At Thames View, Religious Education helps pupils understand beliefs, values, traditions and worldviews. Pupils learn about Christianity and other major world religions, as well as exploring important questions about identity, belonging, community, respect, responsibility and how people choose to live.
Our RE curriculum follows the locally agreed syllabus and is shaped around the needs, context and experiences of pupils at Thames View.
How RE develops Global Citizens
RE helps pupils develop respect, curiosity and understanding of people with different beliefs, cultures and worldviews. Through learning about faith, worship, celebrations, commitment and moral questions, pupils are encouraged to think deeply about what matters to people and how beliefs can shape the way people live.
This supports our aim of developing thoughtful Global Citizens who listen carefully, ask respectful questions, value difference and understand their place within a diverse community and wider world.
Our RE Narrative Threads
Our RE curriculum is organised around three narrative threads. These help pupils revisit important ideas over time, moving from their own experiences of belonging, celebration and community to a wider understanding of religious and non-religious worldviews.
Thread 1: Belief, Identity and Belonging
Pupils learn how beliefs can shape identity and give people a sense of belonging. They begin by exploring who is important to them, where they belong and the beliefs represented within their own community. As they move through the school, pupils learn how Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs understand belonging, faith, commitment and identity.
Thread 2: Worship, Practice and Community
Pupils learn how people live out their faith through worship, prayer, celebrations, festivals, stories, places of worship and acts of commitment. They explore how religious practices can bring people together and help communities show love, thanks, respect and care.
Thread 3: Reflection, Wisdom and Big Questions
Pupils learn that religions and worldviews often explore some of life’s biggest questions. They reflect on ideas such as kindness, forgiveness, responsibility, truth, eternity, commitment, belonging and what it means to live well. This helps pupils think carefully, listen to others and express their own ideas respectfully.
How we teach RE
In RE, pupils revisit prior learning before being introduced to new knowledge, vocabulary and ideas. They learn through stories, discussion, artefacts, images, visits, visitors, celebrations, sacred texts and examples of how people practise their faith.
Pupils are taught to think carefully and respectfully by asking questions, making connections, comparing beliefs and practices, reflecting on different viewpoints and explaining their own thinking. Teachers create safe opportunities for pupils to discuss important ideas while showing respect for others.
Vocabulary and subject talk
Vocabulary is taught explicitly in every unit. Pupils learn and revisit important vocabulary such as belief, faith, religion, worldview, worship, prayer, festival, celebration, community, commitment, respect, forgiveness, belonging and responsibility. This helps pupils explain their thinking clearly, talk respectfully about different beliefs and make links to prior learning.
Teachers model high-quality discussion and provide sentence stems where needed so that all pupils can take part in thoughtful and respectful conversations.
Inclusion and Removing Barriers
Pupils may have different levels of background knowledge, vocabulary or first-hand experience of different religions, beliefs and places of worship. We use stories, artefacts, photographs, videos, visits, visitors, discussion and carefully chosen resources to make learning meaningful and accessible.
Teachers also use clear explanations, explicit vocabulary teaching, visual support, retrieval, sentence stems and opportunities for reflection so that all pupils, including pupils with SEND, can access the same ambitious RE curriculum.
Right of Withdrawal
Religious Education is part of the curriculum for all pupils and supports children’s understanding of beliefs, values, communities and worldviews. Parents and carers have the legal right to withdraw their child from all or part of RE. If you are considering this, please contact the school so that we can discuss your request, share what is being taught and make appropriate arrangements.
Progression in Religious Education
Our RE progression map shows how pupils build knowledge, vocabulary, understanding of worldviews and respectful discussion skills from Nursery to Year 6. This will be added to the page once finalised.
Useful Websites
BBC Bitesize RE
RE:ONLINE
NATRE
TrueTube
The British Library: Sacred Texts
BBC Teach RE