Religious Education
“We may have different religions, different languages, different coloured skin, but we all belong to one human race.” Kofi Annan
At Oatlands, Religious Education explores the meaning and significance of the many beliefs and practices of world faiths. It encourages us to ask big questions and carry out enquiries, exploring key religious beliefs and values. Religious Education develops a respect for cultural and religious difference and diversity, which in turn enables us to contribute positively to an inclusive and happy society.
We welcome our families to talk about their faith.
At the beginning of each half term we send out a curriculum newsletter. This gives our families details about the content of our Religious Education curriculum. We welcome our community in to talk about their faith and experiences. This has included a whole school Diwali assembly. We have also had Sikh and Islam talks about what it means to belong to a faith community. One parent came to share their experiences of Luna New year. These experiences are so valuable for our children, as they bring faiths to life!
We have close links with St Marks Church!
We have forged good links with St Marks Church. In the autumn term Reception visit St Marks to celebrate the Harvest Festival. We have our KS1 Christmas carol sing-a-long there and Liz comes in to deliver assemblies. When finding out what it means to belong to the Christian faith Liz comes in to talk to the children. To support our learning of what it means to belong to a faith community, year one visit St Marks to act out a traditional infant baptism.
Our Curriculum Intent
Religious education enables children to investigate and reflect on some of the most fundamental questions asked by people. At Oatlands Infant School we start to develop the children’s knowledge and understanding of the major world faiths. We enable children to develop a sound knowledge not only of Christianity but also of other world religions, especially those that are the main faiths of children within our school. Children reflect on what it means to have a faith and to develop their own spiritual knowledge and understanding. We help the children learn from religions as well as about religions. Our aim is for children to leave our school confident to explore, identify and express their own opinions. British values our embedded in all areas of our curriculum at Oatlands Infant School. We therefore seek to promote respect and tolerance by giving the children opportunities to discuss and debate ‘big questions’.
We ensure that the topics studied in religious education build upon prior learning. We offer opportunities for children of all abilities to develop their skills and knowledge in each unit, and we ensure that the planned progression built into the scheme of work offers the children an increasing challenge as they move through the school.