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Religious Education

At Bamford Academy we are Theologists!

Our children are at the heart of everything we do, and in Religious Education (RE) we want every child to explore big questions about life confidently and inquisitively. We want our children to find out what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that they can make sense of religion, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living. RE is one of the ways we help our children grow into lifelong learners who are happy, ambitious and curious about the world around them. It is also where our core values come to life every day - Respect, Perseverance, Kindness, Acceptance and Responsibility - from listening carefully to a classmate’s view to treating every faith and community with sensitivity. You can read more on our Our Values page and in our Headteacher’s Welcome.

We hope this page helps you understand what your child will experience in Religious Education and how you can share in their learning journey.

Religious Education at Bamford - At a glance

Who: every child from Reception to Year 6 is encouraged to explore religions and worldviews with curiosity and respect.
How much: weekly RE lessons (a minimum of 36 hours per year at Key Stage 1 and 45 hours per year at Key Stage 2).
What: a carefully sequenced curriculum based on the Rochdale Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education, using NATRE resources and a two-year cycle suited to our mixed-age structure.
How: discussion, enquiry, first-hand experiences, visits to places of worship, role-play, art, music and reflection - with an emphasis on open enquiry.
Key religions and worldviews: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism and/or Buddhism, and non-religious worldviews including Humanism.
Visits: Bamford Chapel, St Michael’s Church, Rochdale Golden Mosque and a local synagogue.
Values & British Values: RE develops Respect, Perseverance, Kindness, Acceptance and Responsibility, and supports Mutual Respect, Tolerance of Different Faiths and Beliefs, Individual Liberty, Democracy and the Rule of Law.
Right of withdrawal: parents have the legal right to withdraw their child from RE (see the statement below).

Intent: Why we teach Religious Education at Bamford Academy

We teach Religious Education (RE) so that every child can acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity, Islam and the other principal religions represented in Great Britain; 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.

At Bamford Academy, we believe it is important for all our pupils to learn about different religions so that they can understand the world around them and the diverse people that populate it. Religious Education plays an important role, along with all other curriculum areas and particularly PSHE, in promoting social awareness and understanding. We encourage our pupils to ask questions about the world and to reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences. We include and promote British values, ensuring that children are aware of their rights and responsibilities as UK citizens.

Our curriculum is designed to encourage creativity, imagination, enquiry, debate, discussion and independence. We want our children to be engaged in RE lessons and experiences in order to succeed, and we believe we are a safe space for children to ask questions and for their understanding of others to flourish.

What do we want every child to achieve in RE?

Know about and understand a range of religions and worldviews.
Express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religions and worldviews.
Gain and deploy the skills needed to investigate key religious concepts, understand how different communities live together respectfully, and explain why beliefs are important in some people’s lives.

How does RE help children learn about British values?

Religious Education is a natural place to practise the values that matter in modern Britain. Children learn Mutual Respect and Tolerance of Different Faiths and Beliefs by treating all religions and communities with sensitivity and by listening carefully to different viewpoints; Individual Liberty by reflecting on their own beliefs and understanding that each person has a right to their own beliefs; and an appreciation of how values such as honesty, faithfulness and promise-keeping contribute to mutual respect and the rule of law in society. Our school values of Respect, Perseverance, Kindness, Acceptance and Responsibility run through every unit – from supporting a classmate during discussion to persevering with enquiry into complex questions.

Implementation: How we teach Religious Education at Bamford Academy

Planning for RE at Bamford Academy is completed in line with the Rochdale Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education. Teachers follow the school’s long-term plan, using the learning aims from the Rochdale Agreed Syllabus and NATRE resources. Children have weekly RE lessons with their teacher or teaching assistant.

From the Rochdale Agreed Syllabus it is required that:

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, learning outcomes are entwined throughout the Personal, Social and Emotional Development sections of the Development Matters curriculum, supporting children’s growing sense of self, their own community and their place within it.
In KS1 children learn about Christians, Muslims and Jews.
In Lower KS2 children learn about Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Atheists (with a focus on Humanists).
In Upper KS2 children additionally learn about Sikhs and/or Buddhists.

We value the religious background of all members of the school community and encourage children to share their own experiences freely. All religions and their communities are treated with respect and sensitivity, and we value the links that can be made between home, school and a faith community. We promote teaching in Religious Education that stresses open enquiry and first-hand experiences wherever possible for both staff and children. A large part of our RE curriculum is delivered through discussions; there may not be any written work produced in some lessons, but the impact of the learning is evident in reflections in the class book or end-of-unit assessment.

What are the key principles behind our RE teaching?

