Religious Education

Our religious education curriculum has been designed to allow our pupils to develop a greater understanding of the world through understanding worldviews – both religious and non-religious.  As our society is so diverse, developing this understanding is vital. We aim to supply children with a foundational knowledge of key practices, figures and festivals of world religions as well as non-religious world views. We also aim for children to develop an understanding of application of common themes in society and religion such as leadership, authority and respect.

Our curriculum is inclusive, embracing the diversity and richness in our local, national and global communities. Through developing understanding and challenging stereotypes, our RE curriculum enables children to develop greater respect, tolerance and empathy for others. It is important that all children in our schools of different faiths and backgrounds are represented in our curriculum, in order to give all children a rich, and well-rounded appreciation for individuals of all faiths and non-faith backgrounds. Our school values (kind, inclusive, scholarly, inspired and resilient) are reflected in the RE planning and all pupils are treated equally.

Our curriculum has been carefully sequenced to allow children to build on prior learning in order to support new learning. This has been developed to reflect the guidance of the Local Agreed syllabus, Living Difference III. It looks at the main world religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism) and non-religious worldviews (Humanism), through a mixture of in-depth and themed units. Our focus is on learning about religion and learning from religion.

Our RE curriculum enables all pupils to:

• Develop their knowledge and understanding of major world religions and non-religious worldviews
• Develop their skills of enquiry and reasoning
• Develop an awareness of religious beliefs, practices, and acts of worship
• Look beyond themselves, making relevant links to their own experiences and allowing them to reflect on their own personal beliefs, traditions, and values 

RE lessons take the form of discussions and debates, reflection and recording of knowledge, thoughts and views. Pupils will acquire knowledge of stories from different faiths, special places, practices, festivals and the role of key figures. They will also have the opportunity to visit places of worship and hear from members of different faiths.

In England and Wales, parents have the statutory right under Section 71 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 to withdraw their children from RE lessons and acts of collective worship in schools. Parents are not obliged to provide a reason for requesting withdrawal.

Before exercising this right, we encourage parents to discuss their concerns with Senior Leadership. If a student is withdrawn from RE lessons, they will be directed to alternative lessons in a different class. Requests for withdrawal must be made in writing.