RE teaching packs
Section outline
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The County RE Centre offers a wide range of digital teaching packs to purchase that will enrich religious education in your school. Click on the drop down arrows to find out more. Prices shown are our subscriber rates - non subscribers can purchase these resources at an additional charge (see below).
Each pack is written to support the methodology of Living Difference IV, the locally agreed RE syllabus for schools in Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight and some London Boroughs. These packs contain:
- one or more cycles of learning
- background information for teachers
- stories
- images
- assessment opportunities
- recommended resources and useful websites.
All our packs reflect the requirement to use end of year expectations to inform planning and assess progression.
How to purchase
To purchase items from our catalogue, please complete the order form.
- Prices quoted apply to History Centre subscribers.
- Non-subscribing schools will be charged an additional £35 per item.
- VAT will be charged to Hampshire academies and non-Hampshire schools.
Revised RE primary publications
Please note that the following teaching packs have been revised to reflect changes in statutory guidance, curriculum and to incorporate further research from the world of theology and religious studies.
RE in the Foundation Stage (product code RE021b)
All schools should be following the 2022 EYFS statutory framework. In addition, there is a legal requirement for children in Reception classes in maintained and church controlled schools to access religious education as laid down in the RE agreed syllabus in Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth and Isle of Wight schools. We have revised our popular RE in the Foundation Stage teaching pack to take into account the 2022 EYFS statutory framework. If you require advice or support for the teaching of RE in your Reception classes, please contact Justine Ball (email justine.ball@hants.gov.uk).What does it mean to be a Muslim? guidance for teaching about Islam at KS2 (product code RE040)
This pack contains four cycles of enquiry covering both Year 5 and Year 6 teaching. This guidance has superseded the original pack entitled A visit to a Mosque which should not be used. If you are using the original pack in your school, please contact Justine Ball for further advice (email justine.ball@hants.gov.uk).Leadership and prophethood pack (product code RE016a)
This pack contains two cycles of enquiry for use in RE at the end of Year 6 to help prepare children for the transition to secondary school. The original pack included cross-curricular links with history which are no longer in the primary history curriculum. If you are using the original pack in your school, please contact Justine Ball for further advice (email justine.ball@hants.gov.uk).Teaching Christmas at KS2 (product code RE004)
This pack contains three cycles of enquiry, including a unit on the Magi. The concept for this unit has been changed from prophecy to warning. Please ensure that the planning and teaching in your school are focussed on the updated concept warning.Find out more
Click here to find out more about subscribing to the RE Curriculum Centre.
To check your school’s subscription status and for any queries regarding ordering RE resources, please contact us:
Email: re.centre@hants.gov.uk
Tel: 01962 863134 -
Packs to help RE leaders manage RE effectively
How to manage RE effectively at KS1 and KS2
Perfect for a newly appointed RE lead, this pack includes an introduction to Living Difference IV and its conceptual enquiry methodology, the role and responsibilities of the RE lead, advice on writing an RE policy, auditing your school’s RE, help with planning your RE, supporting your colleagues in their teaching and handling withdrawal requests.
Code:RE041 Price:£35
Click here for the subscribed resourceMaking judgements about progress in RE
Finding it challenging when assessing children's work?
This assessment pack aims to provide clear guidance on making judgements about progress in RE. It includes annotated samples of children’s work to exemplify how progress can be assessed. The appropriate medium term planning is also included, against which each work sample is judged.
Code:RE017 Price:£25
Teaching RE creatively
Looking for creative strategies to enrich your RE? We can help! Original and innovative, this pack will encourage and develop creativity in learners and teachers alike. Through the use of 30 teaching strategies, it aims to foster active and engaging teaching and learning. The strategies are specifically linked to Living Difference IV concepts and the parts of the cycle which each strategy best fits.
Code:RE045 Price:£30
Golden Threads
The aim of this booklet is to explain how to use Living Difference IV to make a curriculum make suggestions about the use of golden threads throughout a child’s religious education.
Code: RE047 Price: £30
Easter publications
Easter for infants
This popular pack comes complete with three units of work on the following concepts:
- celebration in the context of celebrating new life
- welcoming in the context of Palm Sunday
- sad and happy in the context of the Easter story.
Code:RE007 Price:£25
Teaching Easter at KS2
This teaching pack includes three units for Easter developing from the concepts of:
- changing emotions through to two more complex concepts
- suffering in the context of the key events at Easter
- resurrection in the context of the empty cross.
Code:RE039 Price:£25
Christmas publications
Teaching Christmas at KS1
This pack comes complete with three units of work on the following concepts:
- celebrating in the context of Jesus’ birthday
- waiting in the context of Advent
- celebration of Christmas around the world.
