Woodthorpe Church of England Primary School
Learning & Growing Together To Be The Best We Can Be
Religious Education
'Be strong and courageous, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.' Joshua 1:9
As a Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, we aim to provide a caring atmosphere in the school and encourage each child to become aware of themselves as an individual and to understand the needs and feelings of others. A key aim is to uphold a Christian ethos in school and throughout the community and we celebrate all major Christian festivals. All denominations and faiths are encouraged to learn from each other. The RE Curriculum in our School provides ways of promoting pupis’ moral development in line with the 2020 Derbyshire and Derby City Agreed Syllabus and the Understanding Christianity Scheme. This is achieved through encouraging the consideration of others and developing pupils’ awareness of other people’s beliefs and actions. The School has adopted the Local Authority’s Religious Education Policy and works closely with the Derby Diocesan Board of Education.
Alongside Christianity, children also have the opportunity to learn about other world faiths such as Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Judaism. Children experience this as part of their RE lessons and also through stories, assemblies, class discussions/lessons, drama, visits to places of worship and visitors to the School.
As part of Religious Education and Collective Worship we also promote British Values, encouraging pupils to regard people of all faiths, races and cultures with respect, hospitality and understand that while different people may hold different views about what is right and wrong, all people living in Britain are subject to its laws.
Curriculum Intent
Intent
We promote an environment where all children feel known, accepted, and valued as individuals, within a caring community, where our Christian faith affects not only what we teach, but also how we teach. We believe that it is fundamental for the children to belong to a safe and nurturing community, founded on strong Christian values where children will develop an array of skills that will enable them to make their own positive contribution to our global society.
Our intent for all the children in RE are:
- To provoke challenging questions about the ultimate meaning of life, beliefs about God, the nature of reality and morality.
- To develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of Christianity, other principal world religions, religious traditions and world-views, which offer answers to ultimate questions.
- To encourage pupils to develop their sense of identity and belonging, in order to flourish within communities, as responsible citizens in society and global communities.
- To teach pupils to develop respect for others and their beliefs and helps to challenge prejudice.
- To prompt pupils to consider their responsibilities to themselves and to others, and to explore how they might contribute to their communities and to wider society encouraging empathy, generosity and compassion.
Religious Education Intent, Implementation and Impact
Curriculum Coverage
Our whole curriculum is shaped by our school vision which aims to enable all children, regardless of background, ability, additional needs, to flourish to become the best they can be.
We ensure, at Woodthorpe, that we fully meet the requirement of the statement of entitlement for Church schools, which states that all children are to receive a high quality Religious Education which supports them in all aspects of their learning : “Religious education in a Church school should enable every child to flourish and to live life in all its fullness. (John 10:10). It will help educate for dignity and respect encouraging all to live well together” (Statement of Entitlement)
All classes teach RE weekly and follow the school's long term cycle. We work on a one year cycle in Reception, a two year cycle in Key Stage 1, a three year cycle for Year 3, 4 and 5, and a one year cycle for Year 6.
We implement our intent by:
- Teaching RE weekly using both Understanding Christianity scheme and the Derby city and Derbyshire syllabus.
- Ensuring progression of understanding, knowledge and skills from foundation to Year 6.
- Teaching about Christianity, as well as a wide range of other religions.
- Handling artefacts
- Exploring scared texts
- Using imaginative play or drama to express feelings and ideas
- Responding to images, games, stories, art, music and dance
- Meeting visitors from local religious communities
- Making visits to religious places of worship where possible, and where not, making use of videos and the internet
- Taking part in whole school events- (multi-faith days, Harvest Festival, school performances, Mass, Church services)
- Participating in moments of quiet reflection
- Comparing religions and worldviews through discussion
- Debating and communicating religious belief, worldviews and philosophical ideas and answering and asking ultimate questions posed by these
Spirituality in Religious Education
The Church of England’s Statement of Entitlement outlines the aims and expectations for Religious Education in Church of England Schools and guides this school’s approach to RE and spirituality. Learning activities in RE provide for the needs of all pupils, offering a safe space to explore their own religious, spiritual and/or philosophical ways of seeing, living and thinking, believing and belonging. They provide opportunities to engage in meaningful and informed dialogue with those of all religions and worldviews, linking these to pupils’ ideas of spirituality and the language of wows, ows and nows where appropriate.
This language of spirituality begins from a Christian understanding that everyone is a valued creation, individually and uniquely made by God, like pots made by a potter (Isaiah 64:8). Yet, in life things happen that impact on the physical ‘pot’ of life and create cracks that provide a glimpse of something ‘beyond’ the tangible. Christians would view this as an opportunity to relate to the Divine Creator God. Cracks may be caused when something so good and breath-taking happens that the pot expands and cracks – the wows of life. Cracks may happen when something challenging happens and threatens the comfort of everyday – the ows of life. Cracks can also happen in the stillness and ordinariness of everyday – the nows of life, when a moment of stillness, a pause or prayer creates a crack in the normal, physical everyday.
Derbyshire and Derby City Agreed Syllabus
RE Overview 2022/2023 including enrichment
Other relevant Religious Education documents:
May 2022 SIAMS Inspection Report
RE in action at Woodthorpe
