At Langdale CE Primary School, RE expresses and strengthens our school vision and values that are at the heart of what we aim to do in every aspect of school life that offers flourishing for all. The importance placed on the development of the whole child spiritually, morally, socially, culturally (SMSC) and intellectually is reflected in the RE curriculum.

RE is a vibrant and exciting subject to teach. At Langdale School we follow the Cumbria Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education. RE is a multi-disciplinary subject. Learning across the RE curriculum is rooted in three disciplines; Theology, Philosophy and Human/Social Science. Because of this, pupils learn to make sense of the religions and world views that surround them as things that are not fixed but living, dynamic and evolving in people’s lives throughout the world. In order that pupils can become religiously literate, we need an approach in RE that balances disciplines. This will effectively prepare pupils for their studies through our school and beyond. We have used the syllabus to create our own 3 year RE rolling curriculum that covers each of these disciplines. This is enriched with the use of the Understanding Christianity resource.

Children in EYFS and KS1 will:

• Develop an in-depth understanding of Christianity via the Understanding Christianity units and Key Questions.
• Develop an understanding of the beliefs and practices of at least one other religion or worldview (Islam/ Buddhism).
• Develop an understanding of the beliefs and practices of at least one other ‘non-Abrahamic’ traditions (Buddhism/ multi-faith units).
• Develop an understanding of the connections between Abrahamic religions (via multi-faith units)
• Connect learning to their local context, utilising visits and religious voices where possible.

Children in KS2 will:

• Develop an in-depth understanding of Christianity via the Understanding Christianity units and Key Questions.
• Develop an understanding of the beliefs and practices of 2 other principal world religions or worldviews (Islam/ Buddhism).
• Encounter at least one other religion or worldview (via multi-faith and Humanist units).
• Develop an understanding of the beliefs and practices of Dharmic traditions.
• Develop an understanding of the connections between Abrahamic religions.
•  Connect learning to their local context, utilising visits and religious voices where possible.

All children at our school will have at least 1 hour of RE per week across the school year. This is supplemented by faith visits, visitors into school and enrichment days to celebrate holy events or festivals. A range of visitors support the teaching of RE, and whenever possible, there will be planned visits to places of worship and other places of interest in line with our school’s commitment to Learning Beyond the Classroom. Over the past academic year this has included trips to the Buddhist temple and multiple faith visitors, including representatives from Islamic faith and Humanist worldview. We also have strong relationship with the local church community, welcoming members of the local clergy in to support RE teaching wherever possible. Recently, this has included a baptism celebration for one of Oak Class’ dolls!

RE Highlights

Our wonderful visit from Bishop Rob

We were blessed with a visit from Bishop Rob at the start of this year. He held a wonderful collective worship for Reception to Year 6 children and brought along some of his favourite items! The children had great fun trying out his crook and miter before showcasing their Autumn Days song and putting a wealth of thought-provoking questions to him. The wonderful sunshine provided the perfect opportunity to showcase our woodlands, meadow and grounds as we considered how fortunate we are to live and learn in such a naturally beautiful environment.

We made the most of the sunshine by developing our learning about Holy Week through the creation of class Easter gardens. Normally we would mark Easter with a service at Holy Trinity church.

Hanukkah Morning

In December, the children all enjoyed a morning learning about the Jewish festival of light - Hanukkah. Oak Class had made a Menorah and we lit it during our morning Worship. The children learned why Hanukkah is celebrated by listening to the story of the Miracle of the Oil in the Temple. They heard how Hanukkah is celebrated today by watching a short film about some British Jewish children. They learned about Judaism and the Star of David symbol associated with it before making their own Star of David sun catcher. The most popular part of the day was definitely the dreidel game. The children learned the meaning of the Hebrew symbols and how it helps Jewish children remember the story of Hanukkah.

Buddhism and Temple Trip

This half term we have been learning about Buddhism. We have been reading about their beliefs and have enjoyed watching videos of Buddhists talking about their faith. We have enjoyed hearing the story of Buddha and his teachings. We have compared the Buddhist precepts to the Christian Ten Commandments. Meditation is a really important part of the Buddhist faith and we have tried to practise it in school. After learning about Lung-ta (Tibetan Prayer flags) and Buddhist symbols and mantras, we made our own prayer flags and will hang them from the hill in our wood.

The culmination of our learning was a trip to the Buddhist temple near Ulverston. Before we went we learned how to behave in a Buddhist Temple and wrote a set of rules to follow so we could show respect when we got there. The whole school went on the trip. It was great to be able to share our learning with each other. The first thing we saw was a huge statue of Buddha Maitreya. We learned about the meaning of his gestures and symbols. We looked out for symbols we recognised such as the Wheel of Life. Next, we walked around to the temple. It was amazing to see it covered in golden decorations. Inside we took off our shoes and sat on cushions for a short meditation. Everyone sat still and quiet and enjoyed the peace. Our guide told us all about the statues, shrines and offerings. It was a wonderful opportunity to extend our learning from the classroom.