RE

At Bywell Junior School, we believe that it is important for all our pupils to learn from and about religion, so that they can understand the world around them. The aim of Religious Education in our school is to help children to acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the other principal religions represented in Great Britain; to appreciate the way that religious beliefs shape life and behaviour, develop the ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues and enhance their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Religious Education is taught throughout the school in such a way as to reflect the overall aims and values of our school, making links to Friendship, Justice, Compassion, Peace and Endurance through the different religions taught.

It plays an important role, along with all other curriculum areas, particularly PSHCE, in promoting social awareness and understanding in our children. We encourage our pupils to ask questions about the world and to reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences. RE at Bywell promotes the values and attitudes necessary for citizenship in a multi-faith society through developing understanding of, respect for, and dialogue with people of different beliefs, practices, races and cultures.

Our curriculum is designed to encourage creativity, imagination, enquiry, debate, discussion and independence

• E is taught for 1 hour every week and as a school, we follow the Kirklees Agreed syllabus.
• Whole school Collective Worship currently takes place every Monday morning at 8:45am. On alternate Fridays, we hold a Celebration Assembly to recognise achievements across the school. When there is no whole school Collective Worship, class Collective Worship takes place instead – this is currently every Wednesday. Each class has a designated Collective Worship Leader who helps to lead and organise these sessions, encouraging pupil involvement and reflection.
• We celebrate Inter Faith Week, providing children with the opportunity to immerse themselves in different religions. As well as this, we have a close working relationship with Reverend Jonathan Bish, who has visited and led acts of collective worship once every half term.

• We visit the Church for a Christmas Christingle service and the Year 5 children also visit the church for Rewind to Christmas and Rewind to Easter. School continues to organise visits to different places of worship to enhance the learning experience for children as well as organising visits from different faith leaders to work with children and lead collective worship.

• A range of activities are planned for lessons which demonstrate different skills and are engaging whilst allowing an in depth look at different religious beliefs. Activities allow children to demonstrate their understanding of the topic and deepen children’s knowledge. Opportunities for Big Questions are planned to discuss current topics as well as religious elements providing children with a chance to explore and discuss their own views and those of others.
• Progression and the coverage of religions is clear in books and planning. Covering different religions across the years will allow children to draw similarities between religions and reflect upon their own beliefs.
• We organise pupil voice questionnaires to find out views of children about R.E and how they would like to further develop it.

• The class collective worship leaders met with the RE lead to reflect on their progress in leading worship sessions. The feedback was very positive, with both staff and pupils highlighting how much the children are enjoying their roles. The leaders particularly like sharing Bible stories one week and Picture News the next. Teachers have noted how confident the children are becoming and have been impressed by their leadership each week.
• A Ramadan club was set up for fasting children across all year groups, offering them a supportive space during lunchtime. Each week, a different member of staff planned engaging and creative activities for them to enjoy. Attendance was optional, but all eligible children chose to take part.
• We hosted another annual Bywell Iftaar Party, inviting staff and their families to come together and take part in the traditional opening of the fast as a school community. The event was very well attended, with a fantastic turnout and positive feedback from those who came.
• The year group displays in the school hall were updated to feature prayers, helping to promote a calm, thoughtful atmosphere and encourage spiritual reflection during collective gatherings.
• The RE lead took part in an online training session led by Chloe from Picture News, which focused on how current news stories can be used to support the development of courageous advocacy and spirituality in school. The session was interactive and engaging, providing a helpful overview of the Picture News Worship weekly resource. It also offered the chance to hear ideas from others and ask questions throughout.
• The RE lead carried out a book scrutiny across all year groups to ensure consistency with the new RE curriculum. The focus was on checking that the work in books matched the intended learning objectives, was appropriately pitched, and reflected good standards of presentation. This also helped to monitor how well the curriculum was being implemented across the school.

