Religious Education and Worldviews
Rationale: Why do we teach RE?
RE is at the core of our distinctive provision. Religious education in our school should enable children to develop RE specific thinking and skills, as well as help educate for dignity and respect encouraging all to live well together. Such an approach is offered through a commitment to generous hospitality, being true to our underpinning faith, but with a deep respect for the integrity of other religious traditions (and worldviews) and for the religious freedom of each person.
Church of England Vision for Education: Deeply Christian, Serving the Common Good. (The Church of England Education Office, 2016)
Our RE curriculum enables pupils to acquire a rich, deep knowledge and understanding of Christian belief and practice. The curriculum engages and challenges pupils through the exploration of core concepts and questions, with meaningful and informed dialogue with a range of religions and worldviews. There are opportunities for pupils to explore foundational texts, beliefs, rituals, and practices and how they help form identity in a range of religions and worldviews. Our RE curriculum goes beyond a sociological study of religious phenomena and introduces our pupils to a range of relevant disciplines including theology, philosophy and the human and social sciences. Progress enables pupils to develop confident religious literacy.
The RE curriculum is intrinsic to the outworking of our Christian vision in enabling all pupils to ‘shine’. In addition, the RE curriculum contributes to British values and spiritual moral social and cultural development. Learning activities provide for the needs of all pupils, and pupil develop a wide range of skills including enquiry, analysis, interpretation, evaluation and reflection. We provide a safe space for pupils to explore their own religious, spiritual and/or philosophical ways of seeing, living and thinking, believing and belonging. They have opportunities to engage in meaningful and informed dialogue with those of all religions and worldviews.
Our curriculum that enables progress through ordered and sequential learning developing both knowledge and skills, with a structure for implementation and provision and a process for evaluating impact.
Aims and objectives
Trinity is caring, inclusive and focused on ‘excellence for all’. ‘Only our best will do’ and we keep in mind how we can ‘shine like stars’ as we hold firmly to our Christians values: love, respect, courage, trust, justice and hope.
Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. (Phil 2:15-16)
As stated in the Church of England Statement of Entitlement for Religious Education, our school aims for all pupils:
- 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 of living, believing and thinking.
Planning the progression model
The core concepts fit into a spiral curriculum, whereby concepts are revisited and explored in more depth as pupils move through the school. These are explored through key questions, however, and so are not applied exclusively — links and connections will be made between concepts during units.
