Religious Education

At Muswell Hill Primary School children in the EYFS and KS1 use an enquiry-based model through which children’s critical thinking skills can be developed, alongside developing their knowledge and understanding of, and empathy with people and their beliefs, religious or otherwise, will be enhanced.

This approach takes very seriously the philosophy that children are free to make their own choices and decisions concerning religion and belief. RE does not try to persuade but rather to inform and develop the skills with which evaluation can take place.

In Key Stage 2 topics/themes are informed by the national curriculum and have been developed alongside one of our partners Haringey Education Partnership. Using the innovation grant, HEP has partnered with the best thinkers and experts in curriculum design and delivery. Working in partnership with Christine Counsell, HEP has designed, written and resourced a Key Stage 2 Humanities Curriculum.

The religions studied at Muswell Hill Primary School include:

Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism and Sikhism. We seek to promote acceptance and understanding of the beliefs of others.

Religious education makes a distinctive contribution to the school’s curriculum by developing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of religious beliefs, practices, language and traditions and by examining their influence on individuals, communities, societies and cultures.

Religious Education also gives pupils an opportunity to consider a range of questions related to their own spiritual development, the development of values, attitudes and fundamental questions concerning the meaning and purpose of life.

In studying religions through multiple disciplines, pupils will:

• learn about and learn from the different kinds of question human beings can ask about religious origins, beliefs and practices, namely questions that derive from philosophy, theology, social sciences and history (for example, when studying a particular religion in a particular place, asking the following different kinds of question: what are the big ideas that this religious communities’ stories reflect (e.g. dharma); how are these ideas expressed in other stories and in diverse religious practices across time and space? Or how does this religious community perceive matters of justice? religious community tackled the challenge of injustice to one another? How does this community’s beliefs shape its approach to injustice? What does this community teach about injustice and why? What insights about injustice can we gain from this religious communities’ texts, art, traditions and practices?).