Header Image
Durham Lane Logo

Religious Education Intent Statement

Religious Education Subject Leader: Mrs Guest

Durham Lane Primary School

Religious Education

Intent: What we aim for our children to achieve through our RE curriculum.

At Durham Lane Primary School, we believe that it is vital for all our pupils to learn from and about religion so that they can understand the world around them. Through Religious Education, pupils develop their knowledge of the world faiths and the connections between them. It develops their understanding and awareness of the beliefs, values and traditions of other individuals, societies, communities and cultures.

Our curriculum ensures opportunities for children to develop positive attitudes and values, to ask questions about the world and to reflect on and relate their learning in RE to their own experiences. It enables pupils to develop respect for, and sensitivity to, others, in particular those whose faith and beliefs are different to their own. The intent is to make sure that children understand the relevance of RE in today’s modern world and how it affects our lives.

At Durham Lane, we aim to maximise the opportunities for every child so that they know more, remember more and understand more about Religious Education.

Implementation: How we will achieve our aims.

At Durham Lane, RE is taught in accordance with the Stockton Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education which was renewed in 2019. The content of the curriculum reflects the fact that religious traditions in Great Britain and in Eaglescliffe are in the main Christian, while taking account of the teaching and practices of other principal religions. Our lessons are high quality, coherent, progressive and make cross-curricular links.

An outline of RE units taught across Early Years, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

TermAutumnSpringSummer
Early YearsBelonging: Learning about others through stories. Festivals/Beliefs and Practices: Christmas Symbols: Tree and CrossBelonging: The Muslim family. Festivals/Beliefs and Practices: The new life symbols of EasterFestivals/Beliefs and Practices: Fasting at Ramadan and the festival of Eid ul Fitr Christianity – Disciples Jesus and his friends
Year 1Belonging: How is someone welcomed  into Christianity? Festivals/Beliefs and Practices: Why do Christians give gifts at Christmas?Belonging: Belonging to the Muslim family. Festivals/Beliefs and Practices: What do Christians remember at Easter?Founders and Leaders: A man called Muhammad. Belonging: Belonging to the Sikh family.
Year 2Sacred Texts: Why  is the Qur’an a sacred book? Festivals/Beliefs and Practices: Why do Christians celebrate at Christmas?Sacred Texts The Torah: God’s law for the Jews. Festivals/Beliefs and Practices: Why do Christians remember the Last Supper? What did Jesus leave behind? Sacred Texts The Guru Granth Sahib: a living guru. Founders and Leaders  Guru Nanak: an extraordinary life. 
Year 3Sacred Texts: Why did monks copy the Gospels by hand? Festivals/Beliefs and Practices: Why is Christmas a winter festival?Places of Worship: What is a mosque for? Festivals/Beliefs and Practices: Why is Easter a Spring festival?Beliefs and Practices Believing  and belonging in Judaism Festivals: What is Eid?
Year 4Festivals/Beliefs and Practices: Diwali: The festival of Light. Festivals/Beliefs and Practices: What is the “Big Story” of Christmas?Festivals/Beliefs and Practices: Do all Buddhists believe and celebrate the same thing? Festivals/Beliefs and Practices: What actually happened at Easter?Beliefs and Practices: Muslims in Britain and around the world.
Year 5Places of Worship: The Gurdwara. Festivals/Beliefs and Practices: Is Christmas too commercial?Beliefs and Practices: Food and drink: what are religious rules for? Festivals/Beliefs and Practices: Who is responsible for Jesus’ death?Worship in the Home: What is worship and what is it for?
Year 6Rites of Passage: From life to death, what role does religion play? Festivals/Beliefs and Practices: Why are the Gospel accounts different?Expressions of faith through Art: Is faith always the same? What does art tell us? Festivals/Beliefs and Practices: Why is Jesus’ death seen as a victory? 

The key religious concepts, knowledge and vocabulary are revisited and developed throughout school. We encourage children to question each other, think critically and discuss their knowledge during and after topics have been taught. This allows children to review their prior knowledge, make sure it is secure and build upon it.  

Our progression of skills in RE starts in People and Communities in the Early Years and ends in Upper Key Stage 2. It progresses through the following areas of skill:

  • Thinking About Religion and Belief
  • Enquiring, Investigating and Interpreting
  • Beliefs and Teaching (what people believe)
  • Practices and Ways of Life (what people do)
  • Expression and Language (how people express themselves)
  • Identity and Belonging (making sense of who we are)
  • Meaning and Purpose (making sense of life)
  • Values and Commitment (making sense of right and wrong)

Our Religious Education curriculum is enhanced further with visits to places of worship in our local area, visits from specialist speakers and parents and religious assemblies.

Impact: How we will know we have achieved our aims.

The RE curriculum will promote inquisitive minds, respect, tolerance and understanding. Our lessons enable high quality work to be produced and evidenced, showcasing a deep understanding of the main religions of the world and their community.  This evidence will be seen through using the correct vocabulary, explanations and respectful opinions in class discussions, evidence seen in books as well as cross-curricular evidence such as religious and cultural art work, drama, craft and presentations. Our teaching enables children to extend their own sense of value and promotes their spiritual growth and development.

RE in Early Years Foundation Stage

RE in Key Stage One

RE in Key Stage Two

Privacy Policy

We regard your privacy as important and any personal information you give to us will be used in accordance with the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulations.

We do not store personal information about individuals who visit this site except where they provide contact information via our contact us page and contact forms available on various pages throughout the website.

Any information you provide will only be used for the reasons specified and it will not be shared with any third party without your consent, unless required by law.

Your contact details are kept securely and are only accessed by authorised members of staff as part of the provision of school services. If you do not wish us to keep this contact information please tell us.

This website uses Google Analytics which provides statistical data about the usage of the site. This information is not used to identify individuals, but is collected to provide us with an understanding of the areas of interest on our site and how our site is being used.

If you are connected to the internet you will have an IP Address. This may take the form of a figure, such as 333.333.22.1. The address will be automatically collected and logged as part of the connection of your computer to our web server and may be used to determine the total number of visits to each part of the site. This data is not collected and used for other purposes.

This website contains links to other websites. The School is not responsible for the privacy practices of other sites or organisations and recommends you consult the privacy information on those sites.

This policy will be reviewed and updated versions will be posted on the website.

If you have any questions about the use of your personal information, the Information Commissioner is the independent regulator for both Data Protection and Freedom of Information.

Browser Notifications.

Our site implements browser notifications so that you can receive updates direct to this browser, we aim to send only important information on this method such as event updates or school wide issues.

For more information please click here to find out more.