RE is regarded as a core subject within our school curriculum and is reflective of our school vision. It has a vital role in developing religious literacy and deepening our children’s understanding of Christianity, in all its forms, and fostering appreciation and understanding of other religious and non-religious traditions and world views.
Our RE teaching is in line with the recommendations of the Statement of Entitlement for Church Schools and provision is based on the Lichfield Diocesan RE Guidance. Christianity is core to the teaching of RE in our church school and makes up at least 50% of RE curriculum time. The Understanding Christianity (UC) resource is used to deliver the majority of this. The remaining curriculum is focused on a rigorous and balanced study of other faiths, generic areas of study and worldviews.
The aims of Religious Education in our school are:
- To help our pupils to know about and understand Christianity as a living world faith through the exploration of core theological concepts using an approach that critically engages with text
- To help our pupils consider the impact and connection that Christianity has on Britain’s cultural heritage and the lives of the people worldwide
- To enable all our pupils to develop knowledge and understanding of other major world religions and world views and their impact on society and culture
- To give our pupils a safe space to critically reflect on their own religious, spiritual and/or philosophical convictions
- To help our pupils to develop knowledge and skills in making sense of religious texts and teachings and understanding their impact on the lives of believers
- To develop our pupils’ abilities to connect, critically reflect upon, evaluate and apply their learning to their own growing understanding of religion and belief, of themselves, the world and human experience
- To develop an understanding of religious faith as the search for and expression of truth, and so to consider important human questions, values and concern
- To nurture understanding, respect and open-mindedness and inspire lifelong engagement with the study of religions and beliefs
Teaching and Learning in RE
Within our school’s RE curriculum, the children have opportunities to:
- Ask questions (including ‘BIG’ questions), debate and discuss
- Express ideas and feelings through a variety of media and approaches eg. written methods, role-play/drama, art/craft, verbal responses through discussion as a whole class/small groups
- Experience music, actions, art and symbols in religion
- Explore religious texts
- Handle religious artefacts and special books
- Talk about the values, beliefs, experiences and practices of people of faith, making connections with themselves and their own lives
- Investigate the link between behaviour and belief
- Reflect on their learning and personal experiences
- Talk to believers
- Visit places of worship
RE CURRICULUM