Religious Education
Deeply Christian, Serving the Common Good.
The Church Of England
Intent
As a Church of England school, the Christian faith is the foundation of everything that we do at Christ Church. At Christ Church CE Primary, our intention is for the Religious Education curriculum to engage, inspire and encourage pupils. It aims to equip them with the knowledge and skills to answer challenging questions, explore different religious beliefs, values and traditions and develop a more rigorous understanding of the numerous religious traditions, beliefs and practices that are followed in our multi-cultural society. This widens horizons and ensures that they are ready for life as local, national and global citizens and enables them to ‘flourish and to live life in all its’ fullness’. We aim for them to understand the way that religious beliefs shape our lives and our behaviour, develop their ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues and give them a firm foundation for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
We intend for children to be able to give a theologically informed and thoughtful account of Christianity as a living and diverse faith and show an informed and respectful attitude to religious and non-religious worldviews in their own search for God and meaning. We encourage meaningful and informed dialogue about faith and develop skills to enable them to reflect critically and responsibly on their own spiritual, philosophical and ethical views. Children are taught age appropriately and as they progress through school they build up a bigger picture, appreciation and understanding of religion and how different world faiths can be compared and contrasted.
At Christ Church CE Primary we aim to ensure our Religious Education curriculum is accessible to all, maximising the development of every child’s ability.
Developing children’s vocabulary is a key component of our school ethos and we aim for children to be able to effectively use religious and liturgical vocabulary as well as the language needed to discuss their own spirituality or beliefs and our curriculum is designed to enable this.
Implementation
As a Church of England school, Religious Education at Christ Church CE Primary is taught in accordance with the Trust Deed, the Diocese of Chester guidelines and reflects the rites, practices and beliefs of the Church of England. Religious Education (RE) is a core subject that lies at the heart of our curriculum. We believe that RE should be of the highest standard, always striving for excellence, and that it should reflect our school’s distinctive Christian character.
RE is taught through a balance of the Diocese of Chester planning documents (on a cyclical basis) and the Understanding Christianity materials. Lessons are planned and delivered in a variety of ways ensuring that all children can access and participate in lessons. Interactive, practical activities encourage the children to discuss their ideas and extend their understanding of difficult concepts and challenging questions.
RE is taught in accordance with requirements of SACRE. Delivery of RE not only takes place through individual subject lessons but also through use of Prayer Spaces, RE Days (whole school, key stage, class) and visits. There is also some cross curricular coverage of RE including teaching through other subjects, whole school events, and collective worship. Teaching and learning is supplemented by a range of high quality religious visits and visitors who lead or support classroom and out-of-classroom learning experiences. Local clergy and other outside professionals are involved in the delivery of RE. Classes are also encouraged to visit our local church regularly.
Impact
Pupil learning and progression will be assessed at regular intervals in line with school policy and with Diocesan guidelines. We track individual pupil’s progress at the end of units, whilst also bearing in mind that the statements do not cover all aspects of teaching and learning in RE. Pupil’s personal views and ideas are not subject to formal assessment, and yet are central to good RE. Each RE lesson will provide an opportunity to explore, build knowledge or understanding, and reflect on the subject of the enquiry. By the end of the unit, each child reflects on what they have learned throughout the enquiry to reach their own conclusion based on evidence.
Additional Information and Resources
Please click on the links below to find out more about our Religious Education Curriculum:
Religious Education Long Term Plan
Religious Education and Development Matters
