STATUTORY PROGRAMMES OF STUDY
KEY STAGE 2
Introduction
These units of work have been reshaped to form a key question followed by a series of supplementary questions which provide the focus and structure for each unit. The emphasis is on developing the skills of investigation and enquiry and effectively balancing what pupils learning ABOUT religions and beliefs and what they learn FROM religions and beliefs.
The ‘characteristics of learning’ at the end of this section highlight the essence of RE in Key stage 2 and the experiences / opportunities provide guidance on the types of learning encouraged for Key Stage 2 pupils.
The units of study listed below have been divided into two sections. The first section of each unit is recommended for study in Years 3 and 4 and the second section for Years 5 and 6. Schools are, however, free to vary this approach as suits their curriculum plans.
Each section is followed by the MINIMUM expected learning outcomes. Pupils will usually learn much more than this in their RE, but there is a core of knowledge, understanding and skills that should be achieved if further progress is to be made. Note that Christianity is mentioned in each of the first nine units, but that learning about and from Christianity is not a compulsory part of each and every unit.
Examples of how pupils might demonstrate whether they are below, within, secure or exceeding each statement will be given in the AMV Learning Outcomes document.
It is recommended that pupils are given feedback on how well they are doing in RE in relation to these statements. The statements can also be used to indicate what pupils need to do next in order to make progress. Items in square brackets within the Learning Outcomes statements need not be covered in that particular unit of study.
It is also recommended that teachers give feedback to pupils on the attitudes shown to their learning in RE. For example, do they grow in confidence about their own beliefs and identity? Do they reflect on what they are learning and use empathy and imagination? Do they look beyond surface impressions and search for meaning in life? Do they listen carefully to the views of others and consider evidence and argument? Do they recognise the needs and concerns of others? Do they appreciate that people’s beliefs are often deeply felt? Do they develop a balanced sense of self-worth and value?
- What is important to me? [A&D]
This unit explores ideas of what it is to be human and relates them to religious and other beliefs
| (a) | Who am I and what does it mean to be human? (Physical and non-physical aspects of human identity) |
| (b) | Where do I belong? (My school, home, family, tradition, cultures, organisations including those involving religion and belief, local community, the UK, the global community) |
Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Lower KS2:
Religions & Worldviews b: ask important questions about the practice of faith and compare some different possible answers;
Christianity c: describe a way in which some Christians work together locally;
Other religion/worldview a: describe what believers might learn from the significant texts/writings being studied;
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
| (c) | What am I worth? (Beliefs about the value of human beings) |
| (d) | How might stories, hymns, prayers etc help people understand more about themselves and their relationships? |
Exemplar Scheme of Learning for this unit
Assessment Exemplar for this unit
Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Upper KS2:
Religions & Worldviews b: ask important questions about religious experience [and life after death] and suggest answers that refer to traditions of religion and belief;
Christianity b: describe and compare different ideas Christians may have about developing their relationship with God, through prayer, pilgrimage or personal ‘spiritual’ experience;
Other religion/worldview a: make links between some texts and symbols from religion and belief and guidance on how to live a good life;
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
- What can we learn from the life and teaching of Jesus? [B&E]
This unit explores aspects of the person, life and teaching of Jesus and how they relate to Christian life, practices, celebrations and the pattern of Christian festivals
| (a) | Who is Jesus and what does it mean to follow him today? (Christian, Muslim, Hindu and other answers about the character and status of Jesus) |
| (b) | What did Jesus teach about:
· Love · Sin, forgiveness and redemption · Revenge and peace/ reconciliation · Greed and giving · Making a difference · Prayer |
| (d) | Why might Christmas be important to ourselves as well as (other) Christians? |
Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Lower KS2:
Religions & Worldviews b: ask important questions about the practice of faith and compare some different possible answers;
Christianity a: describe what Christians might learn about Jesus from the Gospel stories of miracles [and his resurrection];
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
Exemplar Scheme of Learning for this unit
| (b) | What did Jesus teach about:
· Faith and hope · Life after death |
| (c) | What do the narratives of Jesus’ miracles tell us about some of the big questions of life? |
| (d) | Why might Lent and Easter be important to ourselves as well as (other) Christians? |
Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Upper KS2:
Religions & Worldviews b: ask important questions about religious experience and life after death and suggest answers that refer to traditions of religion and belief;
Christianity d: describe and compare different ideas Christians may have about salvation and life after death with reference to key texts;
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
- Why do religious books and teachings matter? [C&F]
This unit explores how religions and beliefs express values and commitments in a variety of written forms, and how value is attached to those writings
| (a) | What different kinds of writing and story are there that are important to religions and beliefs? |
| (b) | Where do the most special kinds of writings and stories come from? |
| (c) | How do communities show that they value special books and writings? |
Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Lower KS2:
Religions & Worldviews c: link their own ideas about how to lead a good life to the teachings of religions and beliefs being studied;
Christianity d: describe the importance of the Bible for Christians and give examples of how it is used;
Other religion/worldview b: describe what some of the arts in the tradition being studied might mean to believers;
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
Exemplar Scheme of Learning for this unit
Assessment Exemplar for this unit
| (c) | How do communities show that they value special books and writings? |
| (d) | What are the moral messages that can be found in stories from religions and beliefs? |
| (e) | How can I best express my beliefs and ideas? |
Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Upper KS2:
Religions & Worldviews c: ask important questions about social issues and suggest what might happen depending on different moral choices;
Christianity c: describe how Christians express beliefs about Jesus as ‘Son of God’ and ‘Saviour’ in worship and art;
Other religion/worldview a: make links between some texts and symbols from religion and belief and guidance on how to live a good life;
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
Exemplar Scheme of Learning for this unit
- What does it mean to belong to a religion? Christianity [B&D]
This units explore aspects of Christian festivals, celebrations, practices and communities and the beliefs to which they relate
| (a) | How do Christians celebrate and live out their beliefs in: |
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Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Lower KS2:
Religions & Worldviews b: ask important questions about the practice of faith and compare some different possible answers;
Christianity a: describe what Christians might learn about Jesus from the Gospel stories of miracles and his resurrection;
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
| (b) | Within the different Christian groups what are the most important similarities and key differences ? Why do they differ? How do they seek to work together ? |
Exemplar Scheme of Learning for this unit
Assessment Exemplar for this unit
Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Upper KS2:
Religions & Worldviews b: ask important questions about religious experience [and life after death] and suggest answers that refer to traditions of religion and belief;
Christianity b: describe how Christians express beliefs about Jesus as ‘Son of God’ and ‘Saviour’ in worship and art;
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
Assessment Exemplar for this unit
- Why are some journeys and places special? [C&E]
This unit explores how religions and beliefs express aspects of life’s journey in a variety of creative ways
| (a) | Why do people believe that some places are special? |
| (b) | Why do people go on pilgrimage and special journeys? |
| (c) | What practices and events are associated with pilgrimage and special journeys? |
Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Lower KS2:
Religions & Worldviews b: ask important questions about the practice of faith and compare some different possible answers;
Christianity b: describe some of the different ways in which different Christians show their beliefs in [creation, incarnation and] salvation, including through the arts, worship and helping others;
Other religion/worldview b: describe what some of the arts in the tradition being studied might mean to believers;
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
Assessment Exemplar for this unit
| (d) | What artistic, symbolic and other expressive work is associated with special journeys and places? |
| (e) | How might we make a record of the impact on ourselves of the journeys we make and the places we visit? |
Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Upper KS2:
Religions & Worldviews b: ask important questions about religious experience and life after death and suggest answers that refer to traditions of religion and belief;
Christianity b: describe and compare different ideas Christians may have about developing their relationship with God, through prayer, pilgrimage or personal ‘spiritual’ experience;
Other religion/worldview d: describe and compare different ideas from the tradition being studied about the meanings of life and death with reference to key texts;
