Religious Education
Religious Education
Through the teaching of Religious Education, we hope all our children are educated to develop spiritually, emotionally, educationally and morally. This will enable them to understand themselves and others, and to cope with the opportunities, challenges and responsibilities of living in such a diverse world.
Our vision
At Morningside, we believe that an understanding of the world’s major religions helps our children to understand the world in which they live. We believe that through understanding religious practices and beliefs, we can promote our values of tolerance and respect of difference.
We are fortunate to have a multi-faith community at our school. Our RE curriculum is designed to explore a range of faiths to gain a deep understanding of religion and how it shapes people’s lives. Through exploring religious stories and rituals, we develop our children’s insight into how others see the world and the religious values which may underpin their daily lives. By exploring similarities and differences, we also highlight connections and commonalities which unite us as well as differences which enrich our community.
Religious education at Morningside Primary School is taught to enrich the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all pupils, whether or not they are from a religious tradition. Thus, it is not designed to urge a particular religion or belief. Through our teaching of RE, we strive to encourage our children to become open-minded, curious and respectful citizens who understand and value the beliefs of others.
SACRE
Our Religious education provision meets the needs of Hackney pupils who are members of local, national and global communities. We follow the Hackney schemes of work, which is the Hackney framework written by members of SACRE (Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education) and the Agreed Syllabus Conference, who represent teachers’ associations, religion and belief communities and the Local Authority.
Religious Education develops pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the principal religions, other religious traditions and other world views including British Values. It offers opportunities for personal reflection and spiritual development, enhancing awareness and understanding of religions and beliefs, teachings, communities and cultures. Religious Education encourages pupils to learn from different religions, beliefs, values and traditions while exploring own beliefs. It has an important role in preparing pupils for adult life, enabling pupils to develop respect for and sensitivity to others, in particular those whose faiths and beliefs are different from their own.
‘’The members of Hackney SACRE seek to ensure that all pupils in our schools are educated to develop spiritually, academically, emotionally and morally in a way that enables them to understand themselves and others to cope with the opportunities, challenges and responsibilities of living in a rapidly changing, multicultural world’’.
How we plan for and teach RE
Children at Morningside have weekly RE lessons, through which their understanding of religious beliefs and practices builds over time. Following Hackney’s SACRE scheme of work, lessons involve exploration of religious narratives, the study of rituals and practices and the key tenets and symbols of each faith. Significant objects are studied to bring lessons to life and familiarise the children with things that have particular importance in different faiths.
Our children are encouraged to share their knowledge about their own religions and how they practice them in a safe, respectful environment. Members of our wider community, representing a range of faiths, are invited into our classrooms to share their religious customs and answer questions our children may have. Through visits to places of worship, our children learn about the significance of the places where religious communities gather to practise their faith.
Five threads run through our curriculum supporting children to make connections between the units and religions they study.
Our school assemblies reflect the diverse community in which we live in and celebrate a wide range of festivals from the six major religions.
How we evaluate learning in RE
The impact of our RE curriculum can be found in children’s written work and the quality of discussions that they have. Children demonstrate their growing knowledge and understanding of religions in a range of carefully designed tasks. Over time, children demonstrate their deepening understanding of individual faiths by making connections within a faith, as well as showing their growing understanding of the discipline of RE by making links across different religions.