Why do we teach RE?
Every pupil registered in a school must be taught Religious Education
As a school we must ‘promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, social, mental, and physical development of pupils’ and ‘prepare pupils for opportunities, responsibilities and future experiences’.
Our approach
Intent
We believe that Religious Education is a very important part of our curriculum at Ark Oval Academy. There is a need to appreciate the values and attitudes which individuals in a faith group hold true and the effects that these have on the community that surrounds us. All children should be enabled to fulfil their potential in RE and high aspirations for themselves in their learning of new religions and cultures. Each teacher has high expectations of all pupils and knows that quality first teaching is of the utmost importance in R.E, as it is across all curriculum areas. To ensure good progress for all children, teachers will make adaptations to their teaching and scaffold learning for all groups of learners.
We believe R.E. is an important factor in preparing pupils for adult life and we aim to educate our children with the knowledge and skills they need to become responsible citizens; who can make reasoned, informed and positive judgements on religious and moral issues. It is our wish to help them shape their worldview, as well as teaching them to respect the worldviews of others around them.
Implementation
At Ark Oval, Religious Education is taught in weekly sessions, in every year group. As a school, we use the Croydon Agreed Syllabus as the foundation of our curriculum offer. We also use elements of the Discovery RE scheme and their four-step enquiry model.
Each half term the whole school will focus on one religion, these are as follows:
- Autumn 1 – Hinduism
- Autumn 2 - Judaism
- Spring 1 - Islam
- Spring 2 – Christianity
- Summer 1 - Sikhism
- Summer 2 – Buddhism
We will also hold event specific celebrations, from each of the religions mentioned, throughout the academic year. As a school, we thrive on bringing our community together. Showing respect for one another’s beliefs.
Students must be taught to respect the values and attitudes of each religion. We enable pupils to understand and reflect upon the religious and spiritual beliefs, practices, insights and experiences that are expressed in humanity’s search for meaning in life. Plus, we provide opportunities for pupils to explore and express their own responses and personal beliefs.
Within the teaching of all faiths, we ensure that learning is accessible for all groups of learners through adaptive teaching and strategies such as vocabulary mats, structured sentence starters, spiral learning and making explicit links to prior learning.
Impact
During their time at Ark Oval, our children’s knowledge of a multitude of faiths is built up and contributes to their ability to personally reflect on their own thoughts and beliefs surrounding their worldview. They are also able to build resilience and learn to respect other beliefs and points of view. These are all vital skills for the children, as we live in a diverse society. Most importantly, children learn to understand and value truth and diversity, in order to be able to make positive moral judgements, both now and in the future.
Religious Education Lead

Mr B Kelleher





Year 1
Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
---|---|
Hinduism What is the festival of Raksha Bandhan, and how is it celebrated? When is it celebrated? What happens? Who is involved? What presents are given? Why are Rakhis considered valuable even though they aren’t worth a lot of money? What symbols are on Rakhi cards? Is it good to have a festival of friendship? Why? Why not? |
Judaism Authority & Worship (CASRE pp. 76-84) Who do you respect? How do you show them that you respect them? |
Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
---|---|
Islam Authority & Worship / Writings / Lifestyle (CASRE pp. 70-75) One God but many names, praying, Qur’an, Prophet Muhammad, mosque, Ramadan, Eid. Why are some books/objects special and how are they shown respect? |
Christianity Authority & Worship (CASRE pp. 55-61) |
Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
---|---|
Sikhism What is the the significance of the turban which is worn by some Sikhs? What symbols of identity do we wear? Why are they important? What does it feel like to be part of a group? Why the turban is worn? |
Buddhism Who is the Buddha and why is he special to Buddhists? What is meditation? Is it the same as prayer? Is meditation part of my religion? Do you need to have a religion to do it? What is the Dharma? What are the Four Noble Truths? |
Year 2
Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
---|---|
Hinduism What is the festival of Raksha Bandhan, and how is it celebrated? When is it celebrated? What happens? Who is involved? What presents are given? Why are Rakhis considered valuable even though they aren’t worth a lot of money? What symbols are on Rakhi cards? Is it good to have a festival of friendship? Why? Why not? |
Judaism Writings / Lifestyle (CASRE pp. 76-84) God as creator & carer, Joseph, Moses, Synagogue, Torah, Fridays. Who is special to us and how do we show them respect? |
Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
---|---|
Islam Authority & Worship / Writings / Lifestyle (CASRE pp. 70-75) One God but many names, praying, Qur’an, Prophet Muhammad, mosque, Ramadan, Eid. Why are some books/objects special and how are they shown respect? |
Christianity Visit & Lifestyle (CASRE pp. 55-61) AT2: What communities do you belong to? Why are they important to you? |
Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
---|---|
Sikhism What is the the significance of the turban which is worn by some Sikhs? What symbols of identity do we wear? Why are they important? What does it feel like to be part of a group? Why the turban is worn? |
Buddhism Who was Siddhartha Gautama? What caused him to seek enlightenment? How would you feel about having such a privileged life in a palace? What kind of a child was he? Would you have liked to have him as a friend? Would you like to have grown up in his palace? Why did he leave home? How did he discover suffering? What would you give up for others? How did Siddhartha react to the suffering he saw outside the palace? How do we suffer? What do we do to comfort ourselves? Or help others who are suffering? How may this story impact the way we live our lives? What are the Four Noble Truths? What is the Dharma? |
Year 3
Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
---|---|
Hinduism What are the main features of the Diwali story? What are the examples of good behaviour that can help us today? Can you give an example of good and bad behaviour? Who has been your friend this year? How can you have friends who do not live near you? |
Judaism Writings / Lifestyle (CASRE pp. 76-84) God as creator & carer, Joseph, Moses, Synagogue, Torah, Fridays. Who is special to us and how do we show them respect? |
Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
---|---|
Islam Lifestyle (CASRE pp. 119-127) One God (Allah), 99 names, Shahada, 5 pillars, Muhammad, mosque, prayer, Qur’an, Ramadan, Eid, fasting. How do you show commitment to your friends and family? |
Christianity Authority & Worship (CASRE pp. 93-101) Holy trinity, Jesus Christ, Christian authority, Bible, teachings, keeping the faith, commandments, prayer, places of worship. AT2: Why are rules important? How do I expect to be treated and how do I treat others? |
Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
---|---|
Sikhism What is the symbolism of the 5Ks which are worn by some Sikhs? What are the main features and functions of a local Mandir? What are the books and special inspirational stories that Hindus follow? What is Diwali? What are some of the ways Hindus celebrate it? What do Hindus hope for when offering food to the Deities? |
Buddhism Who was Siddhartha Gautama? What caused him to seek enlightenment? How would you feel about having such a privileged life in a palace? What kind of a child was he? Would you have liked to have him as a friend? Would you like to have grown up in his palace? Why did he leave home? How did he discover suffering? What would you give up for others? How did Siddhartha react to the suffering he saw outside the palace? How do we suffer? What do we do to comfort ourselves? Or help others who are suffering? How may this story impact the way we live our lives? What are the Four Noble Truths? What is the Dharma? |
Year 4
Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
---|---|
Hinduism What are the main features of the Diwali story? What are the examples of good behaviour that can help us today? Can you give an example of good and bad behaviour? Who has been your friend this year? How can you have friends who do not live near you? |
Judaism Lifestyle & Celebrations (CASRE pp. 131-135) Tenakh, Shema, Moses, Passover, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, shofar, atonement, fasting. Do you have any books that are special to you? Where and how do you keep them? |
Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
---|---|
Islam Lifestyle (CASRE pp. 119-127) One God (Allah), 99 names, Shahada, 5 pillars, Muhammad, mosque, prayer, Qur’an, Ramadan, Eid, fasting. How do you show commitment to your friends and family? |