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
Exemplar Scheme of Learning for this unit
- How do we make moral choices? [A&F]
This unit explores how religious and other beliefs affect approaches to moral issues
| (a) | What are moral questions? |
| (b) | What are the consequences of the moral choices we make? |
| (c) | What people and organisations help in making moral choices? |
Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Lower KS2:
Religions & Worldviews c: link their own ideas about how to lead a good life to the teachings of religions and beliefs being studied;
Christianity c: describe a way in which some Christians work together locally;
Other religion/worldview a: describe what believers might learn from the significant texts/writings being studied;
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
Assessment Exemplar for this unit
| (d) | What are the most important moral values and teachings? |
| (e) | How do we decide what is right and wrong? |
Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Upper KS2:
Religions & Worldviews c: ask important questions about social issues and suggest what might happen depending on different moral choices;
Christianity a: make links between Jesus’ life and teaching and different forms of Christian action, such as in rituals and charitable acts;
Other religion/worldview a: make links between some texts and symbols from religion and belief and guidance on how to live a good life;
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
Exemplar Scheme of Learning for this unit
- How do people express their beliefs and identity? [C&D]
This unit explores how religions and beliefs employ signs, symbols and the arts to express aspects of human nature
| (a) | How do people express their beliefs, identity and experiences using signs, symbols and the wider arts, e.g. art, buildings, dance, drama, music, painting, poetry, ritual, and story? Why do some people of faith not use the arts to represent certain things? |
| (b) | How and why are ‘universal’ symbols like colour, light, darkness, wind, sound, water, fire and silence used in religions and beliefs? |
Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Lower KS2:
Religions & Worldviews a: compare different ideas about God and humanity in the traditions studied;
Christianity b: describe some of the different ways in which different Christians show their beliefs in creation, incarnation and salvation, including through the arts, worship and helping others;
Other religion/worldview b: describe what some of the arts in the tradition being studied might mean to believers;
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
Exemplar Scheme of Learning for this unit
| (c) | Why are the arts really important for some religions and beliefs? |
| (d) | How might I express my ideas, feelings and beliefs in a variety of different ways? |
Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Upper KS2:
Religions & Worldviews a: describe and explain different ideas about God with reference to two religions or one religion and a non-religious worldview;
Christianity c: describe how Christians express beliefs about Jesus as ‘Son of God’ and ‘Saviour’ in worship and art;
Other religion/worldview d: describe and compare different ideas from the tradition being studied about the meanings of life and death with reference to key texts;
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
Assessment Exemplar for this unit
- What do people believe about life? [A&E]
This unit explores ideas about the natural world and our place in it and relates them to religious and other beliefs
| (a) | What feelings do people experience in relation to birth, change, death and the natural world? |
| (b) | What answers might be given by ourselves and by religions and beliefs to questions about: |
| (i) the origin and meaning of life? | |
| (ii) our place in society and the natural world? |
Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Lower KS2:
Religions & Worldviews a: compare different ideas about God and humanity in the traditions studied;
Christianity b: describe some of the different ways in which different Christians show their beliefs in creation, incarnation and salvation, including through the arts, worship and helping others;
Other religion/worldview a: describe what believers might learn from the significant texts/writings being studied;
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
Assessment Exemplar for this unit
| (b) | What answers might be given by ourselves and by religions and beliefs to questions about: |
| (iii) the existence of God? | |
| (iv) the experience of suffering? | |
| (v) life after death? |
Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Upper KS2:
Religions & Worldviews a: describe and explain different ideas about God with reference to two religions or one religion and a non-religious worldview;
Christianity d: describe and compare different ideas Christians may have about salvation and life after death with reference to key texts;
Other religion/worldview d: describe and compare different ideas from the tradition being studied about the meanings of life and death with reference to key texts;
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
Exemplar Scheme of Learning for this unit
Assessment Exemplar for this unit
- How should we live and who can inspire us? [B&F]
