Religious Education (RE) Curriculum
At Blakesley Hall Primary School, we follow the Birmingham Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education.
The Birmingham approach is designed to be inclusive for all children across our super-diverse city enabling each one to be respected and understood.
The intent of Birmingham’s character-driven approach is to encourage the development of 24 dispositions, or values. The dispositions were created by conference members and have been agreed unanimously. The dispositions derive from a number of sources including the Cardinal Virtues from the Classical tradition, Theological Virtues and Religious Practice. They are equally applicable to, and inclusive of, the religious, those who have an established non-religious world view and those classing themselves as ‘nones’.
Throughout the Key Stages, pupils explore Christianity in the main and also Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism as well as non-religious belief systems such as Humanism.
They learn about different beliefs about God and the world around them. They encounter and respond to a range of stories, artefacts, visitors and experiences. They begin to understand the importance and value of religion and belief, especially for other children and their families. Pupils ask relevant questions and develop a sense of wonder about the world, using their imaginations. They talk about what is important to them and to others, valuing themselves, reflecting on their own feelings and experiences and developing a sense of belonging.
Pupils’ appreciation of the dispositions is enriched through explicit reference to religious and non-religious traditions. In this way, pupils will encounter a variety of narratives.
Pupils will be encouraged and challenged to reflect. evaluate, and think critically about what they have learned. (Learning to Discern) This will involve reflective and interpretative skills, as well as the ability for pupils to examine themselves in the light of the information encountered. By exploring issues within and across faith and non-faith groups, pupils learn to understand and respect different religions, beliefs, values and traditions and their influence on individuals, societies, communities and cultures.