about festivals andspecial times when people arereminded to think about theneeds of others;

� Studying the ways faith andbelief communities worktogether;

� Thinking about the value ofkeeping the law, and theoccasional circumstances whereit might be appropriate to breakthe law;

� Considering the experiences ofhuman life that we all share andhow this can make for cohesivecommunities;

� Using circle time or Philosophyfor Children methods to explore‘big questions’;

� Developing pupils’ skills inhandling controversy byconsidering religiousdisagreements reasonably,e.g. between theists and atheists.


Religious

Educationhelps

childrento

make

apositive

contributionby:


Getting ready to celebrate Divali.

SECTIO

NTW

O

23

EveryC

hildM

attersin

Religious

Education

� Experiencing a curriculum thatwill allow them to grow anddevelop into individualsprepared for working life andable to flourish in theworkplace;

� Giving opportunities to consider,and sometimes challenge, themeaning of ‘economicwellbeing’ through studying theresponses of faith to money,wealth, poverty, generosity,community and responsibility;

� Exploring in a balanced wayreligious critiques of materialismand consumerism;

� Providing all learners at KS4 or14 - 19 with the opportunity toachieve a nationally accreditedRE / RS qualification;

� Encouraging an interest inreligious and spiritual issues thatenables lifelong learning.

� Talking about behavingresponsibly and theconsequences of actions;

� Exploring the impact of beliefson different kinds of work;

� Learning about how differentreligions encourage generosity,e.g. through Zakah in Islam,langar and Sewa in the Sikhreligion, or via many charities;

� Considering how things can bevalued, apart from financialvalues;

� Exploring the ways in whichreligions and belief systems exaltlearning or hold education to bevaluable, and the values pupilsfind in learning;

� In studying fair trade, writingletters to the staff, local shopsetc explaining the importance ofstocking fair trade products;

� Using teaching and learningstrategies which will supportchildren to work in groups, e.g.Philosophy for Children, fairlistening and speaking,hot-seating, conscience alleyetc;

� Studying the link between faith,beliefs and environmentalissues; consider how religiousbeliefs link to environmentalissues.


Rel

igio

usEd

ucat

ion

help

sch

ildre

nto

achi

eve

econ

omic

wel

lbei

ngby

:


The ‘Cross of Hands’ - made by thecongregation of Emmanuel Church,Northampton.

SECTIO

NTW

O

24

Religious

Educationand

Inclusion

Religious Education and Inclusion

Religious Education makes a significant contribution toeducational inclusion. Effective RE will ensure that ALL pupils

(as mentioned below) will have access to appropriateexperiences which enable them to learn about and learn from

religion and belief.

INCLUSION:RE FOR ALL

Pupilswho haveSpecial

EducationalNeeds (SEN)

Pupilswith English

as an additionallanguage

(EAL)

Pupilsfrom

minorityreligions

Pupilswho areatheist oragnostic

Childrenwho are

looked after

Mobileor transient

pupils

Pupils withpreferred

learning styles

Pupils whoare victims of

prejudice

Giftedand Talentedpupils (G&T)

Pupilsof bothgenders

Disaffectedpupils

SECTIO

NTW

O

25

Religious

Educationand

Inclusion

Religious Education is particularly significant inits focus on promoting respect for all and onCommunity Cohesion.

This Agreed Syllabus provides manyopportunities for RE teaching and learning tochallenge stereotypical views and to appreciatedifference positively. The syllabus enables allpupils to consider the impact of people’s beliefson their own actions and ways of life. Thesyllabus also highlights the importance ofreligions and beliefs and how ReligiousEducation can develop pupils’ self-esteem.

Effective inclusion involves teaching alively, stimulating Religious Educationcurriculum that:

� builds on, and is enriched by, the differingexperiences pupils bring to ReligiousEducation;

� meets all pupils’ learning needs, includingthose with learning difficulties or those whoare gifted and talented, boys and girls,pupils for whom English is an additionallanguage, pupils from all religiouscommunities, atheist, agnostic and otherspiritual heritages and pupils from a widerange of ethnic groups and diverse familybackgrounds.

To overcome any potential barriers to learningin Religious Education, some pupils mayrequire:� support to access text, such as through

prepared tapes, particularly when workingwith significant quantities of writtenmaterials or at speed;

� help to communicate their ideas throughmethods other than extended writing,where this is a requirement. For example,pupils may demonstrate theirunderstanding through speech or the useof ICT.

