Religious Education

Religious Education (R.E.) at St Paulinus CE School  is underpinned by our school vision of 'having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them' (Romans: 12,6). 

 R.E. is regarded as a Core subject at St Paulinus, alongside English, Maths and Science and is delivered as part of a weekly lesson scheduled into the timetable. To support our R.E. teaching, we follow the Understanding Christianity scheme of work, a widely praised program which is essentially theology for primary aged children.  Lessons are carefully planned and sequenced to ensure progression of skills and our children in KS1 and KS2 have a separate R.E book to record all their learning and assessments. 

Each Understanding Christianity unit incorporates the three elements:

Making sense of the text – Developing skills of reading and interpretation; understanding how Christians interpret, handle and use Biblical texts; making sense of the meanings of texts for Christians

Understanding the impact – Examining ways in which Christians respond to Biblical texts and teachings, and how they put their beliefs into action in diverse ways within the Christian community and in the world

Making connections – Evaluating, reflecting on and connecting the texts and concepts studied, and discerning possible connections between these and pupils own lives and ways of understanding the world.

Children at St Paulinus make progress in their R.E. learning through high levels of engagement and enjoyment. We use a range of techniques to evaluate the pupil’s knowledge and understanding of religions and beliefs.

  • Discussions and children’s contributions
  • Accurate use of religious vocabulary
  • Half termly assessment tasks

Whole school monitoring of R.E. takes the form of:

  • Book looks
  • Planning scrutiny
  • Analysing half termly assessment
  • Pupil voice
  • Learning walks 
  • CPD

Five of the principal religions in Britain are taught by the end of KS2: Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and Judaism, with the greater emphasis and time allocation on Christianity. Our curriculum is fully inclusive and aspirational for all, including SEND.

As part of our R.E. curriculum, each pupil will feel valued as an individual and their beliefs respected. In addition to this, children will develop respect for and sensitivity to others with different faiths and beliefs. This will enable all children to 'NURTURE' their gifts within their communities and prepare them for our diverse world.