This unit explores how people’s values and commitments might be demonstrated in the lives of [religious] leaders and believers. It may include a study of a particular religious or belief community
| (a) | What positive examples have people given that show us how to live? |
| (b) | What values and commitments have inspired or been taught by founders of faiths or communities, leaders, believers and specific communities? |
Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Lower KS2:
Religions & Worldviews c: link their own ideas about how to lead a good life to the teachings of religions and beliefs being studied;
Christianity a: describe what Christians might learn about Jesus from the Gospel stories of miracles and his resurrection;
Other religion/worldview a: describe what believers might learn from the significant texts/writings being studied;
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
Exemplar Scheme of Learning for this unit
Assessment Exemplar for this unit
| (c) | How have the actions and example of people of faith or belief changed our world? |
| (d) | How might we change our lives in the light of the qualities demonstrated by other people? |
Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Upper KS2:
Religions & Worldviews c: ask important questions about social issues and suggest what might happen depending on different moral choices;
Christianity a: make links between Jesus’ life and teaching and different forms of Christian action, such as in rituals and charitable acts;
Other religion/worldview a: make links between some texts and symbols from religion and belief and guidance on how to live a good life;
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
Assessment Exemplar for this unit
10, 11, 12. What does it mean to belong to a religion? Hinduism … Islam … Judaism [B,D&E]
These units explore aspects of religious festivals, celebrations, practices and communities and the beliefs to which they relate
| (a) | How do members of this faith celebrate and live out their beliefs in: |
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Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Lower KS2:
Religions & Worldviews d: describe the importance of key texts/writings in the tradition being studied and give an example of how they may be used;
Other religion/worldview c: describe some of the rules and guidance used by believers and how that might be applied in working with others from different traditions;
And d: describe the importance of key texts/writings in the tradition being studied and give an example of how they may be used;
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
Exemplar Scheme of Learning for this unit – Hinduism
Exemplar Scheme of Learning for this unit – Judaism
Assessment Exemplar for this unit – Judaism
| (b) | Within the different groups of this faith what are the most important similarities and key differences? Why do they differ? How do they seek to work together ? |
Minimum Learning Outcomes (below / within / secure / exceeding/mastery) for Upper KS2:
Religions & Worldviews c: ask important questions about social issues and suggest what might happen depending on different moral choices;
Other religion/worldview b: describe and compare how important aspects of a religion or belief are celebrated and remembered by different communities;
And c: describe and compare different ways of demonstrating a commitment to a tradition of religion and belief;
Throughout: provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.
Exemplar Scheme of Learning for this unit – Islam
Assessment Exemplar for this unit – Hinduism
Assessment Exemplar for this unit – Islam
Characteristics of Learning
Throughout Key Stage 2, children learn about Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism, recognizing the impact of religion locally, nationally and globally. They make connections between different aspects of religion and consider the different forms of religious expression. They consider the beliefs, teachings, practices and ways of life central to religion. They learn about sacred texts and other sources and consider their meanings. They begin to recognize diversity in religion, learning about similarities and differences both within and between religions and the importance of dialogue between them. They extend the range and use of specialist vocabulary. They recognize the challenges involved in distinguishing between ideas of right and wrong, and valuing what is good and true. They communicate their ideas clearly, recognizing other people’s viewpoints. They consider their own beliefs and values and those of others in the light of their learning in religious education.
Experiences and opportunities
- encountering religion through visitors and visits to places of worship, and focusing on the impact of religion on the local and global community
- discussing religious and philosophical questions, giving reasons for their own beliefs and those of others
- considering a range of human experiences and feelings
- reflecting on their own and others’ insights into life and its origin, purpose and meaning
- expressing and communicating their own and others’ insights into life through art and design, music, dance, drama and ICT
- developing the use of ICT, particularly in enhancing pupils’ awareness of religions and beliefs globally.