Religious Education

Our RE curriculum is coherent, planned, sequenced, progressive, challenging and aims to meet all the requirements of the National Curriculum from EYFS to year 6. It gives opportunities for mastery in all RE, helping all children to aspire, to achieve the best they can in all the learning they explore.

Our inclusive curriculum promotes equality and celebrates diversity, respecting the rights and dignity of every child enabling all children to reach their potential.

INTENT

           The nature of Religious Education

Religious education enables children to investigate and reflect on some of the most fundamental questions asked by people. At St Paul’s School we develop the children’s knowledge and understanding of the major world faiths and world views, and we address the fundamental questions in life, for example, the meaning of life and the existence of a God. We enable children to develop a sound knowledge not only of Christianity but also of other world religions and world views.  Children reflect on what it means to have a faith and to develop their own spiritual knowledge and understanding. We help the children learn from religions and world views as well as about religions and world views.

Aims and Objectives

At St Paul’s, we aim for our children to be masters of their own learning in Religious education. In order to do this, the aims of Religious education at our school are:

• develop an awareness of spiritual and moral issues in life experiences;
• develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other major world religions and value systems found in Britain;
• develop an understanding of what it means to be committed to a religious tradition;
• be able to reflect on their own experiences and to develop a personal response to the fundamental questions of life;
• develop an understanding of religious traditions and to appreciate the cultural differences in Britain today;
• develop investigative and research skills and to enable them to make reasoned judgements about religious issues;
• have respect for other peoples’ views and to celebrate the diversity in society.

At St Paul’s we teach Religious education in a way that actively promotes the values of truth, justice, respect for all and care of the environment. It places specific emphasis on:

• Pupils valuing themselves and others as individuals capable of spiritual, moral, social, intellectual and physical growth.
• Acknowledging the role of family and the community in developing religious beliefs.
• Celebrating the diversity in society through understanding similarities and differences.
• Appreciating the Earth and the environment as the basis of life and a source of wonder that needs to be protected.