Religious Education (RE)

Religious Education (RE) allows children to acquire core knowledge and understanding of beliefs and practices of religious and world views which not only shape their history and culture, but which guide their own development. Children at The Coombes learn about the 5 major religions in a creative and explorative way, with local visitors and religious leaders visiting where possible. 

Discovery RE is a scheme of work for Religious Education which helps develop critical thinking and enhance children’s spiritual development. The 4 –part planning model takes children on a learning journey from their own world to a world of religion and belief, learning about aspects of that religion in order to offer answers to a big enquiry question, and then closes with an opportunity to express their own opinions and learning.

The four steps are:

1. Step 1: Engagement: the children’s own human experience is explored to act as bridge from their world (which may or may not include religion) into the world of the religion being studied.
2. Step 2: Investigation: over approximately 3 lessons the teacher will guide the children to explore and investigate appropriate subject knowledge relevant to that question of enquiry.
3. Step 3: Evaluation: An assessment activity enables each child to show their thinking and the depth of critical evaluation.
4. Step 4: Expression: This refers the children back to the starting point of their own experience and allows them to reflect on whether their findings have influenced their own thinking.

Topics covered in RE lessons at The Coombes can be found here:

Curriculum Overview- RE