1. 1. RE

Subject Leaders

Gurdeep Bilkhu
 
My name is Gurdeep Bilkhu, and I teach the children in Orchard Nursery.  I have been at Mayflower for almost 12-years.  I love music, eating out, and visiting new places.  I have only just become the RE Leader at Mayflower, and know that there will be a lot of work to do as we carefully introduce the new Agreed Syllabus. 
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​I am looking forward to this challenge, and am excited by the new ways in which this subject can be taught from Nursery all the way through to the end of Year 6.
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Luke Whitney
 
My name is Luke Whitney and I am the Head Teacher. I started at Mayflower in 2017, having previously been an Executive Head Teacher in Lincolnshire, a Consultant Head Teacher in Northamptonshire, and also a Head Teacher across a number of schools in Corby.  Outside of school, I love to play music, look after my cats, and travel whenever I can.  I have also just become the RE Leader, and recognise how integral the subject is to community cohesion.  It will help our children to develop a much deeper understanding of faith, why this is important to many people throughout the world, common themes, and also the humanist and non-faith traditions. 

​Living and working in the City of Leicester is strongly informed by knowledge and understanding of faith, and this motivates me to ensure the subject is strongly embedded in our school.

Intent, Implementation and Impact
 
As RE Leaders, we will work hard to ensure that our syllabus is effectively delivered to all of the children at Mayflower Primary School.  Teachers will be well-trained, equipped with quality resources to deliver engaging lessons, and have the confidence to engage with children as they develop their own worldview.  As our children progress through the syllabus, they will deepen their knowledge of all world faiths, and none, recognising how people make sense of the world and the impact this has on their daily lives. 

​Click here for more information
 
Assessment
 
Assessment in RE takes place during lessons through feedback provided by staff.  As per our feedback and marking policy, this is most effective during the lesson.  Children will also RAG rate their own learning at the end of each lesson against the Question for the Session.  Formal assessments are made at the end of each term, and these are submitted to the Head Teacher, determining attainment, progress, and the overall impact of the syllabus on all our children.  They are measured against age-related expectations across the syllabus, using a 4-point system, as follows:
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1. Working below Key Stage  
2. Working Towards Age-Related Expectations  
3. Working at Age-Related Expectations  
4. Working at the Greater Depth Standard

 
Differentiation helps all teachers to ensure that the children’s needs are being met through lesson content that is matched to their needs.  Adaptations are also made to ensure that our SEND children can gain access to all lessons, with a strong focus on disciplinary and substantive knowledge, as opposed to the literacy and numeracy skills we may expect of them to access it.  In this way, low outcomes in literacy and numeracy do not have to equate to low outcomes in RE.
 
Golden Threads and Curriculum Enrichment:
 
RE supports the 3-Golden Threads in many different ways, and we recognise the contribution it makes to the development of children’s character and worldview.  The global goals provide a framework for the love, care and compassion we show to the planet and each other.  Social Justice is supported through the transformational impact that religions can have on followers, and those they encounter.  Religions and humanism have the capacity to make the world a better place, and an awareness of Social Justice will empower our children to be agents of change through personal choice, faith, or any worldview they subsequently adopt.  Outdoor learning is promoted through local community visits, engaging with places of worship and how they relate to other buildings and facilities within our community.  The joy and wonder of nature are of primacy, and profound questions about purpose, meaning, and the uncertainty of the future ahead of us can be addressed through the effective delivery of the RE Syllabus at Mayflower Primary School.  Visits from and visitors into school also enrich the delivery of the RE syllabus at Mayflower Primary School, examples of which are as follows:
 
The Journey of the Child
 
Through carefully planned and progressive units that reference prior learning and prepare children for future learning, we can chart a child’s journey through our school from their entry in the Orchard, all the way through to the end of Year 6.  Please tap on the following link to see how our children experience RE at Mayflower, and how this links together, helping them to develop their own worldview, either based in faith, or none:
 
Curriculum in Action
 
Talking about the curriculum is far less effective than actually seeing it in action.  We love to capture our children’s engagement with the RE Syllabus, both in the classroom and our local community.  For more information, please tap on the following link: