SACRE

RVE 3-16

What matters in Humanities.

The statements of what matter within the Humanities (opens in a new tab) AoLE are mandatory and must be incorporated not only within the curriculum design for RVE and Humanities but also within the teaching and learning opportunities and experiences developed for learners. 

1. Enquiry, exploration and investigation inspire curiosity about the world, its past, present and future.
2. Events and human experiences are complex, and are perceived, interpreted and represented in different ways.
3. Our natural world is diverse and dynamic, influenced by processes and human actions.
4. Human societies are complex and diverse, and shaped by human actions and beliefs.
5. Informed, self-aware citizens engage with the challenges and opportunities that face humanity, and are able to take considered and ethical action.

Designing an objective, critical and pluralistic curriculum

RVE curriculum design must adhere to legislation, and should have regard to both the Welsh Government RVE guidance (opens in a new tab) as well as this Pembrokeshire locally Agreed Syllabus.

In order to ensure that our learners develop religious literacy and become ethically, informed citizens of Pembrokeshire, Wales and the world, they should have access to core knowledge, skills and experience as identified in the summary tables. These have been developed to ensure that schools can design their RVE curricula to allow for spiral learning and opportunities for pupils to systematically develop their own schema. Schools will have subsidiarity with regard to the implementation of the core knowledge, skills and experience into their curriculum design and plans.

To support with the curriculum design process, the following points should be considered by schools and settings when designing their curriculum for RVE.

• Excellent RVE should be inclusive of both religious and non-religious philosophical convictions/worldviews and these must be fairly and accurately represented.
• Local context is important in RVE. This includes the school context and the locality as well as pupil and teacher knowledge and experience. Schools have subsidiarity, and the freedom to make curriculum choices according to their particular setting.
• Excellent RVE will be sequenced across all phases to allow learners to make progress consistently throughout their time in school.

Recommended key ideas and knowledge summary tables

The recommended key ideas and knowledge summaries should be used alongside the four purposes of the curriculum and the Humanities statements of what matters to construct the RVE curriculum. This core, enabling knowledge will not only develop religious literacy within our learners, but will also support them in becoming ethical and informed citizens of Pembrokeshire, Wales and the world.

The key ideas and knowledge recommendations have been kept to a minimum to allow schools to design their own RVE curriculum, which suits their context and meets the needs of their learners, as well as ensuring depth of understanding of the religious and non-religious concepts, teachings, beliefs and practices. The recommended key ideas and knowledge summary tables are not designed to be used as a complete or partial scheme of work, merely as a reference point to refer to when designing the RVE curriculum. This will ensure that pupils are exposed to rich and powerful religious knowledge. Schools may exercise subsidiarity and create their own key ideas and knowledge based on their own curriculum designed for RVE. Where this does happen, schools must ensure that the core knowledge is provided with at least the same academic rigour as those recommended here.

• Religious literacy is essential if learners are to meet the four purposes of the Curriculum for Wales, and with this in mind, the following expectations are therefore inherent within this syllabus.  By the age of 14, learners will have developed the knowledge and understanding of a wide range of religion and belief that encompasses the Abrahamic faiths, Dharmic traditions as well as other types of religious beliefs, particularly those held by communities within Pembrokeshire.
• a range of non-religious worldviews/ philosophical convictions as well as philosophical convictions.

The curriculum and choices made should reflect the traditions of the school, the local community and Wales, whilst also taking into account the global picture as well. See point 1o for legislative summary.

As the Curriculum for Wales has stage-related, rather than age-related, expectations, each school's curriculum will be fully inclusive (based on the Welsh Government RVE guidance as well as this Agreed Syllabus). The curriculum must be designed to ensure that pupils are provided with rich and robust RVE learning experiences which allow all pupils to make progress through a spiral curriculum 3-16. 

Teachers across primary and secondary sectors are expected to collaborate and co-construct this entitlement of continuity of learning for all pupils. 

Key ideas and knowledge are set out for Christianity, the five principal religions of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism, one non-religious philosophical conviction (Humanism) and one philosophical conviction (Ethical Veganism) as well as Values and Ethics. This does not preclude any other religions and philosophical convictions being studied.

Alongside the Curriculum for Wales documents, the key ideas and knowledge summary tables will provide a basis for schools and practitioners to shape and develop their objective, critical and pluralistic RVE curriculum and schemes of learning.