Id-ul-Fitr (I): The festival marks the end of the month of Ramadan during which Din. Way of life, religion together with its practices. Din-ul-Fitrah. A description of
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2 Brent Agreed Syllabus for Religios Education Contents Foreword 3 1. Introduction 4 2. Specia l needs and inclusion 10 3. The Foundation Stage 13 4. Key Stage 1 2 3 5. Key Stage 2 40 6. Key Stages 3 and 4 93 7. Post 16 129 8. Attainment Target 131 9. Glossary 13 9 10. Appendix 1 : Legal requireme nts for religious education 176 Appendix 2 : Membe rship of the Brent Statutory Conference 1 7 8 and its working party

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3 Brent Agreed Syllabus for Religios Education Foreword Of all the subjects taught in Brent’s primary and secondary schools, modern religious education asks its students to engage with profoundly challenging questions: about how they live with their own beliefs and about how they live with those who have different beliefs. So I believe that we have been right to be ambitious about our work of revising Brent’s Agreed Syllabus for religious educati on. Building on what has gone before, a new syllabus for Brent should stimulate rigorous and responsive thinking among its students. It should excite commitment and creativity among its teachers. And, because it has been agreed locally, this syllabus is designed to fit the demands of our diverse Brent community. Our hope is that this syllabus will enable students and teachers to find religious education an enjoyable, relevant and serious subject. And that they will come to appreciate and engage with th e rich heritage of ideas, traditions and wisdoms that religions and ethical belief systems have to offer. The process of revising the syllabus has been more demanding than I first imagined but my SACRE colleagues have met the challenge with real dedicati on. Representatives from all Brent’s many faith communities invested their time, energy and expertise in the project. Our reward has been to experience first hand what religious education at its best can be, the personal enrichment of encountering the st rength and integrity of another person’s belief. Personally, I have found this task to be one of the most stimulating pieces of work I have done during my time in the borough. I would like to thank my colleagues for their unfailing commitment to this tas k, and with them to thank Beth Stockley, our RE Advisory Teacher, for the considerable professionalism and educational insight she has brought to the project. On behalf of my SACRE colleagues, I enthusiastically commend this syllabus to the young people of Brent and to their teachers, confident that it will serve them well. The Reverend Steven Nolan Group A Chair of LB of Brent Statutory Agreed Syllabus Conference July 2002

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4 Brent Agreed Syllabus for Religios Education The aim of religious education is to learn about and from spiritual insights , beliefs and religious practices and to explore fundamental questions of human life. This will include helping children and young people to: Understand and respect different theistic and non – theistic religious traditions as well as other ethical traditi ons (such as Humanism) by exploring issues within and between them Develop knowledge and understanding of beliefs, values, traditions and religious institutions and their influence on the life of the believer and on communities and societies Look for and learn from the wisdom contained in the stories, sayings and customs of religious and ethical traditions Understand how meaning is conveyed through religious texts, ritual, symbolism, and the arts Recognise the integrity of truth claims, value the search for truth and manage conflicts which may arise from differing views Develop the ability to make reasoned and informed choices concerning belief and behaviour Enhance and reflect on their own spiritual, moral, emotional and cultural development Develop a positive self image through reflecting on their own beliefs and home traditions while respecting the right of others to hold beliefs different to theirs Religious education, provided in accordance with the Brent Agreed Syllabus, s of any catechism or formulary which is distinctive . Education Act 1996 section 376 (2), Schools and Framework Act 1998 Schedule 19 (5) It is not the aim of religious education, then, to promote any religious pers pective or to persuade pupils to be religious. The aims of religious education in Brent

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5 Framework of the Brent Agreed Syllabus The Agreed Syllabus is organised into guidance for the Foundation Stage (age 3 – 5) and programmes of study for ea ch of the subsequent key stages ( Key Stage 1: age 5 – 7, Key Stage 2: age 7 – 11, Key Stage 3: age 11 – 14, Key Stage 4: age 14 – 16). The programmes of study have been designed to follow the framework of National Curriculum subjects. They clarify the types of knowledge, understanding, skills, attitudes and processes which inform religious education in Brent. They describe continuity and progression through the key stages. The religious and ethical traditions to be studied at each key stage are specified in th e breadth of study. Two prescribed units must be taught at the Foundation Stage and five at Key Stage 1 . There are four core units which must be taught at Key Stages 2 and 3 and additional units which can be chosen from a range of options. Teachers must address the programme of study for the appropriate key stage and the key questions for each unit taught. Learning objectives, suggested teaching material and examples of learning activities have been included to guide teachers in their planning and teachi ng. It is recognised that, in order to give adequate time to address the requirements of the programme of study, there will be differences in the amount of material studied within a unit by different students and by different classes within a key stage d ue to differences in age and ability. Great Britain are in the main Christian while taking account of the teachings and practices of the other principal religions r Education Reform Act 1988 Section 8 (3). The principal religious traditions in Great Britain besides Christianity are generally understood to be Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. All of these religious communit ies are represented in The London Borough of Brent. In addition there are significant numbers of While students are required to study units on Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism at K ey Stages 2 and 3, material is included from these and other traditions in the thematic units. At Key Stage 3 students may also be taught it is important that teachers are awa re that they may introduce material from

