Religious Education at Mount CofE Primary School

At Mount CofE Primary and Nursery School, we teach RE by meeting the requirements of the Nottinghamshire Agreed Syllabus, supported by further teaching from Understanding Christianity which is supplied by our Diocese. Our aim is to engage, encourage, inspire and challenge children, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to answer challenging questions.

Religious Education allows children to ask deep and meaningful questions about their own faith and beliefs, and the beliefs, faith and opinions of others. At Mount, we develop the children’s knowledge and understanding of the major world faiths and give them opportunities to reflect and develop their own spiritual knowledge and understanding. Religious Education is taught progressively throughout school, ensuring knowledge and skills are built upon. The teaching of Religious Education makes links with other curriculum areas, particularly PSHE and embeds the Mount School and British Values which enables children to participate positively within an ever-changing society and world.

We aim to achieve this by teaching knowledge and skills through high-quality sequences of lessons, which are designed to help children:

• Explore and discover a range of religions and worldviews through stories and varied experiences.
• Articulate their beliefs and views on religion and its influence on individuals and communities whilst respecting others.
• Investigate sources of wisdom or authority and make connections.

The Mount CofE Primary School approach to RE

Please find below an overview of Religious Education at our School. The document includes:

• Our Long-Term Curriculum overview to ensure complete coverage of the Nottinghamshire County Syllabus for Religious Education and the Understanding Christianity Scheme through our Diocese.
• The Nottinghamshire County Syllabus and it's content.
• Our school assessment targets relating to the study of RE for each year group.
• Our acknowledgement to the importance of Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) teachings within all areas of the curriculum and our system for recording this within school.
• The assessment progression for each Key Stage within the Understanding Christianity framework.

Nottinghamshire Agreed Syllabus 2021-2026 - 'RE for All'

The Agreed syllabus for RE outlines what is necessary to be taught in schools across Nottinghamshire, giving teachers the relevant guidance and pedagogical knowledge to deliver RE effectively. As of November 2020, teachers across the county are being provided training in the new agreed syllabus for implementation within schools starting January 2021. The new syllabus coincides directly with the National Curriculum and structures the lesson and teaching accordingly for a progressive approach to RE. Mount CofE Primary School follow the agreed syllabus and shall be revising our timetable of learning to adhere to the changes to content and teaching as of January 2021, in accordance with its launch.

Understanding Christianity

At Mount CofE Primary School we also use an external resource known as Understanding Christianity. This programme of study, sourced and provided by the Church of England, is used to help all teachers support pupils in developing their own thinking and their understanding of Christianity, as a contribution to their understanding of the world and their own experience within it. We aim to see pupils leave school with a coherent understanding of Christian belief and practice as they explore the significant theological concepts within Christianity as part of developing their wider religious, theological and cultural literacy. This programme is taught alongside the Nottinghamshire agreed Syllabus and timetabled over a two year cycle to ensure coverage of both.