Code:RE046 Price:£25
Teaching Christmas at KS2
Building on the KS1 Christmas pack, this booklet and USB resource pack includes three complete units on the concepts:
- symbol of light in relation to Advent
- warning in relation to the Magi
- interpretation in relation to the two narratives of Jesus’ birth.
Code:RE004 Price:£25
Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 publications
RE in the Foundation Stage
This useful pack links Living Difference IV with the 2021 EYFS framework over five units on these concepts:
- celebrating birthdays in the context of Jesus’ birthday
- new life in the context of Easter
- celebration in the context of Jews celebrating Shabbat
- power in the context of the Hindu God Ganesh
- special – special clothes for Christians and Hindus.
Code:RE021b Price:£25
Special clothes
The concept special is of great importance for young children in the Foundation Stage and KS1. This pack focuses on the context of special clothes within religious experience, in all six major world faiths. A complete cycle of enquiry around the concept special is provided, with lots of activities and images
Code:RE023 Price:£25
Janmashtami
A valuable teaching pack to support a unit on the Hindu festival of Janmashtami (Krishna’s birthday), based on the concept remembering. The pack includes the story of Krishna’s birth, background to the Hindu puja ceremony, recipe for traditional sweets served at the festival, prompt questions for discussion and activities.
Code:RE013 Price:£25
The festival of Holi
Remembering (Vishnu) is the concept, contextualised in the lively and accessible Hindu spring festival of Holi. This pack contains intended learning outcomes, planning, stories, activities, questions to prompt discussion – even a recipe for sweets typically eaten at Holi.
Code:RE012 Price:£25
Shabbat
A popular topic, this pack focusses on the concept remembering, contextualised within the Jewish celebration of Shabbat. If you plan to role play the celebration as part of the cycle of learning, a checklist is included, as well as a recipe for Challah loaves, prompt discussion questions and assessment opportunities.
Code:RE022 Price:£25
Story
The concept story is key to this pack (with text on USB), which contains nine stories from the major six world faiths, including:
- Guru Hargobind is released from prison
- Prince Siddhartha and the swan
- How Ganesh got his head
- Daniel in the Lions’ den
- Paul and Silas in prison
As well as activities to engage children in the cycle.
Code:RE026 Price:£25
Stories Jesus told
This booklet on the concept storytelling focuses on how Jesus was a storyteller and how his stories are important to Christians today. Activities include Jesus in the Temple, the parables of the Good Samaritan and the House upon the rock.
Code:RE025 Price:£25
Key Stage 1/Key Stage 2 publications
Angels
Such a popular unit, this must have pack, comprising a booklet and USB of angels images and text, supports the concept angels.
Aimed at KS1/2, it provides a full conceptual cycle with all the accompanying activities and images, background information and recommended resources.
Code:RE001 Price:£25
Passover
This pack on the Jewish festival of Passover contains two cycles of learning on the concepts:
- remembering – for KS1
- freedom – for KS2.
There is also a checklist for role playing the Seder meal, the story of Passover, recipe for charoset, classroom activities and assessment opportunities.
Code:RE020 Price:£25
Change and transformation
This innovative pack contains full cycles of conceptual enquiry and eight specially written stories for two units:
- change within the context of People Jesus met for Year 2 children
- transformation within the context of Transformation of religious leaders for Year 3 children.
Code:RE003 Price:£25
Harvest pack
Three units are included in this bumper pack for the following concepts:
- thanking – Harvest and Sukkot for Reception/Year 1 children
- celebration – Harvest for Year 1
- bread as a symbol – Harvest for Year 2 – includes beautiful colour photographs of a harvest loaf.
Code:RE009 Price:£25
Water FS/KS1
This pack contacts a cycle of learning on the concept precious, contextualised within Christianity (baptism), Hinduism (River Ganges) and Islam (story of Muhammed and the stream).
Code:RE028 Price:£25
Water (ritual) KS2
Perfect for Years 3 and 4, this pack contains a cycle on the concept ritual, contextualised within Christianity (adult baptism), Islam (wudu) and Sikhism (baby blessing).
Code:RE036 Price:£25
Water (symbol) KS2
Ideal for Years 5 and 6, this pack contains a cycle of learning on the concept symbol, contextualised by stories of Manu and the fish, Noah, Goddess Ganga and Jesus’ baptism.
Code:RE037 Price:£25
Sikhi faith at KS1
Written by the primary RE steering group, these two packs would be perfect for a school that wishes to introduce teaching about the Sikhi faith in RE at KS1 and/or KS2. The KS1 pack covers the concept special in four units:
- special clothes
- special places
- special people
- special books.
Code:RE042 Price:£25
Sikhi faith at KS2
Developing themes in the Sikhi faith, this pack covers the following concepts over three units
- identity contextualised in Baisakhi
- wisdom in the context of the Sikh Gurus
- service in the context of the langar.
