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At Kielder Primary School and Nursery, Religious Education plays a central role in helping pupils understand the diverse religious and non-religious worldviews that shape people’s lives, beliefs and values. Our RE curriculum is delivered in line with the Northumberland Agreed Syllabus and is designed to develop thoughtful, respectful and reflective pupils who can engage meaningfully with big questions about belief, identity, morality and purpose.
We aim for pupils to gain secure knowledge of a range of world religions and worldviews, including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Sikhism and Humanism. Pupils are supported to understand how beliefs are expressed through worship, festivals, stories, symbols and everyday practices, and how these beliefs influence how people live.
A key strength of our RE curriculum is its clear progression in knowledge, vocabulary and ways of thinking about religion and belief. Pupils are explicitly taught how to use religious and philosophical vocabulary to describe, explain, compare and evaluate beliefs and practices. This enables them to talk and write about religion with increasing confidence, accuracy and depth as they move through the school.
RE at Kielder also plays an important role in developing pupils’ cultural capital, helping them to understand the religious diversity of modern Britain and the wider world. Through encountering a broad range of traditions, pupils develop respect, empathy and understanding, preparing them to live and work in a diverse society.
The RE curriculum supports our Thrive and Excel @ Kielder Framework by developing pupils’ communication, reflection, ethical thinking, respect for others and confidence in expressing their own views thoughtfully. Pupils are encouraged to listen carefully, discuss ideas respectfully, and reflect on both religious and non-religious perspectives, supporting both academic learning and personal development.
RE is taught through carefully sequenced units across EYFS, KS1 and KS2, ensuring full coverage of the Northumberland Agreed Syllabus and a coherent journey in understanding religion and worldviews.
Each unit clearly sets out:
Core knowledge about beliefs, practices, stories, festivals and values.
Key vocabulary, including both disciplinary RE vocabulary (e.g. belief, worship, ritual, symbol, interpretation, morality, worldview) and topic-specific vocabulary linked to each faith or theme.
Progressive ‘I can’ statements, showing increasing depth of understanding, independence and evaluation across year groups.
Planned opportunities for reflection, discussion and comparison, supporting deeper understanding of belief and meaning.
This structure is clearly set out in both the EYFS/KS1 and KS2 RE curriculum documents and vocabulary frameworks, ensuring progression in both substantive knowledge and disciplinary understanding.
A distinctive feature of RE at Kielder is the explicit and carefully planned progression in how pupils use religious and philosophical language and concepts.
Across the school, pupils develop:
A growing understanding of core religious concepts, such as belief, worship, prayer, sacred texts, ritual, community and values.
Increasing confidence in using disciplinary vocabulary to explain how religion works (e.g. interpretation, morality, identity, worldview, respect).
Accurate use of topic-specific vocabulary to explain particular beliefs, festivals, practices and symbols.
The ability to compare similarities and differences between religions and worldviews.
The capacity to reflect on meaning, purpose and moral choices, using both religious and non-religious perspectives.
Progression frameworks clearly show how pupils move from recognising and describing in EYFS and KS1, to explaining, comparing, analysing and evaluating in upper KS2. This ensures pupils are not simply learning facts, but are developing the ability to think, talk and reflect like informed, respectful learners of religion and worldviews.
Teaching and learning in RE at Kielder is enquiry-led, discussion-rich and reflective. Lessons are designed around meaningful questions that encourage pupils to explore beliefs, consider different viewpoints and make connections between religion, culture and everyday life.
Teachers explicitly model respectful discussion and the use of key vocabulary, supporting pupils to explain ideas clearly and listen carefully to others. Pupils are encouraged to ask questions, share viewpoints and reflect on both similarities and differences between beliefs and worldviews.
RE lessons provide regular opportunities for pupils to engage with stories, artefacts, images, videos and real-life examples, helping them to understand how beliefs are lived out in practice. In mixed-age classes, teaching is carefully adapted to ensure appropriate challenge and support, enabling all pupils to make strong progress from their individual starting points.
Teaching in RE strongly reflects the TEK Framework, particularly in developing communication skills, respectful dialogue, reflection, empathy and ethical thinking. Pupils are supported to express their own ideas thoughtfully while valuing and respecting the beliefs of others.
Assessment in RE focuses on pupils’ understanding of key beliefs and concepts, their use of vocabulary, and their ability to explain, compare and reflect. This includes:
Ongoing formative assessment through questioning, discussion and review of written and oral work.
End-of-unit Proof of Progress (POP) tasks, which provide evidence of what pupils know, can explain and can reflect on in relation to the unit’s key questions and concepts.
Use of written reflections, comparative tasks, discussions and presentations to demonstrate progression in understanding.
POP tasks are used to identify strengths, gaps and next steps, allowing teachers to revisit key concepts, reinforce vocabulary and address misconceptions. SEND pupils are supported through scaffolding, adapted resources and pre-teaching of vocabulary, ensuring access to the same ambitious RE curriculum.
Religious Education at Kielder Primary School and Nursery is inclusive and respectful of all pupils and families. We teach RE in a way that is informative rather than confessional, enabling pupils to learn about religions and worldviews without being expected to adopt any particular beliefs.
In line with statutory guidance, parents and carers have the legal right to withdraw their child from all or part of Religious Education. Should parents wish to exercise this right, they are encouraged to discuss this with the Headteacher so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
The impact of our RE curriculum is seen in pupils who:
Develop secure knowledge of a range of religions and worldviews.
Use religious and philosophical vocabulary accurately when speaking and writing.
Can explain and compare beliefs, practices and values across different traditions.
Reflect thoughtfully on big questions about life, meaning, right and wrong.
Show respect and empathy for people with different beliefs and backgrounds.
Engage confidently in discussion and express their own views with sensitivity.
Demonstrate curiosity about religion, culture and identity in modern Britain and the wider world.
Assessment information, POP tasks, pupils’ work and discussions demonstrate that learning builds securely over time and that pupils are developing both strong substantive knowledge and increasingly secure disciplinary understanding in Religious Education.
Through our RE curriculum, pupils leave Kielder Primary School and Nursery as informed, respectful and reflective learners, well prepared to engage with the diverse beliefs and values of the world around them, and to contribute positively to society.
