RE
Intent
We aim to give our children a sense of wonder and excitement about the complexities of spirituality, faith and belief. Through giving them knowledge about the fundamental characteristics of different religions, alongside the skills to ask questions, compare answers and to develop an empathetic response to what they learn about other people, we hope that they will also learn more about themselves, as they prepare to take their own place in the world.
Implementation
We have developed our own Long Term plan for Religious Education, based on Understanding Christianity and supplemented by the Emmanuel Project, particularly for other faiths. Weekly or blocked Religious Education lessons make use of the enquiry approach advocated by Understanding Christianity.
We seek to include a wide variety of resources into RE sessions, inviting children to ask questions and gain a sense of the importance of ritual and the sacred in Christianity and other faiths through handling objects and gaining an understanding of their significance.
We also make use of our local church and minister in order to ensure that the children have the opportunity to make connections about classroom learning and faith in the community.
Impact
Our children leave primary school with a good understanding of the basic beliefs in Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Islam. They learn respect for people, whatever their faith, and have a greater understanding of the importance of belief systems in drawing communities together.