WELCOME TO OUR RE PAGE!
As a Church of England school we provide religious education and daily collective worship for all registered pupils and promote their spiritual, moral and cultural development in accordance with the Law.
This school has at its foundation the provision of education in accordance with the teaching and doctrine of the Church of England.
As a school we believe worship to be an act of adoration, reverence or veneration offered to God for his activities in the world which forms an integral part of our identity and the education provided by this school. Regarding the RE curriculum however, in a Church of England school, religious education (RE) should be non-confessional and is considered an academic subject.
Our RE Curriculum follows the LDBS scheme, Please see below for more information:
The intent of the LDBS syllabus:
- To enable all children to become religiously literate.
- To ensure RE enables all children to live life in all its fullness – vision for Education (Church of England)
- To offer a systematic enquiry- based approach to the teaching of RE so that the following skills in children can be developed:
Ability to be critical thinkers
Ability to engage critically with texts
Ability to ask deep and meaningful questions
Ability to make connections within and across religions and worldviews
Ability to reflect, respond and express their own religious, spiritual and/or philosophical convictions
Ability to make their own choices and decisions concerning religion and belief based on a deep knowledge and understanding of religions and worldviews, belief systems, values and practices.
To offer units of learning that:
- Are rooted in theological concepts, strong subject knowledge and content.
- Offer a balanced curriculum which enquires into religions and worldviews through theology, philosophy and the human and social sciences.
- Offer sequential learning both in terms of knowledge and skills across the primary age range.
- Offer motivating, engaging and creative lessons for all children.
- Provide opportunities for children to develop empathy towards people of similar or differing religious or worldviews to their own.
To ensure the teaching of RE supports and enhances:
- The Christian vision of the school.
- Contributes significantly to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of children.
- Takes note of the Religious Education Church of England Schools – Statement of Entitlement.
- The Church of England’s vision for Education – every person deserves to live a ‘life in all its fullness.’
Implementation of the LDBS syllabus
Within every unit of learning the following steps take place as part of the learning process:
Enquire: Engage with a big question and subsidiary questions. All questions will be rooted in one of the disciplines of RE: Theology, philosophy or human/social science
Investigate/explore: What is the religious content and context being explored? How deep can we go? This ‘explore’ stage of the enquiry is where children will be primarily learning about religion and belief. In order for this to be effective there are some strategies that can be used to ‘deepen’ learning:
- Interpreting and analysing sacred texts
- Using challenging and controversial questions
- Extended pieces of writing
- Discussion which continually asks ‘Have we gone deep enough yet?
- Children engage with authentic religious believers (face to face, via webcams, podcasts, video, skype etc)
- Grapple with complex theological concepts, questions and issues
Evaluate/communicate: What is our understanding of the concept? What impact does the concept have on the lives of believers? What difference does this belief/practice make? The aim of this part of the enquiry is to encourage dialogue about the learning. Children should use skills of analysis and evaluation. The focus should be on the impact of the belief or practice on the religious or belief community being studied.
Reflect on/express: What is our understanding and response to the enquiry question when considered from the perspective of the faith and belief traditions that have been encountered? What is our personal response? It should be always based on knowledge and understanding, not values or SMSC development.
Impact of the LDBS syllabus:
- Children will be able to hold a balanced and well-informed conversation about religion and worldviews. (Religious literacy)
- Children will make good or better academic progress from their starting points as a result of a rich and engaging RE curriculum.
- Children will be able to reflect, respond and express their own religious, spiritual and/or philosophical convictions.
- Children will be able to make their own choices and decisions concerning religion and belief based on a deep knowledge and understanding of religions and worldviews, belief systems, values and practices.
- Children will have developed a deeper understanding of what it means to live life in all its fullness.
To view our RE School Policy please click this link.
For a breakdown for individual year groups, please click this link for our overview.
For further information, please click this link to view the LDBS website