Our Curriculum

Our vision

At Springfield, we believe that an understanding of the world’s major religions helps our children to understand the world in which they live. We believe that through understanding religious practices and beliefs, we can promote our values of tolerance and respect of difference.

We are fortunate to have a multi-faith community at our school.  Our RE curriculum is designed to explore a range of faiths to gain a deep understanding of religion and how it shapes people’s lives. Through exploring religious stories and rituals, we develop our children’s insight into how others see the world and the religious values which may underpin their daily lives. By exploring similarities and differences, we also highlight connections and commonalities which unite us as well as differences which enrich our community.

Through our teaching of RE, we strive to encourage our children to become open-minded, curious and respectful citizens who understand and value the beliefs of others.

How we plan for and teach RE

Children at Springfield have weekly RE lessons, through which their understanding of religious beliefs and practices builds over time. Following Hackney’s SACRE scheme of work, lessons involve exploration of religious narratives, the study of rituals and practices and the key tenets and symbols of each faith. Significant objects are studied to bring lessons to life and familiarise the children with things that have particular importance in different faiths.

Our children are encouraged to share their knowledge about their own religions and how they practice them in a safe, respectful environment. Members of our wider community, representing a range of faiths, are invited into our classrooms to share their religious customs and answer questions our children may have. Through visits to places of worship, our children learn about the significance of the places where religious communities gather to practise their faith.

Our school assemblies reflect the diverse community in which we live in and celebrate a wide range of festivals from the six major religions.

How we evaluate learning in RE

The impact of our RE curriculum can be found in children’s written work and the quality of discussions that they have. Children demonstrate their growing knowledge and understanding of religions in a range of carefully designed tasks. Over time, children demonstrate their deepening understanding of individual faiths by making connections within a faith, as well as showing their growing understanding of the discipline of RE by making links across different religions.

The impact of our RE curriculum can also be found in our children’s deep respect for one another and their attitude towards our local Jewish community. We are proud of how our RE curriculum supports children to both value difference and understand which shared values and beliefs unite us.