‘Let all that you do be done in love’
1 Corinthians 16:14
In our school, we believe RE should be of the highest standard, and approached through our vision.
RE makes a huge contribution to the social, cultural, moral and spiritual dimension of school life, promoting a Christian ethos, shared values, understanding and knowledge of other world faiths and an inclusive environment where all, of any faith or race, are valued and appreciated.
In our school we believe RE should help pupils to:
RE should equip pupils to recognise the common search of all humanity, for ultimate truth and relationship with the divine. It is entirely appropriate and necessary in today’s world, therefore, that respect for the great world faiths is fostered in RE in our Church School. This respect must be based on an accurate and sympathetic understanding of the other faiths which is consistent with the school’s loyalty to its Christian foundation.
Therefore RE in Church Schools should also help pupils to:
As a Voluntary Controlled School, we are required by law (unless parents request otherwise) to provide RE in accordance with the Locally Agreed Syllabus. The syllabus can be found here:
http://www.oxford.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Oxford-Agreed-RE-Syllabus-2015- 2020.pdf. We supplement the Oxfordshire syllabus to ensure high quality provision geared towards the needs of the children and our cross-curricular map.
Religious Education has the same status and importance as any other subject. Learning about Christianity forms the majority of the syllabus, but other world faiths such as Judaism, Islam and Hinduism are also taught. In addition, the children learn about festivals in other cultures, for example, Chinese New Year.
It is essential that the RE curriculum maintains a balanced approach of Learning about Religion (Attainment Target 1) and Learning from Religion (Attainment Target 2). Teachers incorporate these strands into planning and teaching the units of study at each key stage through a model of teaching built around Engage, Enquire, Evaluate and Reflect.
Learning about Religion
This includes enquiry into and investigation of the nature of religion, its beliefs, teachings and ways of life, sources, practices and forms of expression. It includes the skills of interpretation, analysis and explanation and includes identifying and developing an understanding of ultimate questions and ethical issues. Pupils will develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the other principal religions represented in Great Britain.
Learning from Religion
This is concerned with developing pupils’ reflection on and response to their own and others’ experiences in the light of their learning about religion. It develops pupils’ skills of application, interpretation and evaluation of what they learn about religion. Pupils learn to develop and communicate their own ideas, particularly in relation to questions of identity and belonging, meaning, purpose and truth, values and commitments.