Curriculum Intent for Religious Education
Southwick Community Primary School
At Southwick Community Primary School, we recognise the vital role Religious Education plays in enabling pupils to understand the diverse world in which they live. Our RE curriculum is ambitious, coherently planned and knowledge-rich, ensuring that all pupils develop secure and progressively deeper understanding of a range of religious and non-religious worldviews.
We deliver RE through the Twinkl RE scheme, which is underpinned by a spiral curriculum model. This approach ensures that key concepts such as belief, identity, belonging, meaning and values are revisited systematically over time. As pupils move through the school, they build on prior learning, deepen their understanding and make increasingly sophisticated connections. This careful sequencing supports long-term retention and enables all pupils to succeed.
Our curriculum reflects the principal aim of Religious Education, which is to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live. Through this, pupils gain the knowledge, understanding and disciplinary skills needed to engage critically with questions of religion and belief, while also reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living.
The RE curriculum has been designed to develop both substantive knowledge and disciplinary understanding. Pupils gain secure knowledge of key beliefs, practices and sources of authority across a range of religions and worldviews. They learn how these are interpreted and expressed in different ways within communities and contexts, and how beliefs influence the lives of individuals and societies. Alongside this, pupils develop the ability to think critically, ask meaningful questions, interpret information and evaluate different perspectives using appropriate subject-specific vocabulary.
Religious Education at Southwick Community Primary School promotes respectful and informed dialogue. Pupils are supported to express their own ideas clearly and thoughtfully, while demonstrating respect for the beliefs and perspectives of others. This contributes significantly to their personal development and prepares them to participate positively in life in modern Britain.
Curriculum Impact
As a result of our RE curriculum, pupils develop a secure body of knowledge about a range of religions and worldviews and are able to recall and apply this knowledge with increasing confidence. They make meaningful connections between beliefs, practices and lived experiences, and use subject-specific vocabulary accurately. Pupils become increasingly confident in asking perceptive questions and engaging in reasoned discussion. They demonstrate respect, tolerance and understanding of diversity, and are able to reflect thoughtfully on their own beliefs, values and experiences.
RE in the Early Years Foundation Stage
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, Religious Education is delivered through the Twinkl RE scheme, ensuring clear progression within our spiral curriculum. Learning is carefully structured to introduce foundational concepts that pupils will revisit and build upon as they move through the school.
RE in the early years contributes particularly to Personal, Social and Emotional Development and Understanding the World. Through well-planned experiences and purposeful adult interaction, children begin to develop a positive sense of themselves and others. They learn to form respectful relationships and begin to recognise similarities and differences within their community.
Children encounter a range of religious and non-religious worldviews through exploration of special people, stories, books, times, places and objects. They are encouraged to ask questions, share their own experiences and develop curiosity about the world around them. These early experiences provide a strong foundation for future learning and ensure that children are well prepared to engage with more complex concepts as they progress through the RE curriculum.
Assessment in RE
Assessment in Religious Education is ongoing and purposeful. Teachers use discussion, questioning, reflection, written work and creative activities to assess pupils’ understanding and progress throughout each unit of learning. Children are encouraged to share their ideas thoughtfully, use religious vocabulary accurately and make links between beliefs, values and everyday life.
Assessment in RE focuses on pupils’ ability to:
- Recall and explain key beliefs and teachings
- Describe religious practices, celebrations and traditions
- Use appropriate religious vocabulary confidently
- Reflect on moral, spiritual and philosophical questions
- Show understanding, empathy and respect towards different viewpoints
- Make connections between faith, values and lived experiences
Assessment outcomes are used to inform future planning, ensure progression across year groups and support all pupils in developing a deeper understanding of religion and worldviews.
British Values in RE
Religious Education plays an important role in promoting the fundamental British Values of:
- Democracy
- The Rule of Law
- Individual Liberty
- Mutual Respect
- Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
Through learning about a range of religions, beliefs and worldviews, pupils develop respect, empathy and understanding for others within our diverse society. RE provides opportunities for children to discuss different viewpoints respectfully, reflect on moral issues and appreciate the richness of different cultures and traditions.
Children are encouraged to:
- Listen respectfully to the opinions and beliefs of others
- Celebrate diversity within school and the wider community
- Explore fairness, justice and responsibility
- Develop confidence in expressing their own views thoughtfully
- Understand the importance of living together peacefully in modern Britain
These experiences help prepare pupils to become respectful, informed and responsible citizens who contribute positively to their communities.
