Religious Education at Healdswood

When learning about the beliefs of others, we at Healdswood Infant and Nursery School, recognise that our children have limited experience of other cultures, religions and rituals.  As part of our teaching we use engaging stories that allow the children to make links between their own lives and those of people from different faiths.  We focus on Christianity and Judaism as the centre of our curriculum teaching but also use whole school experiences to teach festivals and cultural days that are visible in the media to ensure pupils have an understanding, tolerance and acceptance of differing life views.  Through interactive and engaging use of stories, artefacts, experiences and visits children are encouraged and challenged to curiously question, discuss and compare faiths, beliefs and cultures to give them a wider understanding of those around us and create positive global citizens with the ability to recognise the similarities among the differences that make us one world.  

Religious Education is at Healdswood uses the Nottinghamshire Agreed syllabus and has been developed using the coverage and progression models set out in the syllabus around the National Curriculum content.  In EYFS children develop a growing sense of the child’s awareness of self, their own community and their place within this. Children will encounter Christianity and other faiths found in their own classroom, simply, through stories, artefacts, 

and cultural experiences held as part of the school calendar. 

In Key Stage One, the core learning is delivered weekly in designated Religious Education lessons.  The curriculum follows the NAS and uses 3 core strands; Knowledge, Understanding, Applying.  These form the basis of the teaching of each unit and develop the pupil’s knowledge using the progression documents.  At the centre of each block of teaching is the framing learning about other beliefs in context with the child’s own thoughts, beliefs and culture.  In addition to this, throughout the year, whole school events, assemblies and learning are focused on key cultural and religious festivals designed to give breadth and depth and help the children accrue cultural capital of the world and the ever-changing society.  These annual celebrations are also delivered with a focus on a spiral of progression as well as making links to other learning and personal beliefs or experiences.

The children at Healdswood Infant and Nursery School will be able to talk about Christianity and Judaism. They will be able to use language related to these religions along with general language related to religious studies such e.g. belonging, sacred, festivals and worship. They will understand that people have their own beliefs and that they help shape their identity in an ever-changing society. By the end of Key Stage One at Healdswood Infant and Nursery School our children will be able to: describe Christian, Jewish and worldviews, connecting ideas; give thoughtful responses using different forms of expression in RE; and consider and discuss questions, ideas, and points of view.

This half term in Reception we have been exploring the festival of Diwali.  The children made diva lamps out of clay.  We have also been thinking about the symbol of the poppy for Remembrance Day and created our own poppies through transient artwork.