Religious Education (RE)
‘No man’s knowledge here can go beyond his experience.’
John Locke (philosopher)
BHA provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, the self and the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human. Pupils develop a curiosity about life and our place in the world.
Through our curriculum, pupils:
- Interpret and explain how religion and belief can influence individuals and society and communities;
- Interpret the wide range of ways in which religion and belief can be expressed;
- Consider, explore and evaluate some ‘big questions’ giving reasoned arguments and responses.
Curriculum Overview
Year 6
| Content | Skills |
| What is our world made up of? Ways of knowing – how we’ll be exploring through RE at BHA (theological, sociological, philosophical) What are worldviews? Our personal worldviews | Building on prior knowledge Exploring our ideas – what we know vs what we can discover Challenging misconceptions Numeracy skills – interpretation of numbers (analysis); empathy. |
| Golden Rule – how is this interpreted by those with different world views? How does the Golden Rule fit into our life? | Research skills; empathy. Investigating real stories Discussion and debating |
| Stewardship and Community – what is it and how do different religions show it? | Challenging misconceptions; using the media as sources; interpreting stories; empathy and reflection. Outdoor learning opportunity |
| Philosophy – asking the big questions Where does our understanding come from? What influences it? Philosophers throughout history and their ‘Big Ideas’ | Investigating and interpreting; empathy; discussion and debating |
| Spirited Arts – national competition (linking all topics covered throughout Yr 6) | Application of knowledge built up this year; developing creativity. |
Year 7
| Content | Skills |
| Creation – where does the story begin? Science vs religion – complementary or conflicting? | Exploring and understanding key concepts of creation; enquiry skills; evaluation; empathy, discussion and debating. |
| Comparison of Christian & Hindu creation stories | Discussion, debate, exploration of key ideas Analysis, discussion, evaluation. |
| Another life – what happens next? Abrahamic/ Eastern religions – how do they compare? Christianity – Heaven interpretation Hinduism – Karma, samsara & Moksha | Discussion, interpretation, debate, analysis. Reflection on prior learning and how it links to new ideas |
| What’s so radical about Jesus? Can someone be radical and inspirational? | Discussion; debating; reflection; empathy. |
| Artistic interpretations of Jesus– comparison of different interpretations from around the world | Interpretation skills; comparison skills; evaluation skills; empathy, discussion and debating. Developing creativity |
| Pilgrimage – What? Where? Why? How would you plan a specific pilgrimage? | Outdoor learning opportunity Using information to plan, research and evidence a pilgrimage (cross-curricular links to geography and history) |
Year 8
| Content | Skills |
| Good/Bad/Right/Wrong – how do we decide? What would we consider good or evil and how would we explain that? | Building key concepts and terminology (e.g. good/evil/sin/justice, etc) |
| Eightfold Path (Buddhism) and Ten Commandments (Christianity) – how do they guide people to be ‘good’? | Empathy – exploring different views; comparison skills |
| Why is there suffering? What are the solutions? Moral decisions and influences | Comparison of different viewpoints; discussion; research; analysis; writing balanced arguments. |
| Just War (link to English curriculum) | Understanding argument; writing balanced arguments; empathy, discussion, debate. |
| Religious Diversity – exploring key concepts (liberal, orthodox, secular) Christian denominations – why are there so many? Teenage voices – being religious in modern society | Exploring, discussion, developing ideas, oracy, empathy, expression. Link to history curriculum Research, empathy, analysis, discussion, oracy. |
| Judaism and the Holocaust – what was it? How were the Jews affected? How did they respond? Lasting impact? | Research; discussion; empathy; expression; analysis of sources; interpretation |
We teach and assess our curriculum through our curriculum related expectations:
| Year 6 | Year 7 | Year 8 |
| I can show an understanding of how religion can shape peoples' lives (e.g. Islam in UK) | I can begin to understand the diversity within religions (e.g. Hinduism in UK) | I can begin to understand the diversity within religions. (e.g. Orthodox/Reform Judasim) |
| I can show an understanding of the variety of religious experiences. | I can build an expanding religious vocabulary, based on the topics studied. | I can build an expanding religious vocabulary, based on the topics studied. |
| I can begin to understand the views and opinions of others. | I can show an understanding of how religion can shape peoples’ lives. (e.g. Hinduism/Christianity) | I can show an understanding of how religion can shape people’s lives. |
| I can read and interpret key passages within a text. (e.g. The Bible) | I can show an understanding of the variety of different religious experiences. (e.g. Diwali) | I can show an understanding of the variety of religious experiences. |
| I can select similarities and differences between religions/beliefs in terms of moral issues. | I can begin to understand the views and opinions of others. | I can make links between religion and human experience. |
| I can consider how people might be influenced to answer philosophical questions. | I can read and interpret key passages within a text (e.g. Biblical description of Heaven) | I can begin to understand the views and opinions of others. |
| I can begin to understand the diversity within religions. | I can use relevant quotations from texts in my written work. | I can listen to and share my own thoughts and opinions in class discussions and build in reasoning. |
| I can build an expanding religious vocabulary based on the topics studied. | I can build a personal interpretation of key religious stories (e.g. creation in Christianity and Hinduism) and identify links. | I can read and interpret key passages within a text. (e.g. Torah) |
| I can express my view of a statement (e.g. where is God?) in an artistic way with description of my choices. | I can explore people who have been an inspiration to many. (e.g. MLK, Malala)
| I can use paragraphs to construct an essay based on a question about religion. (Which form of Baptism would you consider best?)
|
| I can listen to and share my own thoughts and opinions in class discussions. | I can listen to others and share my own thoughts and opinions in class discussions.
| I can select similarities and differences between religions/beliefs in terms of moral issues. (e.g. Kosher in Judaism) |
Additional Learning Opportunities
- Look out for programmes on TV such as Sacred Wonders (BBC) or Pilgrimage (BBC)
- Keep up-to-date with current events by watching Newsround or looking at the Newsround website https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/news/watch_newsround
Useful Links
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zh3rkqt
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/ks3-religious-studies/z72qf4j
Last Updated: October 2025