THE PRINCIPAL AIM OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION AT TCMS
The principal aim is to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live so that pupils can gain the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and belief so enabling them to reflect on their own ideas and ways of living.
Northumberland County Council work closely with SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education) providing an agreed syllabus for schools to adapt and follow The Northumberland Agreed Syllabus 2022 asserts the importance and value of religious education (RE) for all pupils, with on-going benefits for an open, articulate and understanding society.The following purpose statements underpin the syllabus, which is constructed to support pupils and teachers in fulfilling them:
RE syllabus – Year 5 |
Key question |
Lesson content |
|
Term 1 1st Half |
CHRISTIANS |
God What does it mean if God is holy and loving? |
· Building a God · What Christians believe about God · The differences between God being holy and God being loving · How do cathedrals and their layout celebrate God · Love and holiness represented in Christian music · How can an understanding of holiness and love make a positive difference in today’s world? |
Creation Creation and science: conflicting or complementary? |
· Genesis: meaning and feelings · Cosmology and the beginning of the Universe · Compare, contrast and classify the questions raised through biblical creation and science. Do they conflict or complement each other? |
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Term 1 2nd Half |
CHRISTIANS |
People of God How can following God bring freedom and justice? |
· Moses’s life in eight events · The Ten Commandments and life today · Exploring Christian charities · Apply the Ten Commandments to 10 Lessons for Living |
Salvation What did Jesus do to save human beings? |
· How Mark explains Holy Week · Who is responsible for Jesus’ death · The Last Supper and Communion – how Christians celebrate Jesus’ life |
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Term 2 1st Half |
HINDUS |
Brahman, Atman and Samsara Why do Hindus try to be good?
|
· What is Brahman? · What is atman? What can be learned about atman through a Hindu story? · Samsara: why is atman important? What else is important?
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Term 2 2nd Half |
HINDUS |
Dharma and Gandhi’s life and legacy Why do Hindus try to be good? |
· How does dharma affect the way that someone might live their life? · What example does Gandhi set about how to live? · Why do Hindus try to be good?
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Term 3 1st Half |
JEWS |
Jewish Community, commitment and belief |
· What can we find out about Jewish communities in the Northumberland, the North East and further afield? · What do Jews believe about God? How do Jews remember their beliefs about God? · What is a Sefer Torah? How is it used?
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Term 3 2nd Half |
JEWS |
Jewish law and worship |
· Are there particular laws that Jewish people need to follow? · What happens during worship at a synagogue? |
RE syllabus – Year 6 |
Key question |
Lesson content |
|
Term 1 1st Half |
CHRISTIANS |
Gospel What would Jesus do? |
· Matthew: the wise and foolish builders · Matthew: the Sermon on the Mount · Luke: The Centurion’s Servant · Components of Christian prayer · How Christian Aid combats persecution and brings justice · How Leprosy Missions puts Jesus’s teaching into practice · The Forgiveness Project: turning enemies into friends |
Incarnation Was Jesus the Messiah? |
· The qualities of a saviour · Investigation: exploration of texts to explore if Jesus was the hoped-for Messiah · Christianity, Jesus and Christmas · Christmas for Christians and non-Christians – compare and contrast |
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Term 1 2nd Half |
CHRISTIANS |
Salvation What difference does the resurrection make for Christians? |
· Martyrs and what they represent · The meaning of sacrifice · School and Community Charter to improve all lives |
Kingdom of God What kind of king is Jesus? |
· Heaven and Earth · The Lord’s Prayer – simplify and illustrate · ‘The Feast’ and ‘The Tenants in the Vineyard’ |
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Term 2 1st Half |
MUSLIMS |
The journey of life and charity |
· Who are the Muslims in your region? · What helps Muslims through the journey of life? · Why is Zakah/charity important to Muslims? How is charity important to you? |
Term 2 2nd Half |
MUSLIMS |
Pilgrimage and what it is like to be a Muslim in Britain today |
· Why do Muslims want to go on pilgrimage? · Where do Muslims get guidance for living? · What does it mean to be a Muslim in Britain today? |
Term 3 1st Half |
HUMANISTS and CHRISTIANS |
What matters most to Humanists and Christians |
· Rules: do we need them? Who breaks them? · Who is a Humanist? What codes for living do non-religious people use? · What values matter most to Christians? How does it show? How can our different values be discussed? · What are the main agreements and disagreements about values between Humanists and Christians? |
Term 3 2nd Half |
MULTI-FAITH |
Why do some people believe in God, and some do not? |
· Is God real? What do people think? · Why do people believe or not believe in God? · What do people say about science and believing in God? · What impact does believing in God have on how people think and live? |
How does faith help people when life gets hard? |
· What is life like? Exploring the ups and downs. · What is Christian teaching about life after death? · Why do some people believe that we do not only live once? What is reincarnation? · How do Christians mark when someone dies? · What do people who don’t believe in God think happens when we die? |
RE syllabus – Year 7 |
Key question |
Lesson content |
|
Half Term 1 |
CHRISTIANS |