� a non-visual way of accessing sources ofinformation when undertaking research inaspects of Religious Education, for exampleusing audio materials.

Providing effective learningopportunities for all pupils in ReligiousEducation

Religious Education should be accessible to allpupils. The National Curriculum sets out threeprinciples that are essential to developing amore inclusive curriculum, which also applyto RE:

1 Setting suitable learning challenges;2 Responding to pupils’ diverse needs;3 Overcoming potential barriers to learning

and assessment for individuals and groupsof pupils.A Pentecost Picnic. “Flying our kites.”

“What a wonderful world.”

SECTIO

NTW

O

26

Religious

Educationand

Inclusion

1 Setting suitable learning challenges

This Agreed Syllabus sets out what pupilsshould learn at each key stage. Teachers shouldteach the knowledge, understanding and skillsin ways which suit their pupils’ abilities andneeds.

This means:

� setting differentiated tasks to take accountof the needs of those pupils whoseattainments fall below or significantlyexceed the expectations for the age group;

� using a variety of teaching and learningstrategies, taking account, whereverpossible, of pupils’ preferred learningstyles;

� using appropriate assessment approacheswhich allow for different learning styles;

� setting targets for learning;� providing opportunities for pupil responses

in ways which they initiate for themselves.

2 Responding to the diverse needspupils bring to their learning

When planning, teachers need to provideopportunities for all pupils to achieve,including:

� boys and girls;� pupils with special educational needs,

including the gifted and talented;� those with disabilities;� looked after children;� pupils from different social, ethnic,

religious, cultural and linguisticbackgrounds.

The background of pupils in religionand belief

The different experiences, interests andstrengths that pupils bring are particularlyrelevant in Religious Education. Some areactive and committed within faith communities,some have occasional contact and others have

no links at all. Non-religious pupils are alldifferent as well. Teachers will need to takeaccount of these differing religiousbackgrounds, plan to meet the needs ofindividuals and acknowledge and respect thebeliefs and practices found in each home andfamily.

3 Overcoming potential barriers tolearning and assessment forindividuals and groups of pupils

RE and Pupils with Special EducationalNeeds (SEN)

RE is a statutory part of the core curriculum forall pupils, including those with learningdifficulties. Pupils with SEN are found in allcontexts and all teachers are teachers of SEN.Good quality teaching in RE will tailor theplanning of the syllabus carefully to the specialneeds of all pupils.

Pupils with special educational needs will notalways reach Level 1 of the expectations in RE.Where appropriate the PerformanceDescriptions (“P Scales”) may be used as anindicator for progress within RE. Work relatingto the Programme of Study that is planned for

A sensory approach to RE overcomes barriers tolearning for some pupils.

SECTIO

NTW

O

27

Religious

Educationand

Inclusion

pupils with special educational needs shouldtake account of the targets andrecommendations in their IndividualEducational Programmes.

For the small number of pupils who may needthe provision, material may be selected fromearlier or later key stages, to enable individualpupils to progress and demonstrateachievement. Such material should bepresented in contexts suitable to the pupil’s age.In making decisions about adjusting the contentof the key stage, teachers should take intoaccount the previous experience of the pupil aswell as the necessity to communicate tosubsequent teachers a specific differentiatedapproach to entitlement.

The Performance Descriptions (“P Scales”) foruse in Special Schools and Designated SpecialProvision Units (DSPs) can be found inAPPENDIX 1 (Pages 103-104).Further information and guidance on SEN,including “I Can” statements for the “P Scales”can be found in the Support Materials on theaccompanying CD Rom.

Further guidance is also available in “Planning,teaching and assessing the curriculum forpupils with learning difficulties - ReligiousEducation” (QCDA 2009) which is included inthe Support Materials on the CD ROM.

Gifted and Talented Pupils

Gifted and talented pupils are entitled to havetheir learning needs met in RE along with allother pupils. Giftedness and special talents inRE may take many forms. Some pupils bring totheir RE insight into their own beliefs or thoseof others, creativity in learning from religionand spiritual development, a particular skill inargument or empathy, and many other specificgifts or talents. Personalised learning in RE forthese pupils demands that their needs areunderstood and met through a variety ofmeasures: age-related expectations may berevised for these pupils, particular tasks set forthem, appropriate study skills and opportunitiesmay be given. Further details of how to makethis provision are given in additional supportmaterials on the CD Rom which accompaniesthis syllabus.

The entitlement of every pupil to have theirparticular learning needs understood and met isestablished by this Agreed Syllabus.

