R.E.

R.E Curriculum Implementation

At Stillness, RE lessons are taught on a weekly basis and is sometimes delivered through a class topic. Teachers may develop their own key questions linked to the themes in the syllabus, allowing links with other subject areas where appropriate.

At Stillness, RE lessons are linked to our Values based learning, which can take place in the classrooms and during the collective worship and school assemblies over the course of the whole year.

Lessons are planned and delivered in a variety of ways, ensuring that all children can access and participate in lessons. Interactive, practical activities e.g. making Divas for Diwali, enacting the Nativity, making pancakes at the start of Lent. We encourage the children to discuss their ideas and extend their understanding of difficult concepts and challenging questions. This may sometimes be huge Hall displays e.g. Harvest, Christmas, Diwali, Easter etc.

We also invite our local Imams, the deacons, priests, pujaris and vicars to enlighten the children and give them an insight into the different faiths. At Stillness we like to involve and encourage our parents, to come and share with the children, from their own perspective their faith, customs, traditions and beliefs when celebrating festivals.

At Stillness we also visit local places of worship e.g. the Hindu temple, and the churches.

Legal requirements for Religious Education:

Religious Education is a statutory subject of the curriculum for all pupils in each year group and ‘should be provided for all registered pupils except those withdrawn at the request of their parents.’ (s 71 SSFA 1998)

The syllabus reflects the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian, while taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain.’ (s375 (3) Education Act 1996)

Parents have the right to request that their son or daughter be excused from all or part of the RE provided at school.

R.E Curriculum Intent

Religious education at Stillness encourages pupils to consider and evaluate the issues of belief, faith, ethics and traditions, as we teach and try to live up to these values through our school Values, in particular the values of kindness, equality, empathy and respect.

At Stillness Infants school, we follow the Lewisham Agreed RE Syllabus. We teach pupils different religions, focusing on Christianity, Hinduism and Islam.

We learn the beliefs, values and traditions of Christianity, Hinduism and Islam, while also allowing children to explore their own diverse religious beliefs. We look for the similarities between the different religions. We also look at how the different festivals within a religion are all part of the same narrative and is sequential.

We encourage children to ask questions about the meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, issues of right and wrong. This enables children to grow in the school and their communities and as citizens in a pluralistic society.

Harvest Display And Food Bank

Diwali Assembly

Chinese Lunar New Year

Thank you to our parents for coming into school to share their family celebrations for the Lunar New Year.

Across the school children have learned lots of new things like lion dancing, using chopsticks, painting lanterns, playing in the Chinese restaurant, and making a jigsaw shaped dragon.

Years 1 and 2 have learned how to say greetings and write their name and numbers in mandarin, as well as making dragon puppets.