Intent

At Preston Candover CE Primary, Religious Education is central to our identity as a Church of England school. We believe RE should help children explore what it means to live well, engaging thoughtfully and critically with questions of faith, meaning, purpose and values.

Our curriculum enables pupils to encounter Christianity as a diverse global living faith, developing a secure understanding of Christian beliefs, teachings, practices and biblical texts. Alongside this, pupils develop knowledge and understanding of a range of religious and non-religious worldviews, recognising the diversity, complexity and changing nature of beliefs and practices. In doing so, children develop the religious literacy needed to understand the world in which they live.

Through questioning, enquiry, discussion and reflection, pupils explore their own experiences and developing worldviews alongside those of others. They engage with different sources and perspectives and are encouraged to think through theological, philosophical and human and social-science lenses. They develop the confidence to ask meaningful questions, analyse and interpret ideas, articulate their own thinking and engage respectfully with those whose beliefs and worldviews differ from their own.

By the time children leave Preston Candover CE Primary, we aim for them to have a rich and well-informed understanding of Christianity and a growing knowledge of other religious and non-religious worldviews. They will be able to reflect on their own beliefs and values, engage thoughtfully and respectfully with difference, and make responsible and compassionate choices as individuals living together in a diverse world.

RE contributes to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and supports them to flourish as thoughtful, respectful and compassionate individuals. It is a distinct academic subject, separate from collective worship, with a clearly sequenced curriculum that enables all pupils to make progress in their knowledge, understanding and skills.

Implementation

As a Church of England school, our RE curriculum follows Living Difference IV, the agreed syllabus for Hampshire, alongside Understanding Christianity, providing pupils with a rich and developing understanding of Christianity. Our curriculum reflects the Church of England Statement of Entitlement for Religious Education, including opportunities to encounter a range of religious and non-religious worldviews and to recognise diversity within them.

RE is taught as a distinct subject every week, following the Living Difference IV time recommendations:

• KS1 – 36 hours per year
• KS2 – 45 hours per year

A two-year rolling programme supports our vertically grouped classes. Learning is carefully sequenced so that pupils build knowledge, vocabulary and understanding progressively, with key concepts and content revisited over time.

Teachers plan using the Living Difference IV cycle of enquiry, enabling pupils to communicate and apply their experiences, inquire and contextualise new ideas and perspectives, and evaluate different viewpoints. This develops pupils' substantive, disciplinary and personal knowledge.

Retrieval is an explicit part of RE teaching. Pupils regularly retrieve and revisit important knowledge, vocabulary and concepts from previous lessons and units. This supports long-term retention, addresses misconceptions and enables pupils to build new learning on secure prior knowledge.

The cycle of enquiry placemat is used regularly and can be found in pupils' books.

At Preston Candover CE Primary School, Christian traditions are studied proportionately more than any other single religious tradition.

As a Church of England school, we use the 'Understanding Christianity' resource to deepen our children's understanding of Christianity within Religious Education. This allows pupils to explore the significant theological concepts within Christianity as part of their wider religious, theological and cultural literacy. 

The Big Frieze- Understanding Christianity

In addition to the teaching of Christianity, within each phase, children also have a 'focus religion', alongside Christianity. These are as follows:

Years 1 and 2 - Judaism

Years 3 and 4 - Hindu traditions

Year 5 and 6 - Islam

Religious Education in our school starts from Early Years where even our youngest pupils enjoy listening to stories from different religions, visitors, visits and using artefacts and role play to bring concepts to life.

         

Visits, including to the local church, visitors and resource boxes are used to further enrich the curriculum and inspire learning for life within RE. This provides our children the opportunity to hear from people with different viewpoints and ask and answer questions.

              

              

 

Throughout their time at our school, pupils will have opportunities to learn about a range of world views, to include the 6 core religions of the world and humanism. We celebrate Inter-Faith Week and World Religion Day annually to raise the profile of RE further and provide opportunities for our pupils to focus on other world views outside their focus religions.

Library Display 

World Religion Day 2026

 

Year 5/6 Sacred Texts and Good Life Guides

Within the RE curriculum, we have identified four 'golden thread' concepts that ensure continuity across the key stages. These themes are interwoven into the planning for every year group and ensure children continually build upon and deepen their understanding of these key ideas as they progress through the school.

 They are: community, belonging, special and love.

 

RE units at our school follow a cycle of enquiry which generally begins at Communicate or Inquire. This way we can ensure our pupils develop a deeper understanding of the concept being taught.

Staff receive regular training through the Diocese of Winchester and local authority RE networks which are attended by the subject lead. Staff meetings are used regularly to provide opportunities to share updates, monitor RE and support staff knowledge of RE.

RE and SEND

At our school, RE is for everyone. Lessons are designed to be inclusive and accessible, promoting respect and understanding of different beliefs and cultures. Children with SEND access the same rich discussions and experiences as their peers, with adapted materials to match their learning needs. We ensure all pupils can express their ideas in different ways – through talk, creative responses or sensory activities. This inclusive approach allows every child to succeed and develop confidence in exploring faith and meaning. Teachers adapt resources to meet the needs of all learners, ensuring that children with SEND are supported through scaffolded tasks, visual prompts and additional adult guidance.

Time for Religious Education

We follow the time recommendations as detailed in the Living Difference syllabus. They are as follows:

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS): Approximately 36 hours per year

Key Stage 1 (KS1): 36 hours per year

Key Stage 2 (KS1): 45 hours per year

*Withdrawal from RE

Parents have the right to withdraw their children from parts or all of the RE curriculum.  It is no longer the case that parents have to explain this decision to school. However, we would like to work with families to ensure a clear agreement is in place as to which parts of the RE curriculum a child is being withdrawn from. 

Impact

We utilise a range of approaches to monitor the impact of RE teaching and learning in our school. This includes, for example, learning walks, speaking to the children/teachers, surveys and work sampling. From this, we can be confident that RE in our school achieves our intent and also meets our high expectations.

" RE lessons are really fun because we get to take part in lots of different types of activities, including team activities, and they are very interesting " - Year 3 pupil

" RE is really inspiring because it makes me want to learn more about how people choose to live their life"- Year 4 pupil

"During World Religion Day, we showed great synergy as we got to know each other even better and learnt to respect each other more, even if we believe different things" Year 5 pupil

"RE in our school is inclusive because we all get to share our opinions. It's reflective and intriguing. It helps me to understand my beliefs, reflect on myself and what I choose to believe" Year 6 pupil

   

Outcomes in RE vary, depending on the learning focus and stage of enquiry cycle.

We include a rich variety of tasks to inspire pupils and increase their enjoyment of RE lessons.  

      

    

   

   

   

 

What makes a Preston Candover RE Enquirer?      

KS1: A Preston Candover RE enquirer is curious and respectful. They ask questions, describe key beliefs, practices and symbols, explore belonging and celebration, recognise that people have different beliefs and experiences, and share their own ideas using appropriate RE vocabulary.

KS2: A Preston Candover RE enquirer is thoughtful and discerning. They ask increasingly perceptive questions, investigate beliefs, practices, stories and sources, use precise RE vocabulary, recognise diversity within and between worldviews, make meaningful comparisons and connections, and develop informed, balanced and reasoned responses.

 

Please use the links below to explore our RE curriculum further: