APPROACH

Our approach to RE teaching is built around progression strands:

1. Belonging, Identity & Community
2. Beliefs, Influence & Values
3. Expression, Experience & the Sacred
4. Truth, Interpretation & Meaning

EYFS

In EYFS, Religious Education is taught primarily through festival weeks across the year. For each celebration, Nursery and Reception spend a focused week learning about and learning from different religions. These immersive weeks may occasionally shift to different learning cycles based on the date of the religious festival. Alongside these weeks, the EYFS area of People, Culture and Communities is addressed within broader topic work but is most explicitly covered through the celebration of religious festivals.

 

The intent of RE in EYFS is to:

• Expose children to a wide range of religions, traditions, and festivals.
• Begin building understanding of the similarities and differences between beliefs and practices.
• Support children in making simple links between their own experiences and those of others.
• Nurture respect, curiosity, and inclusion through early exploration of community and belief.

 

Catherine Infant School recognises the importance of early experiences, and RE plays a central role in enriching children’s learning and identity formation. To promote engagement:

• A range of multi-sensory resources, artefacts, and images are provided.
• Continuous provision allows children to explore and play with religious artefacts both indoors and outdoors.
• Experiences include role play, storytelling, music, dance, art, and where possible, virtual or real visits to local places of worship.

 

 

KS1

In Key Stage 1, Religious Education is delivered through a combination of approaches to ensure meaningful, progressive learning. Children take part in three RE theme days across the year, which allow them to explore key religious festivals, values, and celebrations in a cross-curricular, immersive way. In Autumn 2, each year group studies a six-week RE unit based on a key question from the Leicester Agreed Syllabus, providing an in-depth exploration of one religion. In addition, discrete RE lessons take place throughout the year in the lead-up to major religious festivals to help children understand their significance and how they are celebrated.

 

Year 1:

In Year 1, children explore the question, “How are stories and celebrations linked?” They learn about Christianity and Judaism, focusing on how important religious stories connect to festivals and bring communities together. Through stories such as the Nativity and the Hanukkah miracle, children develop their understanding of key religious beliefs and how these stories shape celebration practices.

Key knowledge and skills Year 1 will learn:

• Give examples of the different ways festivals such as Christmas and Hanukkah bring communities together to celebrate.
• Explain how festivals reflect key stories, beliefs, and concepts.
• Give reasons why some stories are considered sacred.
• Describe the ways in which stories inform actions and rituals during festivals, e.g., lighting candles at Hanukkah.
• Explain how festivals reflect the idea of peace.

 

Year 2:

In Year 2, children explore the question, “What do we mean by religion and worldviews?” They build on their previous learning by developing an understanding of what religion and worldview mean, and how different people hold different beliefs that influence their ways of life. This unit introduces children to four major world religions, focusing on key beliefs and practices within both Abrahamic and Dharmic traditions.

Key knowledge and skills Year 2 will learn:

• Explain the meaning of the terms ‘religion’ and ‘worldview.’
• Distinguish between key beliefs of people from Abrahamic traditions (Christianity, Islam, Sikhi) and Dharmic traditions (Hinduism).
• Make connections between beliefs within and between different worldviews, noticing similarities and differences.

WIDER OPPORTUNITIES

Theme Days, Celebrations and Trips

RE is taught through topic teaching, discrete teaching during religious festivals, celebrating festivals and theme days. Learning experiences are enhanced by pupil visits to different local places of worship and visitors into school.  

Our pupils take part in celebrations throughout the year such as Harvest, Navratri dancing, Diwali, Christmas, Chinese New Year, Holi, Vaisakhi, Easter and Eid-al-fitr.

As part of our curriculum Key Stage 1 pupils will engage in enriching visits to places of worship to learn about various religions. During Year 1, students will have the opportunity to explore a local church to deepen their understanding of Christianity. In Year 2, they will visit a Mandir to gain insights into the principles of Hinduism. These visits are designed to broaden their cultural awareness and foster respect for diverse beliefs.

In Catherine Infant School parents are equally involved in their child’s learning. Termly, home learning projects are set where the parents can help their child in their learning. During autumn term 2, KS1 pupils are asked to create a model of a place of worship related to their next topic unit. Year 1 make a Church model while Year 2 make a Mandir. 

 

Collective Worship

Collective Worship at Catherine Infant School provides us with the opportunity to build the spiritual and moral life of the school and the individuals within it. Through worship we aim to offer pupils a spiritual dimension to their lives and relationships. 

Our School is an inclusive community school, that is a place where pupils of all abilities, all faiths, and all cultures are welcomed and respected. In this school we actively seek to break down any potential barriers to learning, specifically any practice which excludes individuals or groups of pupils. 

Catherine infant school is awarded with the Determination by Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) 

Collective worship is a daily requirement and takes place every day at Catherine infant school. There is a weekly theme on collective worship which the children are introduced to on Monday through a moral story, some related to a religion some are fables. The children reflect on this theme throughout the week with the help of reflection questions. Every day the children take part in ‘Time for reflection’, during this time the children reflect on a question or they pray to their God if they wish to. Time for reflection takes place twice within the classroom and three times during assembly.  

 

British Values

Religious Education in Key Stage 1 supports British values by encouraging pupils to understand and respect different religions and worldviews, fostering mutual respect and tolerance. Through exploring stories, celebrations, and beliefs from Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhi, and Islam, pupils learn about diversity and the importance of peaceful coexistence. This helps them appreciate individual liberty—the freedom to hold different beliefs—and understand the role of shared values and moral rules in society. By building these foundations, RE contributes to children becoming thoughtful, respectful citizens who value diversity and contribute positively to their communities.

 

Right to withdraw

Parents have the right to withdraw their children from religious education and/or collective worship. Our collective worship is multi-demonational and approved by a local SACRE determination which is renewed every 5 years. Parents should contact the headteacher if they wish to withdraw their child from religous education lessons or collective worship.