As a Church of England school our daily worships are an important part of the day. We start our week with a whole school Worship led by a member of All Saints, our partner church. They also lead a singing worship on Wednesday where hymns old and new are learnt and practiced. Fridays are our Celebration Worships, led by Year 6, where we recognise the achievements of pupils both academically with Headteacher awards for Achievement and Progress as well as for Effort and Enthusiasm. Children can also earn Fermor merits for courtesy, politeness and kindness in and around the school, which are collected and each week one person is chosen to receive a £5 book token. Other worships include Key Stage Worships on Thursdays where a Bible parable or story is explored based on the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, as found in Paul's letter to the Galatians. Worships on Tuesdays explore a variety of events or special dates which are also linked to our Christian monthly themes which are: Growth Mind-Set, Compassion, Courage, Hope, Creativity, Wisdom, Forgiveness, Respect, Unity, Honesty, Curiosity. On the first Wednesday of each month the whole school meets at All Saints church and one year group leads the service focusing on their class value. They deliver the Bible message through art, drama, poetry or prose and we have a talk by one of the All Saints church leaders. We also have special Worships with visiting speakers where we learn more about how to help and support others, showing respect to those around us by supporting both local and national charities and organisations.
We follow a scheme of work for our Religious Education teaching called Understanding Christianity. Each year group has a 'key question' they focus on for each term and this is explored through discussion linked to key Bible texts which encourages deeper thinking. Children show their understanding through a variety of mediums including the written word, drama and art. There is also opportunity in other terms to learn about world faiths, where different year groups take time focusing on religions around the world. For this we follow the Emmanuel Scheme. Classroom Reflection Areas are used as a focus for the children's prayers and thoughts.
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Term 1 |
Term 2 |
Term 3 |
Term 4 |
Term 5 |
Term 6 |
FS |
CREATION Why is the word ‘God’ so important to Christians?
|
INCARNATION Why do Christians perform Nativity plays at Christmas?
Including a lesson on a Muslim story: Mohammad and the Ants. |
SALVATION How can we help others when they need it?
Including a lesson on a Sikh story: Har Gobind and the Princes |
SALVATION Why do Christians put a cross in Easter garden?
Including a lesson on a Buddhist story: The Monkey King |
INCARNATION What makes every single person unique and precious?
Including a lesson on Hindus celebrating at Raksha Bandhan. |
CREATION How can we care for our wonderful world?
Including a lesson on Tu be Shevat: The Jewish ‘Birthday of Trees’.
|
Year 1 |
GOD What do Christians believe that God is like? |
INCARNATION Why does Christmas matter to Christians? Being aware of Advent and the birth narrative of Jesus |
GOSPEL What is the good news that Jesus brings? Understanding the good news is being loved by God and being forgiven |
SALVATION Why does Easter matter to Christians? Understanding that Jesus brought forgiveness |
JUDAISM Mitzvot/tzedakah Why is learning to do good deeds so important to Jewish people?
|
JUDAISM Torah/rabbi Why is the Torah such a joy for the Jewish community? |
Year 2 |
CREATION Who made the world? |
INCARNATION Why does Christmas matter to Christians? Understanding the meaning of Advent and that Jesus was extraordinary |
GOSPEL What is the good news that Jesus brings? Understanding that forgiveness brings peace and connecting this to a Bible story
|
SALVATION Why does Easter matter to Christians? Understanding that Jesus builds a bridge between God and man
|
HINDUISM Karma Why do Hindus want to collect good karma? |
ISLAM Mercy/compassion How do Muslims show Allah is compassionate and merciful? |
Year 3 |
PEOPLE OF GOD What is it like to follow God? |
INCARNATION/GOD What is the trinity? Learning about Jesus’ Baptism & Christian Baptism.
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ISLAM Submission How does a Muslim show their submission and obedience to Allah?
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SALVATION Why do Christians call the day Jesus died ‘Good Friday’? Learning about the events of Holy Week |
KINGDOM OF GOD When Jesus left, what was the impact of Pentecost?