God Is God Trinity? |
· Biblical views of God · The Christian timeline · The meaning of Church names – explore local, e.g. Holy Trinity Church/School · How Christians should live according to the Trinity |
Creation Should Christians be greener than everyone else |
· Genesis Chapter 1 & 2 – what are the roles of Christians (stewardship) · Examples of good and bad stewardship: Eco Church awards, protecting Earth’s resources · Do all humans have a responsibility for the planet? |
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Fall For Christians, why are people good and bad? |
· Genesis Chapter 3 – timeline of Genesis 1, 2, 3 · Is it Eve’s fault · Modern day gender inequality · Human responsibility from a Humanist’s point of view |
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Half Term 2 |
HINDUS
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Why don’t Hindus want to be reincarnated 3.9 |
· How could you describe a Hindu worldview? · What do Hindus mean when they talk about atman, Brahman, karma, samsara and moksha? · What are the goals of life for Hindus? What are your goals? · What are some of the significant texts in Hindu tradition, and what do Hindus learn from them? · What does it mean to be a Hindu in Britain today? |
Half Term 3
Half Term 4 |
BUDDHISTS
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The Buddha: how and why do his experiences and teachings have meaning for people today? 3.8 |
· How and why did Siddhartha Gautama become ‘The Buddha’? Key events in the life of the Buddha (2) · How and why do Buddhist people try to follow the Four Noble Truths? Suffering, desire and the Middle Way (2) · How and why do Buddhist people use the symbols of the Wheel of Life to teach the Dharma? |
· What are the causes of happiness here and now, according to the Buddha? · What is the Buddhist Dharma/Dhamma, the essential teaching? · Why is there a special place for prison chaplaincy in Buddhist practice? · How and why do Buddhist people use the statues of Buddha · Buddhist and Humanist ethics compares |
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Half Term 5 |
MULTI FAITH |
Religious festivals in different religions |
· Why do we have them? What do they have in common? · EID and Ramadan · Lent and Ash Wednesday · Wesak and Buddhism · Ganesh Chaturthi · Hannukah |
Half Term 6 |
MULTI FAITH |
How different faiths think about life after death? 3.15 |
· What do Christians believe about life after death, and how does it affect their lives? · What do Muslims believe about life after death, and how does it affect their lives? · What do Buddhists believe about life after death, and how does it affect their lives? · What do Sikhs believe about life after death, and how does it affect their lives? · What do Atheists and Agnostics believe about life after death, and how does it affect their lives? |
RE syllabus – Year 8 |
Key question |
Lesson content |
|
Term 1 1st Half |
CHRISTIANS |
People of God Does the world need prophets today? 3.4 |
· The role of the prophet in Hebrew scripture and The Old Testament · Behaviour in the Old Testament and behaviour today – do WE need prophets · Whose responsibility is championing Justice and Truth |
Wisdom What do Christians do when life gets hard? 3.5 |
· The book of Job and the existence of suffering – 21st century version (2) · How do Christians respond to the challenge of evil and suffering · The advice of King Solomon |
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Gospel What is so radical about Jesus? 3.7 |
· Street pastors and the advice in MARK 2:15–19, Jesus comes to the sick, and MATTHEW 23:1–12, Jesus and the religious leaders · The ‘Nazareth Manifesto’ |
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Term 1 2nd Half |
MUSLIMS/JEWS |
What is good/bad/challenging about being a Muslim or Jewish teenager in Britain today? 3.10/3.11 |
· What is British Islam and what does Islam look like in our communities? · What is Islamophobia and why are some people islamophobic? · What is ijtihad and how can it help Muslim teenagers today? · How do young British Jews live out their religion? · What does the idea of Jews being G-d’s chosen or favoured people mean to Jewish teenagers in the UK today? · What is antisemitism and what can be done to challenge it? |
Term 2 1st Half
Term 2 2nd Half |
SIKHS |
How are Sikh teachings on equality and service put into practice today? God/ the Gurus/ Values/Panth 3.12 |
· How and why do Sikhs remember God? · What impact do Guru Nanak’s teachings on equality and service have on Sikhs? · What can we find out about Sikh duties from the Guru Granth Sahib? · How does a Sikh’s pathway through life show commitment to equality and service? · What does it mean to be ‘amritdhari’? · What does it mean to be a Sikh in Britain today? · How does the language of Sikhism connect with ideas of equality? |
Term 3 1st Half |
MULTI FAITH |
Why is there suffering? Are there any good solutions? 3.16 |
· What types of suffering are in the world? Is suffering a natural human state? · What do Christians learn from the Bible about why suffering happens? · Does suffering prove that God does not exist? · What did the Buddha teach about suffering? · How does belief in life beyond this life make a difference to people’s responses to suffering? |
Term 3 2nd Half |
MULTI FAITH |
How can people express the spiritual through the Arts? 3.18 |
· Spiritual: What’s that? Examining different views about spirituality · Sikh art, music and architecture: what is inspiring? Examples from Amritsar and the UK · Muslim calligraphy, painting and architecture: what is inspiring? · How does Christian worship express ideas and feelings to God and about God? Preaching, music and Psalm · How do Christians express beliefs and devotion through visual art? · What is the point of a Sand Mandala, a Buddhist art form? · What is Jewish klezmer music? Can music connect people to the Almighty? Is music an expression of spirituality? |