Lark Hill Primary School

RE at Lark Hill Primary School

At Lark Hill Primary School, our Religious Education curriculum enables children to explore big questions about meaning, purpose, beliefs, and values. Using the Kapow Primary RE scheme, our curriculum prepares pupils for life in modern Britain by exploring Christianity, major world religions (Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism), and non-religious worldviews (such as Humanism).

Our RE curriculum is deeply rooted in our four core school values:

• Respect: We teach children to respect the lived experiences, beliefs and practices of people from all religious and non-religious backgrounds, fostering tolerance and understanding in a diverse world.
• Responsibility: By exploring ethical dilemmas, social justice and moral codes across different worldviews, children connect RE directly to our school ethos: Look after each other, look after our school, look after yourself. They learn their responsibility towards global and local communities.
• Creativity: Children express their understanding creatively through art, music, drama, sacred text analysis, and reflective discussion.
• Challenge: Children are challenged to evaluate complex philosophical questions, weigh different worldviews, engage with challenging ethical topics and articulate their own informed perspectives.

The Three Strands of RE (Kapow Primary Framework)

Our RE curriculum splits learning into three critical disciplinary strands:

1. Substantive Knowledge (Beliefs and Practices): Learning about the core beliefs, teachings, sacred texts, rituals and practices of religious and non-religious traditions.
2. Disciplinary Knowledge (Thinking Like a Theologian / Scholar): Learning how we gain knowledge in RE, exploring how sacred texts are interpreted, analysing religious artefacts, evaluating sources and understanding that religions are dynamic and diverse.
3. Personal Knowledge (Reflecting & Expressing): Developing pupils' awareness of their own values, presuppositions and worldviews, allowing them to compare their perspectives with others respectfully.

Oracy & British Values in RE

Oracy (Voice 21 Framework)

In RE, respectful talk is essential for exploring sensitive, deep, and personal ideas. Using the Voice 21 Oracy Framework, we develop student talk through four strands:

• Cognitive (Theological & Philosophical Reasoning): Pupils use talk to construct arguments, evaluate moral views and justify their personal positions using evidence.
• Linguistic (Subject-Specific Vocabulary): Pupils actively practice key religious and philosophical terminology (e.g., stewardship, covenant, salvation, agnosticism) using structured talk frames.
• Physical (Rhetoric & Delivery): Pupils adapt tone, gesture and pace when participating in debates, philosophical enquiries, or presentations.
• Social & Emotional (Empathy & Respectful Dialogue): Structured dialogue fosters active listening, empathy and safe exploration of differing beliefs and ethical dilemmas.

British Values

Through RE, pupils build a strong foundation in Mutual Respect and Tolerance of Different Faiths and Beliefs. They explore democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law by examining religious moral codes, human rights and religious freedom.

Curriculum Overview: Class Mapping (Kapow Units)

Note on Differentiated Progression: In mixed-age classes (e.g., Robins Y1/2, Starlings Y2/3, Kestrels Y4/5), all children share the core unit theme. Differentiation and progression are achieved through task design, expected depth of vocabulary and level of theological enquiry (e.g., younger pupils focus on identifying practices; older pupils analyse meaning, context, and diversity within the faith).

Robins (Year 1 / Year 2)

Cycle A

• Autumn Term: Believing & Belonging — What does it mean to belong to a faith community? (Focus: Christianity & Islam)
• Spring Term: Stories & Sacred Writings — Why are holy books and stories important? (Focus: Bible & Quran)
• Summer Term: Celebrations & Festivals — How and why do religious people celebrate? (Focus: Christmas, Easter, Eid-ul-Fitr)

Cycle B

• Autumn Term: Symbols & Special Places — What makes places and symbols sacred? (Focus: Church & Mosque)
• Spring Term: Living World & Caring for Others — Who believes we should look after our world and why? (Creation stories & Golden Rule)
• Summer Term: Expressing Values — How do people show their beliefs in everyday life? (Focus: Jewish & Christian traditions)

Starlings (Year 2 / Year 3)

Cycle A

• Autumn Term: Sacred Texts & Wisdom — How do scriptures guide believers? (Focus: Christianity & Judaism - Torah & Old Testament stories)
• Spring Term: Rites of Passage & Milestones — How do promises and rituals mark life's journey? (Focus: Christian Baptism/Dedication, Jewish Bar/Bat Mitzvah)
• Summer Term: Places of Worship & Community — How does worship bring people together? (Focus: Synagogue & Church architectural/spiritual comparison)

Cycle B

• Autumn Term: Dharma & Hindu Life — What do Hindus believe about God, duty, and life? (Focus: Mandir, Deities, Diwali)
• Spring Term: Prophets & Teachers — What can we learn from inspiring religious leaders? (Focus: Jesus, Prophet Muhammad [PBUH], Buddha)
• Summer Term: Expressions of Faith — How do art, music, and symbolism express religious beliefs? (Focus: Christian, Hindu, and Islamic art/calligraphy)

Kestrels (Year 4 / Year 5)

Cycle A

• Autumn Term: Beliefs in Action & Social Justice — How do faiths promote equality and justice? (Focus: Khalsa/Sikhism - Seva and Langar; Christian Aid)
• Spring Term: Understanding God & The Universe — How do different worldviews answer questions about creation and God? (Focus: Monotheism, Polytheism, Non-religious/Humanist views)
• Summer Term: Sacred Journeys & Pilgrimage — Why do people go on sacred journeys? (Focus: Hajj to Makkah, Ganges/Varanasi, Iona)

Cycle B

• Autumn Term: Wisdom, Rules & Living Well — How do religious and non-religious codes guide life? (Focus: Ten Commandments, Noble Eightfold Path, Humanist school ethos)
• Spring Term: Prayer, Meditation & Worship — Why and how do people pray or meditate? (Focus: Christian prayer, Muslim Salah, Buddhist meditation)
• Summer Term: Local & Global Faith Communities — How is faith expressed locally in Stockport/Greater Manchester and globally? (Focus: Inter-faith dialogue & local community studies)

Skylarks (Year 6 - Single Year Group)

• Autumn Term: Ultimate Questions & Science/Faith — Creation vs Evolution: Are science and religion conflicting or complementary?
• Spring Term: Suffering, Hope & Meaning — Why is there suffering in the world and how do religions offer hope? (Focus: Christian, Buddhist, and Humanist responses)
• Summer Term: Worldviews in Modern Society — How do religious and non-religious beliefs shape modern ethics, law, and human rights?

RE Vocabulary Progression

Robins (Year 1 / Year 2)

Starlings (Year 2 / Year 3)

Kestrels (Year 4 / Year 5)

Skylarks (Year 6)

6. Assessment, Impact & Classroom Implementation

Assessment at the End of a Topic

• Teachers assess RE using professional judgement based on oral contributions, written responses, and philosophical debate.
• Assessment tasks vary: written evaluations, creative artistic reflections, or structured oral debates recorded using the Voice 21 framework.
• Regular Pupil Voice meetings ensure pupils can articulate their understanding as reflective, open-minded young theologians.

At the end of each topic, Kapow provides specific tools to evaluate what children have learned and retained over time:

Knowledge Catchers

• Before & After Tool: Pupils complete a "Knowledge Catcher" task at the start of a unit to capture prior knowledge, and revisit/complete it at the end.
• This visual approach allows teachers to measure distance travelled in substantive vocabulary and conceptual understanding.

Unit Assessment Quizzes

• Short, targeted end-of-unit quizzes test key factual recall (substantive knowledge) and understanding of sacred texts, rituals, and symbols.