Religious Education at Hunsley Primary

Hunsley Primary, as a Free School, is non-denominational. We recognise and celebrate that our children have a range of beliefs, cultural backgrounds and faiths, and we make this a key aspect of our learning, enabling all children to understand diversity and tolerance of others’ views and ways of life.

As a Free School, Hunsley Primary is also able to set its own curriculum; however, for Religious Education, we follow the locally agreed syllabus, which offers a broad and balanced approach to teaching and learning about other cultures, religions, beliefs and ideas. This curriculum has been devised and revised in 2016 by the Humber Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education.

Children work towards End of Key Stage Milestones as with all other subjects and are assessed against these. The three key Areas of Understanding in the curriculum are as follows:

  • Beliefs and Practices
  • Identity and Values
  • Meaning and Purpose

All content in these areas is statutory. Each Area of Understanding has two Attainment Targets:

  • AT1 Knowledge and Understanding or Learning about religion
  • AT2 Reflection and Response or Learning from religion

In Key Stage 1 and 2, children should spend at least 36 hours per year engaged in Religious Education studies. In the Early Years setting of Reception and in Year 1, this also involves Find Out days and weeks investigating festivals and beliefs from a range of cultures, from Harvest, Christmas, Lent and Easter to Hanukah, Diwali, Eid, Ramadan, and Chinese New Year. The children from visiting guests, including local Christian clergy, members of the local community, parents and older students to share their celebrations and find out more about a range of cultures and traditions. They visit the local Parish Church in Welton at Easter and Christmas.

Parents can request that their child is removed from any event, activity or discussion at any point, should they wish for their child not to be included in accordance with our policy.

Through assemblies, Talk Time, reading and discussion, as well as creative and physical activities, such as singing, drama, outdoor learning, art and written work, the children are encouraged to investigate, think, ask questions and reflect – the most important skills associated with learning about a range of cultures. The study of Religious Education is reflective and investigative. Enquiry is at the heart of learning. Where RE is most effective, the school has a well-defined and systematic approach to using enquiry in RE, which we think is very important in all aspects of learning at Hunsley Primary. We actively teach the children to be reflective and aware of how they learn and the connections they make to build up their knowledge.

Effective enquiry in RE

  • is not age-limited – examples of effective enquiry were found at all ages
  • involves sustained learning – pupils set up the enquiry, carry it out, evaluate their learning and revisit the questions
  • starts by engaging pupils in their learning – making sure they can see the relevance and importance of the enquiry and how it relates to their own concerns
  • allows pupils time to gather information and draw conclusions before asking them to reflect on or apply their learning – the focus on ‘learning from’ will probably come late in the process as they ask the key question – so what?
  • enables pupils to reconsider their initial thinking and extend their enquiry as they begin to see new levels of possibility – if pupils have identified key questions at the outset, they might want to reconsider these questions, add more, or re-prioritise their importance
  • allows pupils to use their creativity and imagination – ensuring that experiential learning and opportunities to foster spiritual development are built into the process of enquiry
Contact Us
Louise Hitchin - School Administrator
Hunsley Primary
Bluebird Way
Brough
HU15 1XB

Telephone: 01482 330883
enquiries@hunsleyprimary.org.uk
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