Key Stage 2

Key Stage 2

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This syllabus is to be used in conjunction with the AMV 2016 assessment document that provides a summary of the religious beliefs to be covered.  Taken collectively the units provide an important balance between AT1 and AT2. These units of work take the form of a key question followed by a series of supplementary questions which provide the structure and direction of the individual unit. Coverage of religions required at KS2 is Christianity plus three other religions from: Hinduism, Islam or Judaism. Non-religious views must also be represented. This document is statutory.
1. What is important to me?

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)
(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?
2. What can we learn from the life and teaching of Jesus? 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:
i. Love
ii. Sin, forgiveness and redemption
iii Revenge and peace/ reconciliation
iv. Greed and giving
v. Making a difference
vi. Prayer
vii. Faith and hope
viii. Life after death
(c)  What do the narratives of Jesus’ miracles tell us about some of the big questions of life?
(d)  Why might Christmas, Lent and Easter be important to ourselves as well as (other) Christians?
3. Why do religious books and teachings matter? 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?
(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?
4. What does it mean to belong to a religion? Christianity This unit explores 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:
i. the journey of life?
ii. their main festivals and practices?
iii their faith communities?
iv. the wider world?
(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?
5. Why are some journeys and places special? 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?
(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?
6. How do we make moral choices? 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?
(d) What are the most important moral values and teachings?
(e) How do we decide what is right and wrong?
7. How do people express their beliefs, identity and experience? 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?
(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?
8. What do people believe about life?

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?
iii the existence of God?
iv. the experience of suffering?
v. life after death?
9. 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?
(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?
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:
i. the journey of life?
ii. their main festivals and practices?
iii. their faith communities?
iv. the wider world?
(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?
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 and belief, learning about similarities and differences both within and between religions and beliefs 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 and belief 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.