F01: Guidance: Planning Guides – Introduction

GUIDANCE: PLANNING GUIDES – INTRODUCTION

This section contains guidance for all those involved in planning for excellent RE.

For a general curriculum map, showing how to plot the exemplar schemes of learning into a key stage plan for each key stage, see Curriculum Maps

In this section you will find advice on how to arrange the study units for your school curriculum: including splitting the units up so that they are revisited over a key stage, and how to employ different methods in teaching. There is particular guidance for each key stage, for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and on where to find resources for teaching about non-religious worldviews.

Also included here is the Religious Education Council of England and Wales’ Code of Practice for RE teachers, and a Code of Conduct for RE visits and visitors.

For Governors, there is advice on how to hold productive conversations about RE and collective worship and what their responsibilities are, and for RE Subject Leaders there is a guide for self-evaluation of RE provision and quality.

How to Plan

  1. REMEMBER – the statutory part of this syllabus consists only of the study units – the key questions and supplementary questions for each unit: B07 – B11, for example:

KS1 Unit 2: Why are some times special?

This unit explores those aspects of life on earth which are reflected in the pattern of religious and other practices and festivals

  1. What special times and seasons can I remember? Why were these times special?
  2. Why are some festivals and celebrations special?
    1. When do they happen?
    2. What do they remember?
  • What do people do and why?
  1. What special objects might be used in festivals and celebrations?
  2. How might some stories and practices associated with religious and other festivals and celebrations relate to experiences and feelings in our own lives?
  3. For some Primary schools planning is done in 6 weekly terms and to assist you in your planning we have split the study units into smaller units – these can be found at F02 but it is up to each school to decide if they wish to organise the learning into shorter units. For example: The above unit may be split in the following way:

2a) Why might a festival be important to a family? (choose from a non-Christian belief) e.g., Why might Shabbat be important in a Jewish home?

When does it happen? What is remembered? What do people do and why?

2b) Why do Christians celebrate Christmas?

What special objects are used by some Christians at this time?

How might celebrating Christmas make Christian children understand more about God?

  1. There is nothing to stop you writing your own schemes of learning – as long as pupils are taken on a learning journey to answer the key questions in each study unit. Note that there is a blank template to help you write your own scheme of learning: C08
  2. There are exemplars of schemes of learning written by teachers and RE advisers that can be found here: C01 – C07
    These are not statutory but may help you in your planning and are guidance support documents.
  3. Assessment: to help you assess pupil’s progress in Religious Education there are also learning outcome statements for each study unit found at D02 and guidance documents to help you plan assessment D01 – D06
  4. Exemplars of assessments: if you are struggling to know how to assess pupil’s work there are exemplars written by teachers and advisers that can be found at E02 – E06
  5. One creative way of planning:
  6. Take the Study Unit question(s): B07 – B11
  7. Take the assessment statements (either from D01 – D06 or from the assessment exemplar that matches the study unit).
  8. Fill in the activities and learning that you think will best take your pupils where they need to go – write this into your own scheme of learning on the template offered at C08

 

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