HUMANITIES - RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Welcome to our Religious Education Department webpage!
Religious Education (RE) is a vital subject that is taught to all students in Key Stages 3 and 4 at The Lakes School. We consider it to be of the upmost value to our young people, helping them foster the skills necessary to reflect spiritually about their own faith, the faith of others, as well as upon non-religious views. We recognise fully that our community is diverse in belief and values. In a modern, multi-faith UK, it is therefore essential to equip our students with a sound knowledge and rounded understanding of a range of different belief systems. Ultimately, this will enable them to grow in understanding and respect for our global human community.
From exploring the features of a Sikh gurdwara, to analysing Buddhist philosophy; from evaluating the Five Pillars of Islam to dissecting the teachings of Christ, our RE curriculum is uniquely placed to prepare our young prepare for life in a vibrant and diverse UK and to shape them into personally, spiritually and culturally aware young adults keen to participate actively and effectively in the society in which they live.
The RE Department, The Lakes School June 2023
OUR CURRICULUM: INTENT
Ofsted EIF: “leaders … construct a curriculum that is ambitious and designed to give all learners … the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life … (It) is coherently planned and sequenced towards cumulatively sufficient knowledge and skills for future learning and employment.”
The Lakes School RE Curriculum (Years 7-11) meets these criteria in a number of ways. It sets out to provide our young people with a well-constructed curriculum that is engagingly presented and which will therefore encourage them to ask and answer challenging questions about the ultimate meaning of life, beliefs about God, the nature of reality and morality and more. It provides them with the opportunity to explore the foundational tenets of Christianity and other principal world religions, religious traditions and world-views, thereby teaching them to develop respect for others and their beliefs and helping them, as a consequence, to challenge prejudice.
The intent of our RE curriculum here at The Lakes School is to provide learners with the knowledge, skills and awareness that will encourage them to consider their perception of themselves and others, and to explore how they might appreciate and value our different communities and come to understand and embrace wider society with greater empathy, generosity and tolerance.
OUR CURRICULUM: IMPLEMENTATION
Ofsted EIF: “teachers present subject matter clearly, promoting appropriate discussion … (Over) the course of study, teaching is designed to help learners to remember in the long term the content they have been taught … (Teachers) use assessment well, for example to help learners embed and use knowledge fluently … The resources and materials … reflect the provider’s ambitious intentions for the course of study”
The Lakes School RE Curriculum (Years 7-11) meets these criteria in a number of ways. It sets out to explore, within the context of a safe learning environment, two key areas.
The diversity of religious belief and practice
Across Key Stage 3, all pupils study the foundational tenets of Christianity, Judaism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. They therefore develop a robust and rounded understanding of how beliefs and values and practices can and do vary across the globe and across communities here within the UK. They tackle key concepts like ‘religion’, ‘secularity’, ‘spirituality’ and ‘worldview’, and explore the notion that worldviews are complex and diverse. They investigate and identify shared beliefs and practices as well as differences. They study closely the rituals, practices, foundational texts, architecture and art of different faiths and evaluate how these all help shape believers’ experience, beliefs, values, identities and commitments.
The complexity of life’s ‘Big Questions’
Across Key Stage 4, all pupils explore some of the foundational questions that humans have asked themselves for millennia. They discuss the origins of the universe, the meaning of life, the existence of life after death, the sanctity of marriage, the morality of war, stewardship of the environment and more through the lens of Christian, Islamic and non-religious belief and teaching. They thus explore how faith may offer responses to fundamental questions of meaning and purpose raised by human experience as well as the different roles that religions play in providing people around the world with ways of making sense of their lives.
IMPORTANT: The Lakes School’s RE curriculum has also been designed to address all of the key areas in the Cumbrian SACRE’s Agreed Syllabus for RE (2023). Exactly how it does this can be seen below.
The Non-statutory Guidance for RE (2010)
The Cumbrian Agreed Syllabus for RE (2023)
Our RE Curriculum (2023) and how it covers the Cumbrian Agreed Syllabus for RE (2023)
OUR CURRICULUM: IMPACT
Ofsted EIF: “learners develop detailed knowledge and skills … and, as a result, achieve well. Where relevant, this is reflected in results … that meet government expectations … (Learners) are ready for the next stage of education, employment or training. Where relevant, they gain qualifications that allow them to go on to destinations that meet their interests, aspirations and the intention of their course of study.”
The Lakes School RE Curriculum (Years 7-11) meets these criteria in a number of ways. It ensures all learners, by the time they leave Key Stage 4, are able to:
- show respect, tolerance and understanding of all faiths they are likely to encounter in the modern UK
- understand how the beliefs, values and practices within any religion affect its followers
- ask serious and challenging questions about the meaning of life and morality
- use a variety of beliefs and values to help them become rounded and successful citizens
It is hoped by all members of staff in the RE Department that the high expectations and quality of support across both Key Stages will result in the young people of The Lakes School being challenged to take greater responsibility for their interaction with our modern society and feeling empowered to progress onto the next stage in their learning or working lives with confidence.