‘Differences were meant not to divide but to enrich’ J.H Oldham
Welcome to R.E at Huntingdon Academy, our subject leader is Lucy Cousins and lead governor is Roz Murphy. We have 6 subject embassadors, Ivan,Bastian, Shahd, Luqman, Shko and Aakarsha.
 |  |
| Roz Murphy | Lucy Cousins |
Subject Overview
Huntingdon Academy is a diverse school with a wealth of religious backgrounds. It is therefore our duty to help children acquire a secure understanding of different religions, enabling them to make informed opinions and judgments. Our focused outcome is for children to leave Huntingdon with the skills to become tolerant members of society. By teaching RE in a structured and safe environment we will enable the children to explore religion in a cross curricular way developing their understanding using a broad and balanced approach.
It is our intent that children are given a balanced knowledge that is built upon over their academic journey. By giving children the opportunity to learn key stories, symbols and beliefs we aim to build children’s knowledge and understanding allowing them the ability to explore RE. We will give children a variety of meaningful experiences linked closely to their local community allowing them to develop real life experiences to apply their knowledge too.
We aim to teach the skills needed to express and communicate ideas by giving children safe environments to share ideas and questions. We aim to teach children the skill to identify similarities and differences and use these to evidence opinions and support discussions.
By the end of key stage 2 we aim for children to possess the ability to gain and deploy skills. We aim that children will be able to clearly express their own ideas with a wealth of knowledge to draw upon. They will be able to engage in discussions applying their ideas and develop the ability to see both sides to an argument.
curriculum links
Planning
Huntingdon Academy follows the Discovery for RE scheme which we have adapted to suit the needs of our school.
Pedagogy
RE will be taught each half term, our approach will be enquiry led compromising of around 6 lessons for each enquiry. The Enquiry will follow a 5-step structure based on a key question. Lessons will be 45 minutes long. RE will be closely linked with other areas such as SMCS, British Values and PHSE. RE will be oracy rich providing the children with the correct vocabulary and opportunity to talk. Children will be able to access a range of resources to enrich their learning and the opportunity to talk with members of different faiths including one school trip per year.
The five-step structure for a good RE lesson will compromise of the following:
Step 1 (1 lesson)
Engagement: The human experience underpinning the key question is explored here within the children’s own experience, whether that includes religion or not e.g., a human experience underpinning the question. Their personal resonance with this underpinning human experience acts as the BRIDGE into the world of religion
Step 2 (3 lessons)
Investigation: The teacher guides the children through the enquiry, children gaining subject knowledge carefully selected to assist their thinking about the key question. Some of the enquiries have a lot of relevant content so teachers do need to be selective and not try to cover too much. Depth is more important. The acquisition of the factual information about the religion /belief system being studied is important, but not as an end in itself.
Step 3 (1 lesson)
Comparison: The teacher will give children the opportunity to compare the focus religion and key question with at least one other religion. Recalling and building on previous knowledge and highlighting the similarities and differences between different religions.
Step 4 (1 lesson)
Evaluation: This lesson draws together the children’s learning and their conclusions about the key
question of that enquiry. This is an assessment task which the teacher can assess by using the age-related expectation descriptors at the end of each enquiry.
Step 5 (1 lesson)
Expression: Children are taken back to Step 1, their own experience, to reflect on how this enquiry might have influenced their own starting points and beliefs.