Year 2 RE- Judaism
This week in RE, Year 2 have been exploring the Jewish holy book, the Torah. They examined pictures of Torah scrolls and watched a video to deepen their understanding. The children learned that the Torah is written in Hebrew, stored in a special cabinet called an ark, and can take up to two years to be written by a scribe. They also discovered that it is read from left to right using a special pointer called a yad, and that it contains the laws God gave to Moses, guiding how Jewish people should live their lives. To bring their learning to life, the class read Sammy Spider’s First Simchat Torah and enjoyed discovering how Jewish people celebrate the completion of reading the Torah each year. The children then made their own Torah scrolls and yads, and ended the lesson by joyfully reenacting the celebration of Simchat Torah.
Year 1 RE: God as a Creator
This afternoon, we started our new topic about Creation. The children had 5 minutes to create anything they could choose, either drawing something or building something. They then thought about how they felt when they are creative, whether they found easy or tricky and if they had an idea straight away or if their idea changed whilst they were making something. Then we learnt about the Creation story in the Bible. It took God 7 days to make our earth and all of the living things. We then sequenced the story to solidify our understanding.
Year 6 Learn About the Journey of Hajj with Miss Kachwalla
Today in Year 6, Miss Kachwalla taught an R.E. lesson about Hajj. As someone who has personally experienced Hajj, Miss Kachwalla shared her knowledge and reflections to help the children understand the importance of pilgrimage in Islam. The lesson began with the key question: “Why do people go on a pilgrimage?” The children shared many thoughtful responses, such as: People go to feel closer to God. It’s a way to express gratitude to God for everything He has given us. Pilgrimages help people to forgive others and start again. People go to remember important stories from their religion. It’s a special journey that helps you think about your faith. Year 6 then had an opportunity to ask Miss Kachwalla questions about her own experience. They were curious and engaged, asking things like: Why do people wear white clothes during Hajj? Why do Muslims have to go on Hajj? What happens when you get there? Miss Kachwalla explained that women have the freedom to wear any modest, loose-fitting clothing that is not white, but many still choose white or light colours for comfort and to symbolise purity. Men wear white on Hajj to symbolise equality, as the simple, unstitched cloth called Ihram removes signs of wealth and status, making everyone look the same before God. The white colour also represents purity and cleanliness, reflects the simplicity of life and death, and can offer a practical benefit by keeping the body cool in the heat. After all, it is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, a key act of faith and obedience to God. She described the experience as deeply spiritual, with people from all over the world coming together on the same day to worship, pray, and celebrate their shared faith. The children learned that Hajj is a joyful and humbling experience, a time of unity, reflection, and devotion. It was a truly inspiring lesson that helped the class understand the deeper meaning of pilgrimage and the strength of faith that connects people across the world.
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Year 5 - RE
In RE, we explored the Jewish sacred text called the Torah. We discussed the role that the Torah plays in worship at the synagogue and how it compares and contrasts to the Christian Bible. The children then wrote their names in Hebrew and we placed spiritual words on our prayer tree.
Year 1 RE: building a Sukkah
Today we looked at the Jewish festival Sukkot which lasts for 7 days. Jewish people celebrate Sukkot to thank God for helping the Israelites escape from Egypt with Moses. God gave Moses the power to part the Red Sea so that they could escape. During the festival, Jewish people build a Sukah which they live in for 7 days as a way to reflect and thank God for all that He provides, including food. This links with our own Christian festival Harvest as we say thanks for the food God gives to us. We then built our own Sukkah using chairs, ribbon, sticks and leaves. Year 1 even created a paper chain to decorate their Sukkah. It was lovely to see the children all working together and sharing ideas.
Year 2 RE- A Visit From Rev Ben
Today, Year 2 had a very special visit from Rev Ben as part of their learning about the Bible in RE. Everyone really enjoyed the visit and learned some great things! We discovered that the Bible can be like a torch, honey, and gold. Just like a torch helps us see in the dark, the Bible can guide us through life. It’s like honey because it’s full of sweet stories about kindness and love, and it’s like gold because it’s so precious and important to Christians. Rev Ben answered lots of our questions, such as when he got his first Bible, what his favourite Bible story is, when he became a Christian and a Vicar, and whether he reads any other books besides the Bible. He also brought in three of his own Bibles for us to look at—one he received when he became a Vicar, which has a tiny pearl inside, one he reads with his family, and another that has a different part to read each day. We would like to say a big thank you to Rev Ben for visiting us and helping us learn more about the Bible and why it is so special to Christians.
Year 4 - RE: Exploring Artefacts Used in Buddhist Prayer
On our quest to understand what prayer is to people of different faiths, the Year 4 class decided they wanted to explore what artefacts Buddhists might use to pray. The children examined their artefact and did an observational drawing of it. They then recorded how they thought it might be used and formulated some questions specific to their artefact.
Whole School Worship - Agent Ananias
We learned about a very special mission given by God this week in worship. God directed Ananias, a disciple in Damascus, to heal Saul of his blindness and baptise him. Despite Ananias's fear due to Saul's reputation as a persecutor of Christians, he obeyed the Lord's assurance that Saul was a "chosen instrument". Ananias laid hands on Saul, restoring his sight, and then baptised him, marking his dramatic conversion from persecutor to the apostle Paul, a key figure in spreading Christianity. We reflected on what we learned from the story and the children shared their thoughts, including that we should trust God’s choices, and that everyone has the ability to change.
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Year 3- R.E- How do people celebrate harvest around the world?
Today in R.E., Year 3 investigated how people around the world celebrate the harvest. We began with a class discussion to share our own experiences and understanding. Following this, the children wrote in their R.E. books, noting down some of the wonderful traditions we discovered. The children were particularly fascinated to learn about the different ways people show gratitude for the harvest. In the United States and Canada, Thanksgiving is a major national holiday celebrating the harvest and blessings of the past year. It is celebrated with a large family feast, which traditionally includes a roast turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. It is a time for people to gather and express gratitude for what they have. The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival, is one of the most important holidays in China. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, when the moon is at its fullest. Families gather to give thanks for a bountiful harvest and to pray for a good future. A key tradition is eating mooncakes and lighting colourful lanterns.
Year 2 RE- How Does the Bible Tell Us About God’s Big Story?
Today in our RE lesson, Year 2 explored how God’s Big Story is told in the Bible. They learned about the seven key elements of God’s Big Story, beginning with Creation and ending with the Kingdom of God. They then placed a variety of Bible stories into the correct part of the story, demonstrating a great understanding of a complex concept. Year 2 also delved into the key messages within these stories. They reflected on Jesus’ compassion and power through the miracle of feeding 5,000 people, understood the birth of Jesus as God’s way of offering help to the world, and explored the theme of second chances in stories like Jonah and the Whale. They also discussed how God does good in the world for those who trust in Him, as seen in Noah’s Ark and David and Goliath. Well done, Year 2! Keep up the great work!
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Year 6 R.E
Year 6's R.E unit this half term is "Life is a Journey." Last week we went on a spirituality walk to Jacks Key, thinking about how the natural and man-made features there could represent our life's journey, for example: bumps in the path, deciding whether to take the long road or the short cut, using a bridge to help us traverse tricky conditions, uphill struggles, etc. This week we looked at how scripture teaches us about how to tackle life's journey and live life in all its fullness.
Year 4 - RE: What is Prayer?
This half term, the Year 4s are on a RE quest to discover what prayer is. We began by studying images of people around the world from different faiths praying. We recorded our best ideas and also posed questions for Sally the Social Scientist about how the people were behaving. We then studied some quotes from the New Testament and tried to uncover Jesus’ teachings about prayer. The children will be choosing where they want their quest to go in next week’s lesson.