Holy Week looks at the events that lead up to and include Jesus’ unlawful trial.
Table of Contents:
1. Teacher’s background information.
In this lesson plan, the children learn how Jesus, knowing that the religious leaders were jealous of him and wanted to kill him, continued to go to Jerusalem to teach the crowds about God and the Kingdom of Heaven.
He even told his disciples that he was going to be beaten and crucified by the authorities, but he was going to be raised from the dead on the third day.
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2. Lesson plans and resources for the Christian Festival of Holy Week
[a] Christian festival of Holy Week. The lesson plan is a downloadable PDF document to present to the children. (Opens in a new tab.)
[b] Christian festival of Holy Week lesson plan is a PowerPoint slideshow, viewable or downloadable for teachers to show the children. (Opens in a new tab on www.slideshare.net) (Same material as the PDF above).
[c] Christian festival of Holy Week lesson plan video with different speakers presenting the lesson. Be prepared to pause the video when a question is being asked: (Same material as the PDF above).
[d] YouTube clip of Jesus exposing the religious leaders’ hypocrisy.
It’s an excerpt from the film “Jesus of Nazareth.” Carlton Video Ltd, starring Robert Powell, directed by Franco Zeffirelli. PG General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children:
[e] Songs about Palm Sunday and Holy Week.
3. Free children’s songs about Palm Sunday and Holy Week.
These songs can be used in R.E. lessons, assemblies, collective worship, church children’s talks, Sunday schools, etc.
[1] ‘Cloaks and Branches’ by Richard Cootes.
Songs for Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter.
[2] ‘E is for The Easter and Holy Week Song with Actions’ by John Hardwick.
John’s aim with this song was to use each letter in the word E.A.S.T.E.R to explain a part of the Easter story in both a lively and reflective way with a catchy chorus.
4. How to fulfil the locally agreed syllabus on ‘Christian Festival of Holy Week lesson plan’
Hopefully, you will be able to match your local agreed syllabus with what is here.
This lesson plan is based on the UK RE Attainment Targets.
Here is the Mapping Grid for the Attainment Target Categories:
- Sacred Texts – stories, scriptures, parables, teachings
- Beliefs – ideas about God, truth, meaning, purpose
- Practices – worship, prayer, festivals, rituals, lifestyle
- Identity – belonging, community, worldview, personal reflection
- Values – moral ideas, attitudes, virtues
- Living – how beliefs affect actions and everyday life
🎯 Why This Grid Works for UK Schools
✔ Matches Agreed Syllabus expectations
✔ Supports progression from KS1 to KS2
✔ Aligns with Ofsted language (knowledge, understanding, impact)
✔ Works for lesson planning, assessment, and inspection evidence
✔ Non-political, non-denominational, UK-appropriate
For many local syllabi, in KS1, Christianity plus at least one other major religion is studied.
Effective RE should combine:
- knowledge (stories, beliefs, practices)
- understanding (why people believe/do what they do)
- reflection (personal response, values, empathy).
Typical Key Questions for KS1
Here are common “core/enquiry” questions or themes that appear in most KS1 agreed syllabi:
- “Who am I?” (Identity).
- “What does it mean to belong?” (Belonging).
- “What makes some people so important?” (Important people).
- “Where did we come from / how did the world begin?” (Simple beliefs).
- “What makes some stories so important to different people?” (Sacred books).
- “Why are festivals, symbols or special stories important?” (Stories & moral values).
- “Why are some places so important?” (Important places).
These then required merging within the Assessment Aims, but as can be seen, there had to be some overlapping of the themes/core questions:
- ASSESSMENT AIM: 1. SACRED TEXTS (Stories, Scriptures, parables & teachings) – [SACRED TEXTS & WHO AM I?]
- ASSESSMENT AIMS: 2. BELIEFS (Ideas about God, truth, meaning & purpose) – CREATION & IMPORTANT PEOPLE]
- ASSESSMENT AIM: 3. PRACTICES (worship, prayer, festivals, rituals & lifestyle) – [FESTIVALS & PLACES]
- ASSESSMENT AIM: 4. IDENTITY (belonging, community, worldview & personal reflection) – [BELONGING & IDENTITY]
- ASSESSMENT AIMS: 5. VALUES (moral ideas, attitudes, virtues, right & wrong) – [FESTIVALS & BELONGING]
- ASSESSMENT AIMS: 6. LIVING (how beliefs affect actions and everyday life) – [IMPORTANT PEOPLE & FESTIVALS]
Each assessment had its own set of questions to answer. These are included in each lesson plan, which is suitable for that particular subject.