Religion & Worldviews
Vision for Religion & Worldviews at Longmoor
At Longmoor, we want our children to be prepared and equipped for life in a multi-cultural society, becoming effective learners, confident individuals and to fully take part in society as responsible citizens. We will ensure that children gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of contemporary British society and its individuals and know to treat others with respect, regardless of their beliefs or non-beliefs.
We aim to ensure that our Religion and Worldviews curriculum provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God and non-beliefs, the self and the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong, and what it means to be human. It will develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of Christianity, of other principal religions, other religious traditions and worldviews that offer answers to questions such as these.
Our curriculum will also contribute to pupils’ personal development and well-being and to community cohesion by promoting mutual respect and tolerance in a diverse society. Clear links to other parts of the school curriculum will be made, such as citizenship, personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE education), the humanities, education for sustainable development and others.
We seek to inspire curiosity through excellent teaching and learning opportunities, with knowledge-led, skills-based sequences of learning that offers multiple opportunities to revisit, relearn and rehearse as knowledge builds throughout their time at Longmoor. Our children will be able to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments and develop perspective and judgement. We will offer opportunities for personal reflection and spiritual development, deepening the understanding of the significance of religion in the lives of others – individually, communally and cross-culturally as well as the understanding of those who do not have a belief.
Our curriculum will help pupils to understand people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and the relationships between different groups. Opportunities for discovery mean that children can grasp the concept of ‘identity’ and the challenges that this brings for society today.
How have we designed our Religion & Worldviews curriculum?
Our curriculum has been carefully designed so that the children have the opportunity to learn about different religions as well as a humanist approach. The work has been carefully planned to offer the children many opportunities to be able to compare different beliefs and understand the similarities between beliefs.
Each unit and concept which is taught will, over time, ensure that the children have an understanding of this concept and will explore the concept through each of the main religions and then some other lesser-known religions also.
Concepts and threads are woven through each unit and build upon each other over time to secure and deepen knowledge.
For example, the celebrations, ceremonies and ritual strand flows through each year from EYFS to Year 6. The concepts are developed through a spiral curriculum, building ideas and understanding of the concepts gradually. As the children become older, their knowledge and understanding is deepened and their knowledge of the beliefs of different religions is broadened.
Plans have been carefully designed so that each strand develops gradually, using a spiral curriculum, revisiting and recalling information and building new knowledge onto secure concepts.
Concepts and threads include:
- Ceremonies, rituals and celebrations
- Religious texts
- Religious and non-religious practices
- Different worldviews
- Influences and beliefs
- Special places
- Expressing thoughts and beliefs
- Relationships
How do we teach Religion & Worldviews at Longmoor?
Lessons in Religion and Worldviews will always follow a specific structure.
The children will always begin their lessons with a review/recall section. This part of the lesson will recall specific vocabulary already taught as well as recall concepts from previous lessons, which may not just be the previous lesson. This is vital for the children to consolidate their learning and to ensure that information is retained in the long-term memory. Any misconceptions from the previous lesson or gaps in learning will be addressed.
The lesson will then progress to introducing the learning for the lesson using the presentation provided. This will always start with introducing the objectives for the lesson and will focus on the key vocabulary needed. Vocabulary definitions will be explicitly taught and referred to throughout the lesson. These words are then displayed and referred to regularly.
Staff are expected to use this presentation as a basis for their lesson, pausing the presentation at relevant sections to offer discussion and reflection, ensuring understanding and giving opportunities for the children to reflect.
Children will then demonstrate and expand their understanding through specific tasks given, through discussion and/or written tasks, through a mixture of individual and paired/group work.
Each lesson will end with a wrapping up section, to review the main learning from the lesson and if needed to prepare for the next stage of learning.
Staff will adhere to the sequence of learning within a lesson/unit/year group and across year groups, and this will not be amended, as the sequences are clearly and carefully planned to ensure progression of knowledge and skills.
What subject-specific adaptations are made in Religion & Worldviews?
Each lesson which is taught will have the expectation that the lesson is suitably adapted for all abilities. We are firmly committed to inclusive learning and believe that all children can be brought into the lesson, whatever the topic.
Staff will be expected to use the specific adaptations section of the planning documents. However, staff are also expected to take into account each of their individual learners and ensure that every child can access tasks provided and succeed in demonstrating their knowledge and understanding.
Lessons will be adapted using various strategies:
- Building language through oral and aural work. Partner work and more discussion-based time for children to explore their understanding will support some children who may struggle with grasping more difficult religious concepts.
- Pre-teaching of specific vocabulary and/or concepts to ensure that specific children are equipped for the lesson. Reinforcement and repetition of vocabulary for specific children and definitions broken down to more simplified explanations.
- Adaptations to tasks. Simplification of tasks and tasks broken down into smaller steps may help some children to process their understanding. The use of resources such as picture prompts to reinforce understanding of different religions and the use of video footage will help some children to consolidate some of the concepts taught.
- Scaffolding resources and vocabulary prompts will help children with any recorded work.
How is Religion & Worldviews assessed?
Assessment is always used to inform future practice. It is important that this takes place at the point of teaching and learning, enabling staff to address any misconceptions at that point and ensure understanding.
Assessment within the lesson may take a number of forms, such as quizzes, vocabulary match to definitions, reflection on previous tasks using pictures.
Other more forms of assessment will include:
- The main form of assessment will be ongoing throughout the lesson. Teachers will use directed questions and will encourage the children to demonstrate their understanding through thought-provoking questions. Teachers will check understanding so they can fill gaps and address misconceptions as required.
- Pupil conferencing with books: the subject leader and SLT talk to pupils about what they have learned – both disciplinary and procedural – and how this connects to the concepts that they have been developing in previous units and previous years.
- At the end of each unit there is a post-unit quiz to complete; these give teachers an understanding of the knowledge that pupils can recall and can be used to identify any remaining gaps to be filled.
- Pre-learning quizzes at the beginning of a unit. Discussion sessions will also be used so that staff can assess the understanding and knowledge of the children through their thinking and explanations to others.
- The use of ‘I wonder..’ style questions will also support the children in speculating and giving the ideas of each belief as well as their own thoughts and ideas around a concept.
Assessment will also take place more formally, through assessment of any recorded work, using the Teacher Tracker. Staff will identify children who may struggle within the lesson and will identify next steps for these children in order to secure and consolidate their understanding. There will also be the opportunity for staff to reflect on the knowledge of the children at the end of the unit.