Religious education is not part of the national curriculum and yet by law schools must teach it as part of a broad and balanced curriculum. That leads to the question, where do you get your RE curriculum from? As Adam Smith explains in Primary Huh, the answer is confusing.
‘At primary level, some schools use a locally agreed syllabus; academies must follow or create a curriculum of equivalent breadth and depth to locally agreed syllabuses. And then faith schools have their own syllabuses. It is a confusing picture.
There are some who say that RE is irrelevant, that religion is a declining force. However, globally, religion is growing. If we want our pupils to exist in a global world, they need to understand the billions of people who are professed members of a faith.
‘Pupils need to understand the culture and society in which they live. RE helps them understand the world. Religion has left a deep mark on our culture, particularly Christianity in the UK. Art, history, architecture, politics are imbued with religious language and ideas.
‘Society, culture, literature: they are all influenced by religion. It’s fascinating to see how belief influences people's actions, how religious art and religious buildings reflect belief. It builds a rich schema connecting art, scripture, belief, practice, community.
‘RE is discussion-rich, and pupils love to discuss why people make choices, influenced by faith? Why do some people choose to live in poverty and give up personal property? Why do some people devote their lives to looking after a Hindu temple? These are fascinating, anti-societal impulses.
‘I think a lot about what I want pupils to know, understand and be able to do by the end of Year 6. It’s interesting to divide religious education knowledge into substantive and disciplinary elements. You want pupils to know what the Trinity is, to be familiar with the Lord’s Prayer or the Five Pillars of Islam or the festivals of Judaism. There are just things that are classic, bog-standard RE, the same in 1945 as today, the real meat and potatoes of substantive knowledge.
‘There’s also a whole other world of substantive knowledge that comes when you start to look at RE through disciplinary lenses. For example, there is the sociological lens through which to view things. I think it’s very important that the pupils in my school have an understanding of religion in London and of the communities in London, of the festivals and the way that religion paints itself on the city, the way that religion is there historically.
‘Layer upon layer of religion in their community, there are synagogues and mosques and gurdwaras, and churches and temples and cathedrals all within spitting distance of our school. To be honest, the UK is such a beautifully rich country that there are places of worship near almost every school.
The heart of RE is where pupils can have more than a surface level discussion: if they can understand the motivations, even if they don’t agree with them. They don’t have to want that for themselves, but they can interrogate it and find interest and questions there.
‘RE explores themes of poverty, sacrifice, redemption, prayer, practice, of sin. Pupils learn about festivals, stories, practices, buildings, and symbols. We also include believers’ lives and learn how their belief influences their lives.
You can watch the full conversation with Adam on Myatt & Co. (£/free trial)
Until next time
Mary
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