Christianity Authority & Worship (CASRE pp. 93-95) Authority figures in Christian communities, commandments, prayer, places of worship. Who is an authority figure in your life? What are the roles and responsibilities of someone in charge of other people? |
Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
---|---|
Sikhism What is the symbolism of the 5Ks which are worn by some Sikhs? What are the main features and functions of a local Mandir? What are the books and special inspirational stories that Hindus follow? What is Diwali? What are some of the ways Hindus celebrate it? What do Hindus hope for when offering food to the Deities? |
Buddhism Who was Siddhartha Gautama? What caused him to seek enlightenment? How would you feel about having such a privileged life in a palace? What kind of a child was he? Would you have liked to have him as a friend? Would you like to have grown up in his palace? Why did he leave home? How did he discover suffering? What would you give up for others? How did Siddhartha react to the suffering he saw outside the palace? How do we suffer? What do we do to comfort ourselves? Or help others who are suffering? How may this story impact the way we live our lives? What are the Four Noble Truths? What is the Dharma? |
Year 5
Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
---|---|
Hinduism What are the main features of the Diwali story? Can you give examples of good and bad actions? What does it mean to be loyal? How can people show courage? |
Judaism Lifestyle & Celebrations (CASRE pp. 131-135) Tenakh, Shema, Moses, Passover, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, shofar, atonement, fasting. Do you have any books that are special to you? Where and how do you keep them? |
Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
---|---|
Islam Lifestyle (CASRE pp. 119-127) One God (Allah), 99 names, Shahada, 5 pillars, Muhammad, mosque, prayer, Qur’an, Ramadan, Eid, fasting. What are the qualities of a leader? Who influences the things you do? What qualities do you admire in them? |
Christianity Lifestyle (CASRE pp. 93-101). Holy trinity, Jesus Christ, Christian authority, Bible, teachings, keeping the faith, commandments, prayer, places of worship. What do you expect of the people who are important to you? How do people show that someone is important/special to them? |
Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
---|---|
Sikhism What are some of the practices used with the Guru Granth Sahib? What is the symbolism of the 5Ks which are worn by some Sikhs? Where can the Akhand Path take place? Why does it take place? What do the readers feel like when they are chosen to read? |
Buddhism What is the Eightfold Noble Path, why is it important to Buddhists? What is a role model? What qualities would you look for in a role model? What kind of person would you like to be? How would you like to be remembered? Who was the Buddha? Why is Buddha important to Buddhists? What is Buddhism? What does it mean to be Buddhist? |
Year 6
Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
---|---|
Hinduism What are the main features of the Diwali story? Can you give examples of good and bad actions? What does it mean to be loyal? How can people show courage? |
Judaism Lifestyle & Celebrations (CASRE pp. 131-135) Tenakh, Shema, Moses, Passover, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, shofar, atonement, fasting. Do you have any books that are special to you? Where and how do you keep them? |
Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
---|---|
Islam Lifestyle (CASRE pp. 119-127) One God (Allah), 99 names, Shahada, 5 pillars, Muhammad, mosque, prayer, Qur’an, Ramadan, Eid, fasting. What are the qualities of a leader? Who influences the things you do? What qualities do you admire in them? |
Christianity Lifestyle (CASRE pp. 93-101). Holy trinity, Jesus Christ, Christian authority, Bible, teachings, keeping the faith, commandments, prayer, places of worship. What do you expect of the people who are important to you? How do people show that someone is important/special to them? |
Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
---|---|
Sikhism What are some of the practices used with the Guru Granth Sahib? What is the symbolism of the 5Ks which are worn by some Sikhs? Where can the Akhand Path take place? Why does it take place? What do the readers feel like when they are chosen to read? |
Buddhism What is the Eightfold Noble Path, why is it important to Buddhists? What is a role model? What qualities would you look for in a role model? What kind of person would you like to be? How would you like to be remembered? Who was the Buddha? Why is Buddha important to Buddhists? What is Buddhism? What does it mean to be Buddhist? |