Religious Education is an important part of the work we do in developing the whole child and providing a rounded education. It is one of the ways in which our curriculum can address the wider needs of our learners by stimulating discussion and developing speaking and listening skills. It offers children the opportunity to explore the moral framework that they live their lives by and allows them to access the positive ideas and role models that different religions can offer us. 

Religious Education is also a vital tool in promoting our children’s understanding and respect for the beliefs of others. In order for them to be prepared and ready for life in 21^st Century Britain, our children need to be able to understand and articulate confidently the beliefs of others in society that may be different to their own. We aim to inspire curiosity towards the world around us as well as an increased capacity for tolerance and empathy through the study of a wide range of world religions and belief systems.

The Religious Education curriculum is designed so that it supports core values that underpin the school’s whole approach. Among these key principles are the need to respect the beliefs of others, the need to develop  community-minded citizens and the ability and ambition to show leadership. By studying role models from world religions and the focus on the positive aspects of religious communities, we ensure that lessons are structured to support this pastoral development.

The curriculum is structured so that key ideas in major religions are revisited at regular intervals. As the two main foci, Christianity and Islam will be taught most regularly with a clear structure so that more complex ideas follow on from the key concepts within each religion. The curriculum is structured so that lessons begin with a recap of previously taught material. In addition, the previous year’s key learning is also revisited through revision opportunities. This timely revisiting of prior learning is built in to the curriculum in order to maximise the children’s retention of key information. In every unit of work, there are multiple sessions involving Philosophy. These discussion lessons offer both a chance to discuss key moral issues as well as a clear framework for developing more formal spoken language.

Every teacher will possess clarity in both their subject knowledge relating to matters of different world religions and what aspects should be taught. The knowledge they impart will be structured so that the children can recall an increasing depth of subject knowledge. The use of religious texts and quotations is structured to ensure progression across the school is linear and that no class is reliant on the choices of any one individual and their depth of understanding of key religious issues.  The enjoyment of reading as well as the skills of decoding and reading for meaning are key aspects of Religious Education lessons and the use of thought-provoking texts plays a vital part in this. The school’s core offer is based around a love of reading and these lessons are a part of that.

The children will take provide in the written work produced and will match the high expectations that adults in school will set for them. As a result, the written evidence in books will always be of the high standard we see across every subject and features regular reading and written tasks as well as creative and inspiring projects to drive learner engagement. Away from their books, children will be able to utilize the learning in RE in order to show respect and tolerance towards their peers. This will be part of our drive to make the children better citizens able to play a positive part in their communities.