Religious Education

Intent

As a Church School, we follow the recommendations of The National Society of the Church of England that 50% of Religious Education time should be spent studying Christianity. 
 
Our primary aim is to create a caring Christian community in which Christian values and beliefs permeate the whole of school life.  By nurturing each child as he or she develops physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually within the context of this caring community we hope to equip each child for life in the real world. Links with the church and community are vital when contributing to our Church School ethos. 
 
Implementation

Our school RE curriculum is based on the LA Agreed Syllabus and ‘Understanding Christianity’, and it meets all the requirements set out in the Agreed Syllabus.  The RE syllabus reflects the fact that religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian, and takes account of the teaching and practices of other major religions. At St Leonard's Lower School we develop the children’s knowledge and understanding of Christianity alongside other world religions, especially those that are the main faiths of children within our school and nearest communities. 
 
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 as well as about religions. 
 
Objectives

The objectives of teaching religious education in our school are to help children: 
 
Develop their knowledge of the Christian year including features of the various seasons, bible stories, ceremonies and the importance of saints in the calendar;

Have the opportunity to develop their knowledge of the features of our church building and of what happens there;

Develop an appreciation of the importance of worship in the lives of people and of the concepts underlying the acts of worship;

Develop an awareness of spiritual and moral issues arising in their lives;

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 make reasoned judgements about religious issues;

Have respect for other people’s views and celebrate the diversity in society.

Foster links with the community by encouraging the children to take an active role in services and community events held at St Leonard's Church/Church hall, Heath and Reach, through liaison with Church representatives and with the support of teaching Staff.

RE teaching will be cross curricular and pupils will link their learning of RE with other areas of the curriculum.

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.  Parents who wish to do so are encouraged to discuss this with the Head Teacher first. 
 
Impact The monitoring and evaluation of RE will include observations of teaching and learning, planning book scrutiny, stakeholder surveys and end of unit assessments