RE
Intent
The aim of Religious Education is to help children to acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other principal religions represented in Great Britain. At West Lane, we teach children to appreciate the way that religious beliefs can shape our lives and our behaviour; we develop children’s ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues; and we aim to enhance children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Religious Education is taught throughout the school in such a way as to reflect the overall aims, values, and philosophy of the school. Religious Education plays an important role, along with all other curriculum areas, particularly PSHE, in promoting the spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development of our children.
The aim of Religious Education is to help prepare and equip all pupils for life in today’s increasingly diverse Britain through teaching the children to become religiously literate. In accordance with the Gateshead agreed syllabus, we believe that pupils should have the following opportunities:
• TO EXPLORE the teachings, beliefs and practices of the principal faiths and belief systems in our society. This means that, for each of the faiths specified in the syllabus, they should be helped to acquire a core of knowledge and understanding of the key elements of the faith narrative, the principal stories, sacred texts, rituals, symbolism and lifestyles relating to them.
• TO ENGAGE with the big questions about our life in the world, our value as people, our identity and our responsibilities. This means that pupils should be helped to respond to the big questions that their experience of life raises and to be able to express their thoughts relating their experiences and responses to those of other individuals and groups.
• TO REFLECT on the challenges that are presented by living in a diverse world and to develop the skills and attitudes that enable people to live well by successfully accommodating difference. This means developing the ability to recognise bias, prejudice and discrimination in ourselves and others and to develop the ability to make informed judgements and responsible choices.
Implementation
It has been agreed that having taken into account the requirements and guidelines presented in the Gateshead Agreed Syllabus, the following religions have been selected for study:
- Christianity
- Islam
- Judaism
- Hinduism
There are no presumptions made as to the religious backgrounds and beliefs and values of the children and the staff. We value the religious background of all members of the school community and hope that this will encourage individuals to share their own experiences with others freely. All religions and their communities are treated with respect and sensitivity and we value the links, which are, and can be made between home, school, and a faith community. We acknowledge that each religion studied can contribute to the education of all our pupils. We promote teaching in Religious Education that stresses open enquiry and first-hand experiences wherever possible for both staff and children.
Impact
The children enjoy learning about other religions and why people choose, or choose not to follow a religion. Through their R.E. learning, the children are able to make links between their own lives and those of others in their community and in the wider world. Through R.E., our children are developing an understanding of other people’s cultures and ways of life, which they are then able to communicate to the wider community. R.E. offers our children the means by which to understand how other people choose to live and to understand why they choose to live in that way. As such, R.E. is invaluable in an ever changing world, reinforcing our work around key British Values such as tolerance and mutual respect. At Winlaton West Lane Community Primary School, we believe that Religious Education provokes challenging questions about the meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human. We aim to help our children develop respect and sensitivity for all people and to understand more about the importance of religion in today’s world. RE develops children’s knowledge and understanding of major world religions. It is more than just developing children’s knowledge and understanding, it seeks to develop children’s skills in investigation, enquiry, communication, interpretation, analysis and evaluation.