Religious Education (RE)
The intent of our Religious Education curriculum, reflecting our Christian distinctiveness, is for all of our pupils to acquire and develop a deepening knowledge and understanding of global Christianity, alongside the other principal religions that are represented throughout our multi-cultural world.
Our core religious teaching encourages pupils to develop positive attitudes to all aspects of their learning and also to enhance their personal spiritual, moral, social and cultural development—thus providing our learners with the wisdom, knowledge and skills to be a functioning member of society. These attitudes include: self-awareness, respect, open-mindedness and appreciation and wonder.
A key feature of our curriculum is within the large number of questions included in each unit, nurturing our children’s curiosity around the impact of Religion within their lives. The purpose of these questions is to give pupils the opportunity to investigate, reflect, evaluate and make meaning. In doing so, they will discover more about themselves, their relationships with others, their relationship with the world around them and their relationship with God.
Through our RE teaching, we also prepare children for citizenship in today’s diverse society and enabling our children to celebrate difference and diversity by developing ways to show respect for others.
In our teaching of Religious Education (R.E.) , we are always striving for excellence, reflecting the school’s distinctive Christian character.
The Schools of St Alphege are Voluntary Aided Schools and as such the management of Religious Education is a distinctive role of the Governors and Executive Headteacher. At St Alphege Church of England Schools the Religious Education provided is in conformity with the rites, practices and doctrines of the Church of England as laid down in the Trust Deed.
The teaching of Religious Education at Parish maintains a balanced approach between Learning about Religion (Attainment Target 1) and Learning from Religion (Attainment Target 2).
Parental Rights of Withdrawal in a Voluntary Aided School
The Worship and Religious Education provided by the school is in accordance with the Church of England. This foundation is also reflected in the curriculum and the whole life of the school community. Since the conduct of the school as a whole reflects the Church of England ethos, removal of pupils from Worship and/or Religious Education (as parents are legally entitled to do) cannot insulate them from the religious life of the school.’
Collective Worship
At Parish Church of England Primary School, the daily act of collective worship is viewed as an integral and important part of school life. Through this and in the general ethos of the school we seek to promote our mission statement and motto ‘Growing in Christ’.
It is a time where we come together to share our love of God based on promoting the Christian values which permeate the ethos of the school. As such, the contributions of staff, pupils, church clergy and other visitors are valued highly. We also actively seek to encourage the attitudes of awe, wonder and reflection. We have regular contributions to assembly. In accordance with Liverpool Diocesan Guidelines, our school ensures that every child is entitled to an opportunity for daily worship.
Withdrawing Pupils from Collective Worship
The 1996 Education Act gives parents the legal right to withdraw their children from collective worship. This is upheld under the 1998 Act.
As an Anglican school we hold great value in the power of collective worship to formulate, enhance and celebrate the power and wonder of our Christianity Faith. This said, if parents wish to withdraw their child from collective worship we request that the reasons be put in writing and submitted to the Executive Headteacher.
Intent
- Religious Education Overview
- Religious Education Progression
- Religious Hinge Knowledge Progression