“If we become bosseswe need to know and

understand differentreligions because we may

employ someone of adifferent faith.”

AdamAge 10

“Happy New Year.”

SECTIO

NTW

O

28

Religious

Educationand

Com

munity

Cohesion

Religious Education andCommunity Cohesion

Schools have a duty to promote CommunityCohesion (Education and Inspections Act 2006:Sections 38 and 154) and from September 2008OFSTED has been required to inspect andreport on the contributions made in this area.Embedding community cohesion in thecurriculum is vital in addressing the aims todevelop successful learners, confidentindividuals and responsible citizens.

Religious Education makes an importantcontribution to this duty. It provides a keycontext to develop young people’sunderstanding and appreciation of diversity, topromote shared values and to challenge racismand discrimination. Effective RE will promotecommunity cohesion at each of these fourlevels:

� The school community – RE provides apositive context within which the diversityof cultures, beliefs and values can becelebrated and explored;

� The community within which the school islocated – RE provides opportunities toinvestigate patterns of diversity of religionand belief and forge links with differentgroups in the local area;

� The UK community – a major focus of RE isthe study of diversity of religion andbelief in the UK and how this influencesnational life;

� The global community – RE involves thestudy of matters of global significance,recognising the diversity of religion andbelief and its impact on world issues.

RE subject matter givesparticular opportunities topromote an ethos of respectfor others, challengestereotypes and buildunderstanding of othercultures and beliefs.This contributes to promotinga positive and inclusiveschool ethos that championsdemocratic values andhuman rights.

Our vision in Northamptonshire is of acommunity where people of different religionsand no religion live harmoniously side by side,displaying mutual respect, understanding andfriendship. It is essential that our children andyoung people are supported in developing thesequalities and, whilst growing in confidence,achieve a level of critical awareness that helpsthem to become builders and shapers of abetter Northamptonshire. Under the RaceRelations (Amendment) Act 2000, schools havea duty to eliminate unlawful racialdiscrimination and to promote equality ofopportunity and good relations between peopleof different groups. The NorthamptonshireSACRE seeks to support schools in this work.

Visiting places of worship is one way to help developcommunity cohesion.

SECTIO

NTW

O

29

Religious

Educationand

Com

munity

Cohesion

The guidance advises that “every school isresponsible for educating children and youngpeople who will live and work in a countrywhich is diverse in terms of cultures, religionsor beliefs.” A recurring theme of governmentguidance on Religious Education is to “developa positive attitude towards other people,respecting their right to hold different beliefsfrom their own, and towards living in a world ofdiverse religions.” RE guidance also requiresschools to enable pupils to examine theconsequences of anti-social behaviour such asracism and to develop strategies for dealingwith it. Equally, Ofsted also points to the majorcontribution that RE makes to “valuing diversity,promoting multicultural understanding andrespect.” The Community Cohesion agenda “isabout how to avoid the corrosive effects ofintolerance and harassment… as race and faithare often seen as the most frequent frictionpoints between communities, and the mostvisible sources of tension.”

It is too simplistic to assume that merely byteaching about the major world religions, RE asa curriculum area will automatically contributeto community cohesion; there is a risk ofreinforcing stereotypes in this subject area, e.g.‘Muslims are from Pakistan’ or ‘Christians arewhite.’ It is important to emphasise that theseare ‘world’ religions and to seek opportunitiesand resources that will break down inaccurate,even racist, assumptions about people of otherfaiths. Each religion, in fact, contains diversetraditions and beliefs and each one ismulticultural itself; its forms and followers varyin ethnicity, language, customs and practices.

“RE teaches us about otherbeliefs so that we can choose forourselves later in life.”

HardipAge 8

SECTIO

NTW

O

30

Religious

Educationand

Com

munity

Cohesion

It is important to identify linksand similarities between thedifferent religions and theirpractices, encouraging mutualrespect, understanding andsensitivity.

For example, Christians, Jews and Muslims allgive great significance to Jesus within theirreligious tradition, holding some aspects incommon and diverging on other fundamentalpoints. As well as learning about the historicaland current relationship between cultures,pupils should study the way in which onereligion has influenced the development ofanother.

