The Sandwell Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education

This Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education has been created by the Sandwell Syllabus Conference.  It is the legal basis for Religious Education (RE) in Sandwell Schools.

Since 1944 all schools have been required to teach RE to all pupils on roll (with the exception that parents have the right to withdraw their children from the subject). Therefore, along with English, Mathematics, Science, Information Technology and Secondary Citizenship, Religious Education is part of the Basic Curriculum.

The Syllabus explains the value and purposes of RE for all pupils and specifies for teachers what shall be taught in each age group. It provides a coherent framework for setting high standards of learning in RE and enabling pupils to reach their potential in the subject. As such, the Agreed Syllabus is parallel to the government's subject orders for the subjects of the National Curriculum.

• Learning and Living: The Sandwell Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education 2018-2023
• Assessment Guidance for Teachers of Religious Education
• Sandwell SACRE Guidance and Support Materials - Glossary of Terms: Religion and Belief
• Sandwell SACRE Inclusion SEND and G&T in RE: The P Scales for RE 2018

Units of Work

In order to support the Agreed Syllabus, Units of Work have been developed in conjunction with RE Today. These resources are available free of charge to all Sandwell schools and academies. These units should not be passed on to others and should only be used by school and academies in Sandwell.

Additional units:

Sandwell Local Authority has commissioned additional resources to support programmes of study which can be downloaded here. It is intended that further units will become available.

Early Years Foundation Stage

• Being Special: Where do we belong? [Unit F1 - Year Group: Reception]
• Which places are special and why? [Unit F5 - Year Group: Reception]
• Which stories are special and why? [Unit F6 - Year Group: Reception]

Key Stage 1: Year 1 or 2

• Celebrating Festivals: What makes a day special? Who celebrates what and why? [Unit 1.3 - Year 1 or 2]
• Beginning to learn about Sikhs: Stories of the Gurus [Unit 1.4 - Year 1]
• Beginning to learn about Sikhs: The Gurdwara 'a place to belong' [Unit 1.5 - Year 1 or 2]
• Special stories for Muslims: What can we learn? [Unit 1.7 - Year 1 to 2]
• Beginning to learn about Islam: Muslims and Mosques in Sandwell [Unit 1.8 - Year 1 or 2]
• Holy Places: where and how do Christians, Sikhs and Muslim worship? [Unit 1.9 - Year 2]
• How and why are some books holy? What makes these books important? [Unit 1.10 - Year 2]
• Questions that puzzle us: I Wonder...Questions about God [Unit 1.11 - Year 2]

Lower Key Stage 2: Year 3 or 4

• What are the deeper meanings of our celebrations? [Unit L2.1 - Year 3 or 4]
• What does it mean to be a Hindu today? [Unit L2.2 - Year 3 or 4]
• What is it like to be a Sikh in Sandwell? Sikh beliefs and ways of living [Unit L2.4 - Year 3 or 4]
• What matters most to Humanists and Christians? [Unit L2.6 - Year 3 or 4]
• What is it like to be Jewish? [Unit L2.9 - Year 3 or 4]
• Keeping 5 Pillars: What difference does it make? [Unit L2.11 - Year 3 or 4]
• Why does the Prophet matter to Muslims? [Unit L2.12 - Year 3 or 4]

Upper Key Stage 2: Year 5 or 6

• An enquiry into visiting places of worship [Unit U2.2 - Year 5 or 6]
• Can religions help people when times get hard? [Unit U2.3 - Year 5 or 6]
• How and why do Jewish people, Muslims, and Hindus pray? [Unit U2.5 - Year 5 or 6]
• What can we learn from religions about temptation? [Unit U2.6 - Year 5 or 6]
• Religions in the local community: What will make our town a more respectful place? [Unit U2.9 - Year 5 or 6]
• Beliefs and actions in the world: Can Christian Aid and Islamic Relief change the world? [Unit U2.10 - Year 5 or 6]
• Why do Hindus try to be good? [Unit 2.11 - Year 5 or 6]
• What impact do people's beliefs have in their lives? Spiritual expression. [Unit U2.12 - Year 6]

Key Stage 3: Year 7, 8 or 9

• How do we express our spiritual ideas through the arts? [Unit 3.2 - Year 7]
• What difference does it make to be atheist or agnostic in Britain today? [Unit 3.3 - Year 7, 8 or 9]
• What makes a person inspiring to others? [Unit 3.4 - Year 7]
• What makes some scientists believe in religion, and others reject religion? [Unit 3.5 - Year 8 or 9]
• Religion: is it a cause of conflict or a power for peace? [Unit 3.6 - Year 8 or 9]
• Why is there suffering? Are there any solutions to the problem of suffering? [Unit 3.7 - Year 8 or 9]
• Wisdom to live by: what do we do when life gets hard? Can religion help? [Unit 3.10, Year 8 or 9]
• Death: it is the end? What happens when we die? [Unit 3.11 - Year 7, 8 or 9]
• Good and bad, right and wrong: How do we decide? [Unit 3.12 - Year 8 or 9]