Religious Education

Intent

At St George’s C E Primary, we believe that it is important for all our pupils to learn from and about religion, so that they can understand the world around them. The aim of Religious Education in our school is to help children to acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the other principal religions represented in Great Britain; to appreciate the way that religious beliefs shape life and behaviour, develop the ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues and enhance their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Religious Education is taught throughout the school in such a way as to reflect the overall aims, values, and philosophy of the school.

It plays an important role, along with all other curriculum areas, particularly PSHCE, in promoting social awareness and understanding in our children. We encourage our pupils to ask questions about the world and to reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences. We include and promote British values, ensuring that children are aware of their rights and responsibilities as UK citizens.

Our curriculum is designed to encourage creativity, imagination, enquiry, debate, discussion and independence.

IMPLEMENTATION

We use the Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education for Derbyshire as the basis for our curriculum. This is complimented by the ‘Understanding Christianity’ document.

At St George’s School, it has been agreed that having considered the requirements and guidelines presented in the Agreed Syllabus, the following religions have been selected for study: 

• Christianity
• Islam
• Judaism
• Hinduism
• Sikhism
• Humanism
• Worldviews

In line with the Agreed Syllabus for Derbyshire, there are 3 elements to RE which we use :-

• Believing- Religious beliefs, teachings, sources, questions about meaning, purpose and truth.
• Expressing- Religious and spiritual forms of expression, questions about identity and diversity.
• Living- Religious practices and ways of living questions about values and commitments. 

Also from the syllabus it is required that: -

• In the Early Years Foundation Stage, the learning outcomes are referenced to Christianity and as appropriate to a range of other beliefs and cultures
• KS1 - Christianity is studied (and one other principal religion in some depth)
• KS2 – Christianity is studied (and two other principal religions in some depth)

There are no presumptions made as to the religious backgrounds and beliefs and values of the children and the staff.  We value the religious background of all members of the school community and hope that this will encourage individuals to share their own experiences with others freely.  All religions and their communities are treated with respect and sensitivity and we value the links, which are, and can be made between home, school, and a faith community. 

• We acknowledge that each religion studied can contribute to the education of all our pupils.  We promote teaching in Religious Education that stresses open enquiry and first-hand experiences wherever possible for both staff and children. We teach RE using a child- centred approach starting from the learners’ personal experiences. At St George’s we consider the styles of learning which best suit the children. Some elements are best taught as a themed week or day.
• All classrooms have their own ‘Christian Values’ areas with displays.

We also use the RE Today resource 'Understanding Christianity' to enrich our curriculum further. 

RE is taught in units of approximately half a term. RE is taught as both a discrete subject, with links made in other areas if appropriate, and also sometimes as a block of work, whichever is most relevant  to the particular unit. 

Time allocation

In line with Derbyshire requirements R.E. is allocated a minimum of 5% of curriculum time.

RE Statement of Entitlement for Church Schools 

RE and the right to withdraw - (School Standards and Framework Act 1998 S71(3)) Parents may withdraw their child from RE lessons on the grounds that they wish to provide their own religious education. The school has a duty to supervise them, though not to provide additional teaching or to incur extra cost. Where the pupil has been withdrawn, the law provides for alternative arrangements to be made for RE of the kind the parents want the pupil to receive. (Derbyshire Agreed Syllabus 2020)

Impact

Assessment in R.E. is formative and builds on what children can do to further develop their skills, knowledge and understanding. 

Teachers report annually to parents on progress in Religious Education.

We recognise that children’s knowledge and understanding can be demonstrated and assessed through various means, eg. Through role play, drama and discussion.

The children at St George’s enjoy learning about other religions and why people choose, or choose not to follow a religion. Through their R.E. learning, the children are able to make links between their own lives and those of others in their community and in the wider world, developing an understanding of other people’s cultures and ways of life. As such, R.E. is invaluable in an ever changing and shrinking world.

RE Key Vocabulary