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Subject Leaders:Â Mrs C Steele
The principal aim of RE is to engage pupils in systematic enquiry into significant human questions which religion and worldviews address, so that they can develop the understanding and skills needed to appreciate and appraise varied responses to these questions, as well as develop responses of their own. Â
In RE we take this seriously, ensuring that all students have access to high quality RE lessons.  Here they can learn about a range of religious and non-religious worldviews, explore a variety of important questions and issues and, in turn, begin to consider they own thoughts and ideas about the world they are growing into. Â
At Maple Court we use a range of strategies to allow children to think and consider the big questions that the RE curriculum brings.  We aim to ensure that all thinking and reflection time is purposeful and leads to deeper learning. To ensure that this happens, we are mindful of thinking and reflection when planning units of work that consider big questions.  Approaches such as hotseating, active storytelling and looking at stories from different perspectives enable teachers to carefully form questions that will encourage deep thinking and active responses. Â
We link books to each of the RE topics covered, and have a clear pathway through the RE curriculum from Reception to Year six which ensures progression in the children’s knowledge, skills and understanding of the 4 major religions studied here – Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Hinduism as well as non-religious views.  Children are encouraged to apply our Maple Values to their study so that as their learning grows, so does their curiosity and interest in the world around them. Â
Our RE lessons are inclusive and balanced, but Parents/Carers have the right to withdraw their children from all or part of the RE lessons in school. If this is something you wish to discuss please contact the office and ask to meet with Mrs Steele to talk about it.
I, Mrs Steele, am the Religious Education curriculum leader at Maple Court Academy. It is my responsibility to oversee the effective planning and delivery of this Religious Education throughout our academy, ensuring our children are provided with diverse experiences.  Â
I have a passion for this subject and it is my role to expose children to the wonders of different religions and cultures during their time with us, as well as to ensure they understand that some people choose to have no faith, or to believe that no God exists, and to value everyone else’s opinion as valid, even if it is different to their own. We, as a school, want to help our children to develop their understanding and respect of the different viewpoints and beliefs they will come across as they make their way in the wider world. As a curriculum leader, I have taken great care in mapping the appropriate skills for each year band to ensure that RE is planned and sequenced effectively so that new knowledge and skills build on prior learning, ensuring that progressive skills are covered through the topics the children cover, focussed but not exclusive to, the four main religions we study – Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Hinduism. Â
 It is essential that as a subject leader, I strive to keep up to date with any curriculum changes by attending Primary RE Network meetings and feed this back to staff. I am also a member of NATRE – the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education – which ensures I am kept at the forefront of developing news and ideas within the teaching of RE in schools.   Â
It is important for me to have a clear picture of religious education at Maple Court; therefore, learning walks to observe classroom practise along with work scrutinies are a common feature of tracking how teaching and learning impacts on the progression towards end points. Ensuring staff have high-quality resources to aid their teaching also falls under my remit as well as tracking assessment of the subject and conducting pupil surveys to gain an understanding of the children’s ideas of strengths and weaknesses in RE. Feedback will always be provided in order to maintain the high expectations and very best provision for our children, ideas to improve retaining subject knowledge are shared, and advice will always be offered to raise confidence of our staff.  Â
 I believe that our children learn best when they have ample opportunities for learn both about and from religion: it is important that they are able to compare their learning to their own experiences and beliefs, and with this in mind we encourage discussion and questions during and after the RE lesson to allow children to explore their thoughts. Â
We use the Stoke-On-Trent Agreed Syllabus for RE 2021-2026 to teach RE.Â
At Maple Court Academy, assessment is ongoing throughout every lesson with teachers identifying strengths, misconceptions, and next steps. Teachers use this information to feed into subsequent learning sessions. Within RE, retrieval practice, questioning and partner discussion is encouraged to help teachers identify children’s progress towards the learning outcome, identifying children’s understanding and progress.  Â
Year 1
“It’s fun, we draw pictures.”                                                                      Â
Year 1
“I like R.E., it is interesting and we find out about different religions.”
Year 3
“RE is really good. We think about the different religions and learn more about what our friends believe in.”
Year 6
“I find R.E. interesting because you get to learn about different people’s beliefs and opinions, it makes me think.”                         Â
At Maple Court, we create an environment based upon trust and respect that is a safe, secure and happy place for children to learn, grow and develop.
Maple Court Academy delivers a high-quality and rich educational experience for pupils from Nursery to Year 6.
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