Religious Education
We expect every child to become religiously literate. Our curriculum ensures children experience ‘life in all its fullness’ as they journey with us and make their own choices and decisions concerning religion and belief based on an understanding of different religions, worldviews, beliefs, values and practices.
Within every unit of learning, the following steps take place as part of the learning process:
Enquire: Children engage with a big question and subsidiary questions. All questions will be rooted in one of the disciplines of RE: Theology, philosophy or human/social science.
Investigate/explore: What is the religious content and context being explored? How deep can we go? This ‘explore’ stage of the enquiry is where children will be primarily learning about religion and belief. To do this, they will be interpreting and analysing sacred texts, using challenging questions, extended pieces of writing, discussion which continually asks ‘Have we gone deep enough yet?’ and grappling with complex theological concepts, questions and issues.
Evaluate/communicate: What is the children’s understanding of the concept? What impact does the concept have on the lives of believers? What difference does this belief/practice make? The aim of this part of the enquiry is to encourage dialogue about learning. Children will be using skills of analysis and evaluation.
Reflect on/express: Children are encouraged to reflect on their learning and its impact on them and their beliefs. Have they questioned something or found a new way to look at the world?
Our pupils leave primary school holding a balanced and well-informed opinion on religion and worldviews that allows them to hold meaningful conversations. They are able to reflect, respond and express their own beliefs and convictions in a way that displays our values of peace and humility and know what it means to ‘live life in all its fullness’.
Withdrawing from R.E.: Every child in England has a right to religious education, which forms a necessary part of a broad and balanced curriculum. However, parents have the right to choose to withdraw their child from R.E. in school and provide an alternative R.E. syllabus. If you would like more information about this, please contact the school.