Religious Education
At Dollis, Religious Education (RE) plays an important role in helping pupils understand the diverse beliefs and values that shape our world today; we are a diverse school, and the study of different beliefs is a vital part of learning about each other too.
Our curriculum encourages thoughtful exploration of religion and spirituality, while promoting respect for others. Through RE, pupils gain the knowledge and skills needed to reflect on moral questions, evaluate different viewpoints, and make informed, ethical choices. These experiences support their personal growth and help prepare them for adult life, employment, and lifelong learning.
RE at Dollis also contributes to pupils' spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development. By learning about a range of religions and worldviews, children build empathy, challenge prejudice, and develop a deeper appreciation for diversity.
Intent
Our aim is to nurture successful learners, confident individuals, and responsible citizens who are open-minded, respectful, and equipped to thrive in a multicultural society.
We aim to instil our pupils with a holistic understanding of shared, modern values—such as diversity —that support life in today’s Britain. We strongly believe that by building a rich knowledge base of a plurality of beliefs, conjoined with an understanding of shared values, our pupils gain a critical insight into the way religion shapes the community and world in which we live. We intend for pupils to know how to navigate and reflect upon the complex world we live in and be able to find their own voice and ideas within it.
Implementation
As a result of the careful sequencing and design of our curriculum, we ensure that all pupils understand and access new material when it is taught, building their knowledge from Reception to Year 6. In their final year, pupils compare a variety of religions to demonstrate their understanding of the complexity of RE. Pupils are taught substantive knowledge through content about specific religions to provide sufficient breadth; the diversity and differences within belief-sets; and the connection and concepts that cross over different religions.
Disciplinary knowledge is taught in two ways. Pupils first learn about different religions ‘ways of knowing’ through reading, observing ways of living, asking questions, and debating. Pupils learn from a variety of sources including authentic artefacts, architecture, and art. Also, they explore that there are degrees of certainty in religious concepts. Secondly, their own personal knowledge, assumptions and their own views are also taken into consideration for a better understanding of their relationship to the subject matter. Pupils have retrieval opportunities as starters for each lesson which support fluency in key concepts.
The knowledge that is gained is linked through authentic horizontal, vertical, and diagonal links across the whole school curriculum. Many of these links are made through texts such as holy books or other stories that deepen their understanding of religion or religious groups.
Optional withdrawal
We encourage all children to take part in RE lessons as this promotes British values including tolerance of different beliefs and faiths, and mutual respect. RE celebrates the diversity we have in our school and community, and we strongly encourage all families to celebrate each other cultures and beliefs
However, families have the right to withdraw their children from part or all of the religious education curriculum. If you wish to request that your child be withdrawn from part or all of religious education, please contact the Headteacher by emailing head@dollisprimary.barnet.sch.uk