• Remind staff about the new RE curriculum and re-share the resources previously provided. This will help ensure consistency in planning and delivery across all year groups and offer support for any teachers who may need a refresher.
• New class collective worship leaders will be recruited, and training will be provided to help them feel confident in leading worship sessions. This will ensure a smooth transition and maintain the high standard of collective worship across the school.
• Gather feedback from pupils about RE lessons and Collective Worship through pupil interviews or surveys, and use this to inform future planning and improvements.
• Carry out drop-ins or lesson observations across different year groups to ensure the new RE curriculum is being implemented effectively and to identify any areas where staff may need further support or CPD.
• Invite Rev. Jonathan to lead a Collective Worship session and take the opportunity to introduce himself to the new Year 3 pupils, helping to strengthen the link between school and church.

• Shared the updated long-term overview and new reflection area checklists with all staff to support consistency and understanding of expectations across school.
• Carried out reflection area checks in every classroom to ensure spaces were purposeful, well-maintained and supportive of spiritual development.
• Spoke to children from each year group to gather their views on their reflection areas, class collective worship, the parable of the mustard seed and RE lessons. Their feedback was collated, written up and shared with staff.
• Following pupil voice, time was set aside during class collective worship sessions to revisit the purpose of reflection areas and remind children how these spaces can support prayer, stillness and spiritual reflection.
• The Reverend led a whole-school assembly on Harvest, helping children reflect on gratitude and generosity during this season.
• Organised the school’s Harvest collection in partnership with Fusion Housing. The collective worship leaders assisted in delivering the donations, representing the school within the local community.
• Fusion Food Bank delivered an engaging assembly to the whole school, raising awareness of food poverty and explaining how donations directly support families in need.
• Met with the Class Collective Worship leaders to revisit expectations, modelled an example worship session, and provided badges to support their sense of responsibility and leadership.
• School governor observed Class Collective Worship (Picture News).

Inter Faith Week

• Planned and organised Inter Faith Week for the whole school. Each class was allocated a different religion to explore in greater depth through stories, artefacts, discussion and creative activities.
• The RE lead delivered a whole-school collective worship to launch Inter Faith Week, introducing the theme of understanding and respecting different faiths.
• Guest speakers were invited from two different faith traditions – Christianity and Islam – to lead assemblies throughout the week, giving pupils the opportunity to hear directly from people of faith and ask thoughtful questions.
• At the end of the week, all classes showcased their learning to one another, sharing key beliefs, practices and creative pieces to celebrate the diversity of religious understanding across the school.

Christmas Events

• Organised the annual “Rewind to Christmas” workshop for Year 5, supporting their understanding of the Nativity story through drama, discussion and reflection.
• Planned the whole-school Christingle service, including ordering all resources needed for every class. Children will attend church at the end of term to take part in this special celebration.
• Christmas curriculum planning was shared with all staff, outlining key aspects to cover to ensure consistency and clarity across all year groups.

• Met with Collective Worship Leaders to review class collective worship and address any questions. RE Lead modelled a Picture News session to support consistency and engagement. This has helped Collective Worship Leaders’ feel more confident and improved the quality of worship across classes.
• Year 5 visited Longcauseway Church and took part in Easter-focused activities. This strengthened pupils’ understanding of the Easter story through a real-life context.
• All pupils designed an Easter egg with a religious theme, including quotes and elements of the Easter story. This reinforced key knowledge and allowed pupils to express their learning creatively.
• Collective Worship Leaders designed and created collective worship jars, ready to be launched in Summer 2 after SATs. This has developed pupil leadership and will enhance future worship sessions.
• During the Easter period, Reverend Jonathan led a whole-school collective worship on Easter. This supported pupils’ understanding of its meaning and importance.
• Reverend Jonathan also led worships on moving on, cathedrals in the UK and festival of Pentecost. This broadened pupils’ knowledge of Christian beliefs and practices.
• Each year group updated their RE displays to reflect current learning. This has helped to celebrate work and reinforce key themes across school.
• A Ramadan club was set up for fasting pupils, offering a supportive lunchtime space with planned activities. This ensured pupils felt supported and included during Ramadan.
• Hosted the annual Bywell Iftaar Party for staff and families. This strengthened community links and promoted understanding of different faiths.