RE is an ideal vehicle for building links withfaith communities in the local area of theschool. Pupils need opportunities to meetpeople of different faiths and cultures todevelop a respect for those who believe, thinkand practise differently, without feeling thattheir own identity or views are threatened. Infact, pupils can deepen and clarify their ownsense of identity through their encounter withothers. The community cohesion guidancestates that “through their ethos and curriculumschools can promote discussion of a commonsense of identity and support diversity, showingpupils how different communities can be unitedby shared values and common experiences.”It is important to set ground rules for discussionwhen religious differences are explored, in

order to create a safe and positive environment.This is particularly relevant where there may bemedia misrepresentations and commonly heldnegative stereotypes, e.g. Islamophobia.

In terms of community cohesion inNorthamptonshire, it is more meaningful topupils if the religions taught include those oftheir own families and communities, includingsmaller faith groups, in order to accord equalvalue and respect. Similarly, children shouldlearn that non-religious perspectives on life arealso valid and widespread. Large numbers ofour pupils come from families where noreligion is practised and they must not be madeto feel that their lives or families are less worthyas a result.

“RE is fun because we don’talways have to write everything

down. We can learn through art,music, drama and dance.”

PoppyAge 7

SECTIO

NTW

O

31

Religious

Educationand

Com

munity

Cohesion

The following diagram shows visually some of the ways in which RE might contribute to a morecohesive society – “Growing Together”.

Learning aboutreligions in

increasing depth:What do the

religions say aboutliving together?

Thinking aboutdiversity and

difference: Whatproblems and

opportunities comefrom a religiously

plural society?

Exploring a range ofattitudes to difference:

What is tolerance?What is respect?

What is celebrationof diversity?

Considering values,challenges andopportunities:

What makes a fairersociety?

How do religions andbeliefs contribute?

The contributionof the RE curriculum to

developing the attitudes thatenable a cohesive community issubtle and complex, but includesproviding accurate information,

opportunities for pupils to think aboutdiversity, exploration of many examplesof difference, considering their own

values (spiritual and moraldevelopment) and evaluating the

impact of ideas that mightbuild respect.

Evaluating andapplying ideas about

living for thewellbeing of all: Canwe make our school

more respectful?What is the

contribution of faithand belief?

Further guidance and ideas about this areacan be found in:

“Religious Education and CommunityCohesion” - Religious Education Council(REC 2009)www.recouncil.org.uk

“Community Cohesion in Action -A curriculum planning guide for schools”(QCDA 2010)www.qcda.gov.uk/orderline

“Learning Together to be Safe: a toolkit tohelp schools contribute to the prevention ofviolent extremism” (DCSF 2009)www.dcsf.gov.uk/violentextremismwww.subjectassociations.org.uk

SECTIO

NTW

O

32

Spiritual, Moral, Social and

Cultural D

evelopment

Spiritual, Moral, Social andCultural Development

through many subjects of the curriculum, REmay often focus on spiritual and moraleducation within the curriculum, and makes adistinctive contribution to understandingcultural diversity through developingunderstanding of religions and beliefs. Theseopportunities for personal developmentcontribute to high standards and aspirations foreach pupil.There is an extensive literature on these topics,which are always contested.For the purposes of this Agreed Syllabus, thefollowing descriptions provide a basis for waysin which the RE curriculum can contribute topupils’ personal development.

Religious Education providesopportunities to promote SPIRITUALDEVELOPMENT through:

� discussing and reflecting on key questionsof meaning and truth such as the origins ofthe universe, life after death, good and evil,beliefs about God and values such asjustice, honesty and truth;

� learning about and reflecting on importantconcepts, experiences and beliefs that areat the heart of religious and other traditionsand practices;

� considering how beliefs and concepts inreligion may be expressed through thecreative and expressive arts and relatedto the human and natural sciences, therebycontributing to personal and communalidentity;

� considering how religions and otherworld views perceive the value of humanbeings, and their relationships with oneanother, with the natural world, and withGod;

� valuing relationships and developing asense of belonging;

� developing their own views and ideas onreligious and spiritual issues.

SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT enablespeople to look within themselves, attheir human relationships, at thewider world and at their vision of thedivine or the ultimate reality, withcharacteristics such as courage,hope, acceptance, strength, insightand love, so that they can better faceall the sufferings, challenges andopportunities of human life.

A distinctive contribution from ReligiousEducation

The Agreed Syllabus for ReligiousEducation in Northamptonshire,“Growing Together”, enables theteaching of RE to make adistinctive and significantcontribution to these four aspectsof pupils’ development.

