Religious Education

Intent:

RE explores core beliefs of Christianity using an approach that critically engages with biblical texts. RE enables pupils to know about and understand Christianity as a diverse, global and living faith that influences the lives of people worldwide and as the religion that has most shaped British culture and heritage. Children are taught to make links between what they learn and how their behaviour in life’s various contexts will contribute to the building of a better world and the common good of groups and communities.

This is summarised in school’s focus on the words of St Peter:  'Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.'  (1 Peter 4:10)

Despite the issues we face in out time, the message of the Gospel is our reference point for hope and the basis for future dreaming.

RE enables pupils to know about and understand different major world religions and world views, their impact on society, culture and the wider world, and to appreciate the diversity, continuity and change within those religions and worldviews. RE will pose challenging questions of meaning and purpose raised by human existence and experience. Foci will be derived from the key issues of our generation, learning from the example of inspirational people, both contemporary to our time and from recent history.

RE contributes to the development of pupils’ own spiritual/philosophical convictions, exploring and enriching their own beliefs, ways of living, thinking and values. These qualities will be linked to the world’s need for ‘good stewards’ now, and in the future.

RE will help each child to flourish and to live life in all its fullness. (John 10:10). 

Religious Education is at the heart of our school ethos and core of our everyday school life.  We are a Church of England School and achieved a ‘Good’ in our latest SIAMS inspection. At Bulford St Leonard’s we aim to teach the Christian beliefs of the school, while also giving pupils the chance to study and understand other World Faiths. We want our children to enjoy religious education having embedded ideas and values, and believe that children should have the opportunity to question, contribute to and develop any aspect of the faiths and beliefs they encounter, in an atmosphere of honesty and respect.

Implementation:

RE is taught with the same rigour as any other subject in the curriculum. Therefore, a key component of pedagogy will be to teach and build a knowledge-rich subject. As a Church of England School we have written an RE curriculum that is taught according to the Wiltshire Agreed Syllabus, which is agreed between the Local Authority, teacher representatives and the Salisbury Diocese. This provides children with the opportunity of exploring, in a secure environment, the religious dimensions of life.

Most attention within our Religious Education is given to Christianity but the curriculum also includes opportunities for the children to gain insights into Judaism, Sikhism, Hinduism and Islam. Children are prepared to be enriched by their understanding of religion, thrive in the modern world but also to embrace difference rather than fear it.

To support the teaching, planning and assessment of Christianity we use the resource ‘Understanding Christianity’.  This resource supports the children in developing their own thinking and understanding of Christianity, as a contribution to their understanding of the world and their own experience within it, as well as ensuring children are given the opportunity to develop their own beliefs and values.

The teaching of other World Faiths is supported by the resource ‘Discovery RE’. Our RE curriculum map (see below) sets out the key questions that children will investigate over the course of their time at Bulford St Leonard’s Church of England Primary School. There are two main focus areas within RE learning: learning about a religion and learning from a religion.

Impact:

Standards in RE, such as delivery and outcomes for children, are monitored with the same rigour as any other subject. Children are asked to express their understanding of British and Christian values. The school is adopting the Diocese of Salisbury assessment tracker for RE. Learning is centred around a ‘big questions’ planned in our termly vision pages.

Pupil voice audits provide an accurate representation of the children’s perceptions of the subject. This is then used to inform future plans. The school Worship Team is represented by members from each class and allows the children an opportunity to experience leading worship and contribute to the monitoring and planning of worship in the school.

The children at BSL enjoy learning about other religions and the reasons why people choose, or not, to follow a religion.  Through their learning in RE children are able to make links between their own lives and those of others in local, national and global communities.  RE serves as a central focus which provides coherence for humanities subjects especially, but for the whole curriculum and the culture of the school.

RE allows the children an insight into how other people choose to live their lives and to understand why they live that way.  As such, RE is invaluable in our ever-changing world.

Click here to see our Religious Education (RE) Policy

Why RE Matters

Religious Education in Church of England Schools