Intent

Religious Education at St Leonard's Lower School aims to develop children’s understanding about the world’s religions and cultures. Our aim is to provide children with engaging and unforgettable experiences in religious education. Our children will learn about the variety of religions in the world we live in to increase their awareness and understanding of different cultures and faiths. We teach using an approach that enables learners to understand what drives people of faith to live the way they do. This builds each child’s ‘religious literacy’ helping them understand the nature of religion and belief in the world in which they live. Children then have the opportunity to learn from this religious belief and put this into practice in their own lives. Children can expect that teaching and learning in Church schools will use an approach that engages with biblical text and theological ideas.

Our aims and objectives are for children:

• To know about and understand Christianity as a diverse global living faith through the exploration of core
beliefs using an approach that critically engages with biblical text.
• To gain knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews appreciating diversity,
continuity and change within the religions and worldviews being studied.
• To engage with challenging questions of meaning and purpose raised by human existence and experience.
• To recognise the concept of religion and its continuing influence on Britain’s cultural heritage and in the lives of individuals and societies in different times, cultures and places.
• To explore their own religious, spiritual and philosophical ways living, believing and thinking.

Implementation

As a Church School, we follow the recommendations of The National Society of the Church of England that 60% of Religious Education time should be spent studying Christianity. 

At St Leonard's Lower School, our religious education curriculum follows the Emmanuel Project. This
scheme of work provides children with a wide range of inspiring opportunities following a three step learning process of Engage, Enquire and Evaluate. Throughout their time at St Leonard's Lower our children will explore many religions and increase their awareness of Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Sikhism. The children develop their understanding of religious education through lessons, visits to places of worships, guest speakers and practical work. The Emmanuel Project uses big questions as central to its approach. These questions are then explored in different ways and children are encouraged to ask their own questions throughout. Children at St Leonard's Lower are taught by teachers who have a secure subject knowledge and are trained in teaching Religious Education.

All of our teaching staff are 'Understanding Christianity' trained and we use the Understanding Christianity ideas and 'big frieze' to supplement our teaching of Christianity using the Emmanuel Project resources.

Right of Withdrawal Under the 1944 and 1988 Acts

Parents have a right to withdraw their children from Religious Education or parts of Religious Education. On the extremely rare occasion that parents wish to do so, we would encourage them to discuss this with the Head Teacher first. 
 
Impact

Religious education is monitored through a variety of methods to ensure that the children are receiving a
consistent progression throughout the school. This is achieved through book looks, pupil voice and regular
feedback each lesson. Religious education is considered a core academic subject at St Leonard's Lower and the children’s knowledge is assessed regularly through the solo taxonomy approach provided by the Emmanuel Unit and the R.E. assessments linked to each unit.

Knowledge Organisers