Pedagogical approach: lessons follow the principles of ‘The Bamford Way of Teaching and Learning’. Each lesson begins with retrieval to support children in securing knowledge in their long-term memories, then moves to new learning with an emphasis on exploring vocabulary, modelling and scaffolding of small chunks of new content.
Open enquiry and discussion: teachers check understanding through independent, group or paired work, make links to the bigger picture, and assess understanding. A range of teaching approaches is used, including purposeful partner talk and oral rehearsal.
First-hand experiences: children visit places of worship throughout their time at Bamford Academy – Bamford Chapel, St Michael’s Church, Rochdale Golden Mosque and a local synagogue – and benefit from visitors and case studies.
Inclusive practice: scaffolding, explicit instruction, cognitive strategies, flexible grouping and enabling environments ensure every child can access the curriculum.

In the classroom example: Who do Christians say made the world? (Years 1 and 2 – Cycle A, Autumn 1)

In this unit, children explore the Christian story of creation from the book of Genesis. They think about how a Christian might describe the creator of the world, retell the creation story, consider why Christians look after the world, learn about Harvest as a time when Christians say thank you to God, and look at how artists show the creation story in stained-glass windows. Children develop vocabulary such as made, world, thank, harvest, God, believe, Bible and praise, and receive a visit from a local Vicar.

Children practise Mutual Respect and Tolerance of Different Faiths and Beliefs by learning about Christian traditions as part of our shared cultural heritage, and they experience Responsibility and caring for the world. School values of Respect and Acceptance are woven through discussion and reflection.

You may notice your child… talking about the creation story or Harvest; asking questions about how people look after the world; or sharing something they have learned about Christian beliefs. Joining in with these conversations is a wonderful way to share their learning.

Impact: What children achieve in Religious Education

The children at Bamford Academy enjoy discussing their own religions and beliefs with the rest of their class as well as learning about other religions and why people choose or choose not to follow a religion. Through their RE learning, the children are able to make links between their own lives and those of others in their community and in the wider world, developing an understanding of other people’s cultures and ways of life. As such, RE is invaluable in an ever-changing, diverse world.

What does success look like in RE?

Success is not about a perfect written answer or a memorised list of facts. It looks like a child who is willing to ask a big question, ready to listen carefully to a different viewpoint, and resilient when thinking about complex ideas. It sounds like a child using religious vocabulary accurately, offering kind encouragement to a classmate, and reflecting on how beliefs shape people’s lives. And it grows as children connect classroom learning with visits to places of worship, assemblies and discussion, recognise the value of different faiths and worldviews, and take pride in their own and others’ ideas.

What your child will learn in Religious Education: Curriculum Overview

RE units are planned across two-year cycles. Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4, and Years 5 and 6 follow Cycle A and Cycle B. Key ideas are revisited and deepened over time. RE is celebrated throughout school life through classroom learning, assemblies, visits to places of worship and wider enrichment opportunities. Open each section below to see the units your child will study.

Foundation Stage – Reception (Understanding the World, People and Communities)

Autumn 1: Why is the word God so important to Christians? (Creation)
Autumn 2: Why do Christians perform Nativity plays at Christmas? (Incarnation)
Spring 1: Being special: where do we belong? (Thematic)
Spring 2: Why do Christians put a cross on their Easter garden? (Salvation)
Summer 1: Which places are special and why? (Thematic)
Summer 2: Which stories are special and why? (Thematic)

Years 1 and 2 – Cycle A

Autumn 1: Who do Christians say made the world? (Creation)
Autumn 2: Why does Christmas matter to Christians? (Incarnation)
Spring 1: Who is Jewish and how do they live? (Judaism)
Spring 2: What do Christians believe God is like? (God)
Summer 1: What does it mean to belong to a faith community? (Thematic)
Summer 2: How should we care for the world and for others, and why does it matter? (Thematic)

Years 1 and 2 – Cycle B

Autumn 1: What is the good news Christians believe Jesus brings? (Gospel)
Autumn 2: What is the good news Christians believe Jesus brings? (Gospel)
Spring 1: Who is a Muslim and how do they live? (Part 1) (Islam)
Spring 2: Why does Easter matter to Christians? (Salvation)
Summer 1: Who is a Muslim and how do they live? (Part 2) (Islam)
Summer 2: What makes some places special to believers? (Thematic)

Years 3 and 4 – Cycle A

Autumn 1: What is it like for someone to follow God? (People of God)
Autumn 2: What is the Trinity and why is it important for Christians? (Incarnation/God)
Spring 1: How do festivals and worship show what matters to a Muslim? (Islam)
Spring 2: How do festivals and family life show what matters to Jewish people? (Judaism)
Summer 1: What do Christians learn from the creation story? (Creation/Fall)
Summer 2: How and why do people try to make the world a better place? (Thematic)

Years 3 and 4 – Cycle B

Autumn 1: What kind of world did Jesus want? (Gospel)
Autumn 2: For Christians, when Jesus left, what was the impact of Pentecost? (Kingdom of God)
Spring 1: What do Hindus believe God is like? (Hindus)
Spring 2: Why do Christians call the day that Jesus died ‘Good Friday’? (Salvation)
Summer 1: What does it mean to be a Hindu in Britain today? (Hindus)
Summer 2: How and why do people mark the significant events of life? (Thematic)

Years 5 and 6 – Cycle A

Autumn 1: What does it mean if Christians believe God is holy and loving? (God)
Autumn 2: What does it mean to be a Muslim in Britain today? (Islam)
Spring 1: Why is the Torah so important to Jewish people? (Judaism)
Spring 2: Creation and science: conflicting or complementary? (Creation/Fall)
Summer 1: How can following God bring freedom and justice? (People of God)
Summer 2: What matters most to Humanists and Christians? (Thematic)

Years 5 and 6 – Cycle B

Autumn 1: Christians and how to live: what would Jesus do? (Gospel)
Autumn 2: Why do Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah? (Incarnation)
Spring 1: Why do Hindus want to be good? (Hindus)
Spring 2: What difference does the Resurrection make to Christians? (Salvation)
Summer 1: For Christians, what kind of king is Jesus? (Kingdom of God)
Summer 2: Why do some people believe in God and some not? How does faith help people when life gets hard? (Thematic)

How you can help your child with RE at home

You do not need specialist knowledge - just curiosity and openness. Talking about festivals, visiting local places of worship when appropriate, sharing stories from different traditions, and encouraging respectful questions are all simple ways to support your child.

View and download our RE curriculum documents:

RE Curriculum Statement – Intent, Implementation and Impact RE policy

Would you prefer a paper copy? We are happy to provide a free printed copy of any of these documents. Please ask at the school office, call 01706 631496 or email office@bamfordacademy.co.uk

Supporting every child

Religious Education is for every child at Bamford Academy. Lessons are fully inclusive and adapted to meet individual needs. Teachers provide scaffolding (including support with vocabulary, word mats and sentence-making activities), explicit instruction with clear modelling, cognitive and metacognitive strategies (tasks chunked into smaller steps), flexible grouping, and enabling environments with visual aids and concrete examples. Practical discussion and first-hand experiences allow pupils to demonstrate understanding without relying solely on written outcomes. Success is measured from individual starting points whilst maintaining high expectations for every learner. You can read more about how we support children on our SEND page.

If you feel your child might need extra support or extra challenge in RE, please talk to your child’s teacher. We will always work with you to find the right way forward.

Right of Withdrawal from Religious Education

Bamford Academy respects the fact that in the UK parents still have the right to withdraw their children from RE on the grounds that they wish to provide their own religious education (School Standards and Framework Act 1998 S71 (3)). This will be the parents’ responsibility. However, any parent wishing this will need to talk to the school to ensure that they understand the aims and value of RE before Bamford Academy honours this right.

Frequently Asked Questions about Religious Education at Bamford Academy

How much RE will my child do each week?

Children have weekly RE lessons with their teacher or teaching assistant. This is for a minimum of 36 hours per year at Key Stage 1 and 45 hours per year at Key Stage 2. In Reception, RE learning is entwined throughout Personal, Social and Emotional Development as part of Understanding the World.

Does Bamford Academy follow an agreed syllabus for RE?

Yes. We use the Rochdale Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education as the basis for our curriculum, supported by NATRE resources. Our long-term overview shows what is taught in each year group from Reception to Year 6 through a two-year cycle suited to our mixed-age structure.

Will my child visit places of worship?

Yes. To enhance children’s understanding, they visit places of worship throughout their time at Bamford Academy, including Bamford Chapel, St Michael’s Church, Rochdale Golden Mosque and a local synagogue. Visitors and case studies also enrich the curriculum.

Which religions and worldviews will my child learn about?

In KS1 children learn about Christians, Muslims and Jews. In Lower KS2 they learn about Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Atheists (with a focus on Humanists). In Upper KS2 they additionally learn about Sikhs and/or Buddhists. Thematic units also explore belonging, caring for the world, and questions about belief and non-belief.

Can I withdraw my child from RE?

Yes. Parents have the legal right to withdraw their children from RE (School Standards and Framework Act 1998 S71 (3)). Any parent wishing to do so will need to talk to the school first so that they understand the aims and value of RE before the school honours this right. Providing alternative religious education then becomes the parents’ responsibility.

How is RE made inclusive for all children?

RE lessons are fully inclusive. Teachers use scaffolding, explicit instruction, chunked tasks, flexible grouping, visual aids and practical discussion so that every child can access the curriculum and experience success from their individual starting points. We value the religious background of all members of the school community and treat all religions and communities with respect and sensitivity.

Get in touch

We welcome questions and queries about Religious Education and would love to hear from you.

If you have any questions about the curriculum, would like to find out more about how to support your child, wish to discuss withdrawal from RE, or would like a free printed copy of any document, please contact the school office.