Religious Education (RE)

At WFS we follow the Worcestershire Agreed Syllabus 2020-2025 that has the vision that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can benefit from religious education (RE).  The law states that the agreed syllabus is to be taught to SEND pupils ‘as far as it is practicable’.

We adhere to Worcestershire’s advice, regarding RE in special schools; drawing on the key ideas of ‘discovering, exploring, connecting and responding’. Within planning teachers embed the following approach to enable them to use the religious themes and concepts as a source of information and then plan RE so that pupils can explore and respond, at the same time promoting their own personal development by making connections with core religious concepts and their own experiences.

1. Connection – what links can we make with our pupils’ lives? Creating a bridge between pupils’ experiences and the religious theme.
2. Knowledge – what is the burning core of the faith? Selecting what really matters in a religious theme, cutting out peripheral information.
3. Senses – what sensory elements are in the religion? Looking for a range of authentic sensory experiences that link with the theme.
4. Symbols – what are the symbols that are most accessible? Choosing symbols that will encapsulate the theme.
5. Values – what are the values in the religion that speak to us? Making links between the values of the religious theme and the children’s lives.

Teachers tailor planning of RE experiences supported by links to other areas of the WFS progression Steps and the Personal Social Health & Economic curriculum (PSHE) curriculum. This will include pupils’ understanding of

- their own individuality.

- finding their own calm and space in the world.

- the use of multi-sensory approaches.

- finding insights into being able to answer tough questions.

Within each pathway, but not restricted only to that pathway, the RE provision may include:

Pathway 1 & 2 - Supporting the pupils in

 - finding their own individual approach to life

 - finding times of calm

 - developing an awareness of themselves, their feelings, their emotions & their senses.

Pathway 3 - Developing the pupils’

 - multi-sensory approaches to introduce spiritual experiences

 - social development through story, music, shared experience, and ritual

 - relationships with other people and their understanding of other peoples’ needs

Pathway 4 – Providing

 - an insight into the work of religion and human experiences, through questioning

 - opportunities for pupils to partake in spiritual or reflective activity

 - opportunities to enable pupils to make links with their own lives