RE at Woodlands

At Woodlands, our Religious Education (RE) curriculum is designed to be a window into the world, fostering curiosity, empathy, and a deep understanding of the diverse beliefs that shape our global community. We follow a structured long-term plan (2024–2029) that ensures children progress from foundational concepts of "belonging" in Nursery to complex ethical debates in Year 6.

🌍 Our RE Curriculum

Our curriculum is organised into "Pathways" that allow students to explore faith through different lenses, such as community, prayer, holy books, and social justice. By the time a student leaves our school, they will have explored the core tenets of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Hinduism, and Buddhism, as well as non-religious world views.

Key Themes by Key Stage:

• Early Years & Key Stage 1: Children begin by exploring what it means to belong to a community and how symbols are used to welcome new life.

• Lower Key Stage 2: Students dive deeper into how ancient stories influence modern celebrations and how the "5 Pillars" help Muslims lead a good life.

• Upper Key Stage 2: Older students tackle big questions, such as how pilgrimage transforms lives, the significance of the old and new covenants, and the concept of forgiveness.

📖 Examples of RE Lessons & Activities

We bring RE to life through a blend of storytelling, debate, and creative expression. Typical activities include:

• Storytelling & Literacy: In Year 1, children explore "Which books and stories are important?", while Year 4 students examine how the lives of the Gurus inspire Sikhs.

• Creative Reflection: In Year 3, students look at how different people express their spirituality through art, music, and quiet reflection.

• Ethical Debates: In Year 6, students engage in deep discussion regarding "Should we forgive others?" and how Buddhists live a meaningful life.

• Comparing Beliefs: Our "Pathway 1" units throughout the school allow children to compare faiths within our own community and country.

⛩️ Learning Beyond the Classroom

We believe that to truly understand a faith, children should experience its atmosphere and meet its practitioners. Our curriculum includes planned visits to a variety of places of worship:

📝 The Right to Withdraw

We value the diversity of our school family and aim to provide an inclusive RE curriculum that is objective and educational rather than devotional. However, we respect that parents and carers have the statutory right to withdraw their children from all or part of RE lessons. We encourage any parents considering this to meet with the Headteacher to discuss the curriculum and see how we can best support your child’s educational needs.