Religious Education

Intent

At Dovedale Primary, we believe that it is important for all our pupils—including Year 6, those with SEND, and vulnerable children—to learn from and about religion, so that they can develop a deeper understanding of the world around them. The aim of Religious Education in our school is to help children acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the other principal religions represented in Great Britain. We want them to appreciate how religious beliefs shape life and behaviour in our community and the wider world. We want them to develop the ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues and enhance their spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development, so that they are better prepared for the next stage of their learning journey.

Our curriculum is research-driven and enquiry-based, reflecting evidence that children learn more deeply when exploring meaningful questions. Units are carefully sequenced, progressing from pupils’ own experiences to key religious concepts, in line with research on metacognition and contextual learning. Key beliefs are revisited over time, consistent with evidence on curriculum progression and spiral learning. This approach ensures that pupils’ learning builds coherently over time, enabling them to deepen their understanding and make meaningful connections.

It is also essential that Religious Education reflects the rich diversity of religious and cultural backgrounds within our school community. At the heart of our curriculum is experience, one of our principle aims: pupils encounter customs and practices of different places of worship through visits and interactions with religious visitors. RE, alongside other curriculum areas—particularly RSHE—supports social awareness and understanding, encouraging pupils to ask questions about the world, reflect on their own beliefs, and form reasoned opinions. We reinforce the principle: “Having an opinion is good. Having a reason is good RE.”

Our curriculum encourages creativity, imagination, enquiry, debate, discussion, and independence. It builds on prior learning and is coherently sequenced so that pupils know what to learn and can achieve the intended outcomes, preparing them for the next stages of their learning journey.

Implementation

We use the Liverpool SACRE Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education, ensuring that teaching is consistent, coherent, and informed by research on effective curriculum design.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, RE is mainly taught through children’s own experiences of the world: who is special, which places are special, which stories are special, and what is special about our world. This aligns with research on contextual learning and metacognition, enabling children to connect new knowledge to prior understanding.

The following religions have been selected for study:

• Christianity – taught in all year groups
• Islam – EYFS, KS1, KS2
• Judaism – EYFS, KS1, KS2
• Hinduism – light touch EYFS and KS1, studied in greater depth in KS2
• Humanism – studied in KS2 as another World View

We value the religious background of all members of the school community and actively encourage pupils to share their own experiences. All religions and communities are treated with respect and sensitivity, and links are nurtured between home, school, and faith communities. Pupils regularly engage with religious visitors and visits to local places of worship, promoting first-hand experiences wherever possible—a key feature of enquiry-based learning.

Our curriculum is carefully sequenced and spiraled, revisiting key beliefs over time and building on prior knowledge, in line with research on curriculum progression. Teaching promotes open enquiry, discussion, and reflection, giving pupils opportunities to explore big questions and develop reasoned opinions.

Impact

The children at Dovedale Primary enjoy learning about other religions and exploring the big questions of life, death, and morality. Through RE, pupils are encouraged to reflect on their own beliefs, values, and experiences, and to make connections with the lives of others in their community and the wider world.

Our research-informed, enquiry-based approach ensures that pupils retain and deepen their understanding over time. The sequenced curriculum allows children to revisit key concepts, enabling meaningful learning and supporting long-term knowledge development. Pupils develop critical thinking, empathy, and social awareness, forming well-reasoned opinions about religious and moral issues.

RE is for all pupils, and every child is legally entitled to Religious Education as part of a broad and balanced curriculum. While parents have the right to withdraw their children from RE, our inclusive, experiential, and enquiry-driven approach ensures that those who participate gain a rich, engaging, and deep understanding of religion, belief, and culture in our world.

A Recommended Reading List to Support the teaching of RE at Dovedale

Files to Download