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JUDAISM Covenant What symbols and stories help Jewish people remember their covenant with God? |
Year 4 |
CREATION What do Christians learn from the Creation story? |
INCARNATION/GOD What is the Trinity? Exploring the symbolism through the creative arts & referencing Jesus’ Baptism, linking this to the ‘Big Story’ of Christianity |
GOSPEL What kind of a world did Jesus want? |
SALVATION Why do Christians call the day Jesus died ‘Good Friday’? Understanding the significance of the events of Holy Week |
HINDUISM Dharma How does the story of Rama and Sita inspire Hindus to follow their dharma? |
ISLAM Prophethood Why do Muslims call Muhammad the ‘seal of the prophets’? |
Year 5 |
GOD What does it mean if God is loving and holy?
|
INCARNATION Was Jesus the Messiah? Understanding the meaning of Incarnation and referencing some Old Testament texts |
GOSPEL What would Jesus do?
|
SALVATION What did Jesus do to save human beings? |
KINGDOM of GOD What kind of King was Jesus? |
ISLAM Revelation What does the Qur’an reveal about Allah and his guidance? |
Year 6 |
CREATION Creation and Science: conflicting or complementary? |
INCARNATION Was Jesus the Messiah? Making links between Old & New Testament texts and explaining how this is shown in Christian practices |
PEOPLE of GOD How can following God bring freedom and justice?
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SALVATION What difference does the resurrection make for Christians? |
SIKHISM Equality How do Sikhs put their beliefs about equality into practise? |
HINDUISM Brahman How do questions about Brahman and atman influence the way a Hindu lives? |
RE has a particular contribution to make towards the spiritual, moral, social and cultural education of each pupil. It involves learning about the Christian religion, the main world religions and our core values of inspire, believe, achieve. Our Christian learning comes through the Understanding Christianity scheme which develops pupils understanding of the Bible through the themes of Creation, People of God, Incarnation, the Gospels and Salvation. These themes are reflected in our worships so each pupil can explore, discuss and reflect on the key messages. When exploring these themes the pupils are encouraged to use different areas of the curriculum to help support their learning, some of these being drama, art, role play, discussion, ICT, reading and writing. There are also visits to places of worship and visitors to school which help to engage and develop pupils’ understanding. We also have a duty to foster an accurate and increasing understanding of religions and world views. We encourage all pupils of whatever faith to explore the beliefs, rituals and festivals of others and to develop a deeper understanding of their own beliefs and practices. As a result, pupils will gain greater insight into the world in which they are growing up. These outcomes contribute to harmonious relationships within and between communities, promoting social inclusion and combating prejudice.
Each classroom has a ‘Pause for reflection’ area and prayer tree to enable children to explore faith and spirituality in a safe, creative and interactive way.
As a Church of England Primary School, the SIAMS team ask the question:
'How effective is the school’s distinctive Christian vision, established and promoted by leadership at all levels, in enabling pupils and adults to flourish?'
The SIAMS Evaluation Schedule September 2018. Find out more.
BIG BIBLE WEEK
Sherlock Holmes visited us. We were presented with a series of clues which we had to solve. they were all to do with the Big Bible Story.
Our first clue was about Creation and Trinity. We found the pictures around the room about to do with creation and EYFS and KS1 were set with the task of founding out more about creation. They created a board of all their ideas.
Our second clue was about Sin, Faith and Fall, where we explored the People of God and found the correct picture. Year 3 and 4 were given the task to investigate this further and created a wonderful board full of ideas.
Our third clue was about Incarnation, Salvation and Gospel, where we explored the Son of God and solved the secret code. We then learnt a song about the Big Bible story to help us remember. Year 5 were put in charge of creating a big board all about the Son of God.
Our final clue was about Revelation, where we went on to discuss New Creation and found the matching bible picture. We explored New Creation in further detail and Year 6 made two amazing board full of all they found out about New Creation.