The RE curriculum is built around three main strands consisting of  ‘Believing’ which focuses on Religious beliefs, the teachings, sources and questions about meaning, purpose and truth. Expressing is the second strand which considers Religious forms of expressing and questions about identity and diversity. The final strand living is based around how people live out their beliefs through practices, ways of life and the values and commitments linked to them.

Year 4

In Autumn 1 children build on their knowledge from the questions ‘Where do we belong?’ EYFS and ‘What does it mean to belong to a faith community?’ Year 1 by investigating the question ‘What does it mean to be a Hindu in Britain today? This is from the living strand.

Autumn 2 builds on the study of Christmas from Year 1, 2 and 3 by looking at the QRE Unit of Christmas with a focus on the meaning of light in religion.

‘What can we learn from religions about deciding what is right and wrong?’ Is the focus in Spring 1, taken from the strand of living and is developed from the EYFS unit ‘What is special about our world?’ and the Year 2 question ‘How should we care for others and the world, and why does it matter? The QRE Unit of study ‘Which rules should we follow?’ also enhances this area. 

Spring 2 The question ‘Why are festivals important to religious communities?’ linked with the QRE Unit of Easter is part of the expressing strand’ This builds on the question from ‘Which times are special and why?’ EYFS and from Year 1 ‘How and why do we celebrate special and sacred times?’.

‘Why is Jesus inspiring to some people? Is enhanced by the QRE unit ‘Who is Jesus?’ Is the focus for Summer 1. Part of the believing strand this builds on the question previously studied in EYFS of ‘Which people are special and why?’.

In Summer 2 children investigate the question, ‘Why do some people think that life is like a journey and what significant experiences mark this?’ This is enhanced by the QRE Unit Life as a journey is part of the expressing strand. It also builds on previous knowledge gained through the questions, ‘What times are special and why?’ EYFS and How and why do we celebrate special times? From Year 1