At Preston Candover CE Primary School, we currently follow our locally agreed syllabus which is currently Living Difference IV. This is the legal document to be followed for the teaching of Religious Education across all Hampshire schools.

The newly revised Living Difference IV was published in Jan 2022 and this will become compulsory from 2022. Please see the link below to access this document.

Why we follow 'Living Difference IV'

The Education Act 2002 states that:

• RE is a statutory subject to be taught in all schools except nursery schools
• RE in all community, foundation and voluntary controlled schools should be taught in accordance with an agreed syllabus
• Parents have the right to withdraw their children from RE lessons  -see below for further information*
• Each county/council must have a Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE)
• The agreed syllabus for RE must reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian, while taking account of the other principal religions represented in the country
• An agreed syllabus must not be designed to convert pupils, or to urge a particular religion or belief on pupils
• SACRE should review its agreed syllabus every five years.

Within this syllabus, each unit has a concept (theme). This provides our children with an opportunity to reflect on the learning within their own lives and experiences, even if they do not practise the focus religion. RE units follow a cycle of enquiry which generally begins at Communicate or Enquire. 

Across the school, we have four 'golden thread' concepts/ words 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.

 They are: community, belonging, special and love.

At Preston Candover CE Primary School, Christian traditions are studied proportionately more than any other single religious tradition, as required by The Living Difference syllabus. The children will also learn about a comparative religion:

Years 1 and 2 - Judaism

Years 3 and 4 - Hindu traditions

Year 5 and 6 - Islam

In our Early Years reception class, we regularly share stories from world religions and topics throughout the year allow children to share ideas and experiences. This allows children to gain confidence in expressing their thoughts and being respectful towards the beliefs and ideas of others. 

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

As a Church of England school, we also 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

*Withdrawal from RE

Parents have the right to withdraw their children from parts or all of the RE curriculum.  In the first instance, the Headteacher  would like to discuss with  parents their  particular concerns. This also provide an opportunity to drew up a clear agreement which parts of the RE curriculum a child is being withdrawn from.