In Reception class, children should encounter Christianity and other faiths as part of their growing sense of self, their own community and their place within it.

Three units below focus on Christianity, and the others include opportunities to encounter Christians, Hindus, Jews and Muslims, as well as non-religious responses and ways of living.

Six units are provided. Schools should teach at least four of these.

  1. Why is the word "God" so important to Christians?

  2. Why is Christmas special for Christians?

  3. Why is Easter special for Christians?

  4. Being special: where do we belong?

  5. Which places are special and why?

  6. Which stories are special and why?

Early Learning Goals

Within the Early Years Curriculum, there is often cross-over between the different subjects. The following Early Learning Goals relate to the discrete subject of Religious Education and are taken from Knowledge and Understanding of the World:

People, Culture and Communities:

Children at the expected level of development will:

• Describe their immediate environment using knowledge from observation, discussion, stories, non-fiction texts and maps;
• Know some similarities and differences between different religious and cultural communities in this country, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class;
• Explain some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries, drawing on knowledge from stories, non-fiction texts and – when appropriate – maps.