Price:£25
Key Stage 2 publications
Life in the Jewish traditions
Previously entitled Synagogue, this pack focusses on the Jewish faith, containing three units on the following concepts:
- identity contextualised in the Mezuzah and Shema
- ritual in the context of Sukkot
- authority in the context of the Torah
Code:RE027a Price:£25
Islam at KS2
What does it mean to be a Muslim today? This booklet pack has four units on these concepts:
- umma (community) within the context of Hajj, sawm and zakat
- belonging, contextualised in the shahada and salat
- ritual, in the context of wudu and Eid-ul-Fitr
- peace, in the context of the Muslim faith.
Differentiated activities are provided – an excellent opportunity to bridge the gap between primary and secondary school.
Code:RE040 Price:£25
Myth
Developing from our KS1 Story pack, this resource pack provides all you need to explore the concept myth with your class. It includes nine myths written for children to explore, including:
- Noah and the flood
- Krishna and the serpent
- Demeter and Persephone.
Code:RE019 Price:£25
Stones as symbol
The topic Stones provides rich opportunities for cross-curricular learning including geography, history, the creative arts and literacy. Similarly, there is plenty of scope to explore Stones within a religious context with a focus on the concept of symbol.
Here teachers can explore Stones as symbols for RE, in particular within Christianity, Buddhism and Islam.
Code:RE024 Price:£25
Trees as a symbol
This teaching pack provides a wide variety of activities and information to help children explore the symbolic approach to trees in Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism and Buddhism.
Code:RE038 Price:£25
Creation for KS2
When children enquire into Creation stories, they engage with a variety of beliefs about origins, purpose, destiny and the nature of humanity and humanity’s relationship to the world, to a power or to a God. This pack on the concept creation, provides a cycle of learning, as well as eight creation stories from different faiths and beliefs.
Code:RE006 Price:£25
The Christian Story
Salvation is the identified concept, contextualised in the Christian Story in this pack, enabling engagement with the text and activities in your class. Then:
- select activities that are pitched appropriately for your children and
- provide differentiated enquiries, activities and assessment tasks.
Code:RE003 Price:£25
God talk
This pack on the concept God enables teachers to enquire into ideas about God identified in Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and the Sikhi faith at KS2. It tackles big questions such as:
- how do people describe God?
- how do Christians and (members of your other religion in focus) describe God?
- what is the value of these descriptions?
- what are the children’s responses to the concept?
- how does the concept apply to children’s lives?
Code:RE008 Price:£25
Jewish festivals: Sukkot and Hannukah
This pack contains two cycles of enquiry with associated planning, background information and activities, on the following concepts:
- ritual contextualised in the Jewish festival of Sukkot
- symbol contextualised in Hannukah, the autumn festival of lights.
- what is the value of these descriptions?
Code:RE015 Price:£25
Hindu Festivals: Divali and Mahashivratri
This pack is designed to support you in your teaching about two Hindu festivals to your KS2 children, with these concepts:
- good and evil contextualised in Divali, the autumn Hindu festival of lights
- devotion contextualised in Mahashivratri, the Great Night of Shiva, a spring term festival.
Code:RE010 Price:£25
Key Stage 2/3 publications
Jesus through art
This resource pack comprises a booklet containing two units, 24 laminated A4 pictures of Jesus and USB of Jesus images. The two cycles are pitched at KS2/3 with the concepts:
- imagery/icon – images of Jesus
- love/Agape – Christian beliefs about love.
This pack provides differentiated enquiries, activities and assessment tasks, and useful plans as bridging units between Years 6 and 7.
Code:H2014 Price:£25
The Hindu Temple
Filmed at a local Hindu Temple, this virtual tour booklet and video pack contains two units pitched at KS2/3 with the concepts:
- ritual/Darshan contextualised in the Arti ceremony
- devotion/Bhakti contextualised in Krishna.
Differentiated activities are provided – an excellent opportunity to bridge the gap between primary and secondary school.
Code:RE011 Price:£25
Leadership and prophethood
This recently revised pack now focusses on the concepts of leadership and prophethood in RE. It comprises two units:
- leadership – a KS2 unit enquiring into the leadership qualities of Jesus
- prophethood – a KS2 unit focussing on prophethood, as contextualised within Islam.
Code:RE016a Price:25
Collective worship guidance
Collective worship in county schools
Unclear about the legal requirements for collective worship in your school? Reviewing your collective worship policy and need some guidance? This booklet sets out the legal requirements, including what is meant by broadly Christian, how to use silence (to pray or not to pray) and whether hymns should be sung in assemblies. It includes a good practice checklist and sample theme planners.
Code:RE005 Price:25