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6 other traditions into the thematic units in order to take into account traditions with smaller numbers of adherents but with significant teachings and/or to include the experiences of students in their classr oom . There is also the provision for teachers to design their own unit at Key Stage 3, drawing on the requirements specified in the programme of study. They may wish to design a systematic unit on a tradition not already detailed, e.g. Rastafarianism. In Brent the majority of students are active members of religious communities. There is also a minority of students who do not come from a religious background but who, nevertheless, bring with them developing beliefs, values and ethical frameworks. The with religious practices. There is diversity within traditions as well as between personal development. One of the aims of the Brent syllabus is to help students to live peacefully in a pluralist society where there are often conflicting views. There are times when this diversity may produce friction due to conflicting truth claims or different ways of fo llowing the same tradition. The presence of debate gives teachers the opportunity to teach students how to manage such disputes constructively and calmly while maintaining the integrity of their own beliefs. Indeed, it is the role of religious education t o provide opportunities for structured discussion and for students to learn reasoned argument where they can listen to the views of others and express their own coherently. mo tivates people, shapes the way they live, informs their choices and without which it would be difficult to carry on living. Teachers need to recognise that faith life experienc es. For many their faith and beliefs are clearly identified with a named religious or ethical system and they may belong to its community, participating fully or maybe only occasionally. Others may not find it so easy to identify their beliefs and faith with an existing organisation. Some may be on a search for a community of believers with which to identify. The investigation and understanding of this whole range of beliefs, of faith, of ways of belonging and of practice is at the core of this syllabus .

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8 Both the programmes of study and the individual units provide links with the Citizenship curriculum. There is considerable overlap between the skills and attitudes of religious education and those of Citizenship . These include the processes involved in expressing personal opinions and beliefs, contribution to discussion, often of a controversial nature, consideration of other points of view and reflection on the motivation and processes of par ticipating and action. The key questions for many of the units at Key Stage 3 connect specifically with the concepts and concerns of Citizenship, such as justice, human rights, equality, freedom, law making, diversity, care for the environment and conflic t resolution. Most GCSE courses in religious studies also explore these issues. Teachers should also provide students with opportunities to explore topical issues in the context of units being studied. Every school should have a named teacher responsibl e for religious education. Religious education should be clearly included in curriculum planning. Schools should include the study units in their broad framework of curriculum provision and develop them through their medium – term planning. Religious educ ation should have parity of status as regards time and resources with foundation subjects. This syllabus assumes the following minimum hours will be devoted to religious education: Foundation Stage (Reception) : 36 hours per year Key Stage 1 : 36 h ours per year Key Stage 2 : 45 hours per year Key Stage 3 : 45 hours per year Key Stage 4 : 40 hours per year Post 16 : 5 hours per year At Key Stages 3 and 4 schools may find it appropriate to integrate religious education, citizenship and PSHE given the close connections between these three areas of the curriculum and the importance of faith perspectives on many aspects of PSHE. In this case, the amount of time allocated should be doubled . The Citizenship Planning and managing religi ous education in schools

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10 Special needs and inclusion All pupils in mainstream schools must be given access to the whole curriculum including religious education. Teaching needs to be engaging and challenging for all pupils. The use of a range of teach ing methods, allowing for different learning styles, and the differentiation of learning activities will help teachers to provide for good progress of all pupils. Good inclusive teaching of religious education: Relates key concepts, experiences or quest ions to their own experiences and builds understanding based on this relationship Engages all students with strong sensory aids that connect to key concepts, experiences or questions Uses creative arts to communicate themes of religious education through e motion Uses religious and non – religious artefacts that, whenever possible, are authentic and Includes movement and drama Uses websites that provide something exciting, visual or aural about religious education Includes visitors to share ab out aspects of their lives Uses the natural and local environment as well as places of worship Pupils who attend special school s should be taught religious education . (Education Act 1981) Teachers need to be particularly alert to the difference between faith nurture and religious education when working with pupils who have not yet developed a clear sens e of themselves and that of others and between the different traditions. It is easier for children to be nurtured in a faith through sustained references to b eliefs in a context of home practice and action than it is for children to learn about the beliefs of others in a school setting. Within religious education, it

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11 may be particularly difficult to communicate concepts of God without verging on faith nurture until children have a clear sense of others. Therefore it is suggested that work may be done exploring shared spiritual values and experiences, sometimes in the context of religious material, until pupils begin to develop a sense of themselves and others. At first they may develop an awareness of different traditions through the identities and affiliations of themselves, their peers, teachers and visitors. The box below draws out important aspects of spiritual appreciation and religious education which a re particularly relevant to the learning needs and development of children in special schools and may be the focus of their learning. Aspects of spiritual appreciation Making sense Meaning Pattern Order Repetition Time Ritual Celebration Remembering Community Creativity Self awareness Relationships S ense awareness Curiosity Empathy Belonging Awe and wonder Rules of conduct Response to environment Imagination Teachers can plan their provision for learning and development in these areas within the framework of different themes, such as those listed below: Everyday and special celebrations Personal events Journeys Festivals Stories Self and Others The Natural World Change

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