While schools provide for these aspects ofpersonal development in many ways, and

SECTIO

NTW

O

33


Cultural D

evelopment

Religious Education provides opportunitiesto promote MORAL DEVELOPMENTthrough:

� enhancing the values identified withinthe National Curriculum, particularlyvaluing diversity and engaging in issuesof truth, justice and trust;

� exploring the influence of family, friendsand media on moral choices and howsociety is influenced by beliefs,teachings, sacred texts and guidancefrom religious leaders;

� considering what is of ultimate value topupils and believers through studying thekey beliefs and teachings from religionand philosophy about values and ethicalcodes of practice;

� studying a range of ethical issues,including those that focus on justice, topromote racial and religious respect,community cohesion and personalintegrity;

� considering the importance of rights andresponsibilities and developing a sense ofconscience.

MORAL DEVELOPMENT enablespupils to take an increasinglythoughtful view of what is right andwrong, to recognise the needs andinterests of others as well asthemselves and to developcharacteristics such as truthfulness,kindness, unselfishness andcommitment to virtues such asintegrity, justice and the will to dowhat is right, so that they can live inways which respect the well-beingand rights of each person.

SECTIO

NTW

O

34


Cultural D

evelopment

Religious Education providesopportunities to promote SOCIALDEVELOPMENT through:

� considering how religious and otherbeliefs lead to particular actions andconcerns;

� investigating social issues from religiousperspectives, recognising the diversity ofviewpoints within and between religionsas well as the common ground betweenreligions;

� articulating pupils’ own and others’ ideason a range of contemporary social issues,including environmental concerns, issuesof equality and community cohesion.

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT enablespupils to relate to others successfullythrough an understanding of theresponsibilities and rights of being amember of various families, local,national and global communities. Itenables them to develop social skills,qualities, attitudes and characteristicssuch as respectfulness, tolerance, awillingness to get involved, so thatthey can play a full and fulfilling partin their community and society as,for example, family members,citizens, learners and workers.

Religious Education provides opportunitiesto promote CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTthrough:

� encountering people, literature, thecreative and expressive arts andresources from differing cultures;

� considering the relationship betweenreligion and cultures and how religionsand beliefs contribute to cultural identityand practices;

� promoting racial and interfaith harmonyand respect for all, combating prejudiceand discrimination, contributingpositively to community cohesion andpromoting awareness of how interfaithcooperation can support the pursuit ofthe common good.

CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT enablespeople to develop their sense of theirown place and identity in society, tovalue and participate creatively intheir own culture and appreciate thecultures of others by developing theirappreciation of, for example, the arts,literature, sport, music, travel andother aspects of culture. Culturaldevelopment makes its contributionto human wellbeing through enablingparticipation in diverse varieties ofcultural life for the enrichment ofindividuals and communities.Cultural development enables peopleto develop understanding, qualitiesand attitudes which lead toappreciation or participation in local,regional, national, European andglobal cultures.

SECTIO

NTW

O

35

LearningO

utsidethe

Classroom

inR

eligiousEducation

Learning Outside the Classroom inReligious Education

Sacred Space

For all pupils, visiting sacred spaces can be apowerful learning experience. Such visits arealways for learning, never for participation: tovisit a church and learn from it does not involveparticipation in Christian prayer and worship.Taking a trip to a mosque and observing thereverent communal prayer or the happycelebration of Eid does not imply acceptance ofIslamic belief or submission to Islamic law butrather an open-minded willingness to explorethe new and the different, to learn fromreligion. In this spirit, this Agreed Syllabusencourages teachers to plan for trips to places ofworship.

Learning outside the classroom in RE is not onlyabout visits to places of worship though: theexperience of the natural world is celebrated inmany religions and by spiritual people

everywhere. The sense of place and thepossibility of being uplifted, catching that ‘gladto be alive’ feeling that promotes spiritualdevelopment, is not always evident in theclassroom: it can be accessed through thelearning that happens beyond the classroom.

At every key stage, learningoutside the classroom isencouraged in this syllabus.Some examples of theintentions and activitiesinvolved are given below butthe scope of this pedagogicalapproach is limitless.

How do Christians welcome anew baby?

Children visit a local church andlearn about the community life ofthe church, watching aChristening enacted by theminister and asking questions.They each contribute onedrawing to a class book entitled“Thirty things we liked at SaintAndrew’s”.

Curiosity about the naturalworld

In a unit on Creation, childrenwalk the school grounds andfind / choose a leaf, an acorn, afeather and a blade of grass.They take these four things backto the classroom to try and workout what a human would have todo to make these four things.They explore some mysteries ofthe natural world in small scalenatural world enquiry.

4-7s

Learning in relation to sacredspace: examples of practice

Learning in relation to the naturalworld: examples of practice

AGEGROUP

SECTIO

NTW

O

36

LearningO

utsidethe

Classroom

inR

eligiousEducation

What makes a place sacred?

Class 4A visits the Mosque inNorthampton, and Class 4B visitsSaint Matthew’s Church inNorthampton. Each class plans itsmulti-sensory enquiry into thesacred space and presents itsfindings to the other class.All pupils consider the generalquestion, “What makes a placesacred?” in relation to bothbuildings.

Peaceful, thoughtful and friendlyplaces

The class decides what the mostpeaceful, thoughtful friendlyplaces are in the school andgrounds. They go to these placesand do something as a class thatis peaceful, thoughtful, andfriendly. When they then visit aplace of worship, they chooseand photograph the mostpeaceful, thoughtful, friendlyplaces.

7-11s

What is a place of nationalreligious or spiritualsignificance?

Pupils consider 12 candidates forthis title, including sites frommany different religions, and alsoStonehenge, Mount Snowdonetc. They visit two of them in halfyear groups (e.g. CoventryCathedral, Neasden,Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir).They present the findings of agroup enquiry into Britishreligion to the rest of the classand vote for their choices afteranalysing different manifestationsof religion and spirituality in theUK.

Rejecting evil, rememberingwisdom, seeking answers toconfusion

Stations of reflection and theIslamic Hajj. Pupils take turns todo three reflective activitiesdesigned from the experiences ofstoning the Shaytan, runningfrom Safa to Marwah andrecalling the last sermon of theProphet. The creation of a“Labyrinth” would help focusthinking. From these experiences,pupils move to a deeperexploration of the significance ofHajj as memory, search forwisdom and rejection of evil.

11-14s



AGEGROUP

SECTIO

NTW

O

37

LearningO

utsidethe

Classroom

inR

eligiousEducation

How do objects speak across thedecades?

Students visit the HolocaustExhibition at the Imperial WarMuseum. Through the day oftheir visit, they see hundreds ofobjects and select four that, forthem, express the anger, thesadness, the evil and the lessonsof the holocaust. They justifytheir choices in a debate back atschool.

Night sky: mysteries

For homework, pupils are askedto stand alone in the open air andlook into the sky on a dark clearnight for 5 minutes. In class, theycompare the experience of nightsky recorder from Abraham, theProphet Muhammad (pbuh),Immanuel Kant and themselves.They create a list poem ofquestions inspired by the nightsky.

14-16s



AGEGROUP

See further information at: www.lotc.org.uk and www.refuel.org.uk/sacred-space/

Applique of Jesus’ life created by Mary Garbutt and on display at Emmanuel Church, Northampton.

SECTIO

NTW

O

38

Religious

Educationand

ICT

Religious Education and ICT

Pupils should be given opportunities to applyand develop their ICT capability through theuse of ICT tools to support their learning in allsubjects, including Religious Education.This Agreed Syllabus encourages the use ofrelevant and appropriate ICT where it helps andsupports learning in Religious Education.Pupils could be given opportunities such as thefollowing to support their work in ReligiousEducation:

� Finding things out from a variety ofsources, selecting and synthesising theinformation to meet their needs anddeveloping an ability to question itsaccuracy, bias and plausibility;

� Making appropriate use of sources toinvestigate, analyse and evaluate differentaspects of religious life, ultimate questionsand ethical issues;

� Using e-mail or video conferencing tocommunicate and collaborate with othersin different locations, therefore allowingassociations to be made between religionsand individual, national and internationallife;

� Developing their ideas using ICT tools toamend and refine their work to enhance itsquality and accuracy;

� Exchanging and sharing informationthrough electronic media;

� Using interactive whiteboards, digitalcameras and other electronic equipment tobring authentic images from faithcommunities into the classroom;

� Using a range of multimedia tocommunicate personal learning responses;

� Using writing support and conceptmapping software to organise thoughts andexpress learning about the diversity ofbelief and practice within and betweenreligions;

� Reviewing, modifying and evaluating theirwork, reflecting critically on its quality, asit progresses.

The Support Materials which accompany theAgreed Syllabus include a list of key websitesthat teachers can use with confidence.

Reproduced with kind permission ofChrys Tremththanmor.

Reproduced with kind permission ofThe Evening Telegraph.

section two religious education and the bigger picture · that ‘every child matters’ through...

Documents