Religious education has a unique place as a central subject in the curriculum of St Pauls. It is neither a core nor a foundation subject; the 1988 Education Act states that ‘Religious Education has equal standing in relation to core subjects of the National Curriculum in that it is compulsory for all registered pupils’.
Through our Religious Education curriculum we aim:
- to engage pupils in enquiring into and exploring questions arising from the study of religion and belief, so as to promote their personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
- to provide learners with knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other principal religious traditions and beliefs represented in Great Britain.
- to develop their understanding of the ways in which beliefs influence people in their behaviour, practices and outlook.
- to enable learners to apply the insights of the principal religious traditions to their own search for identity and significance.
- to enable learners to become aware of their own beliefs and values and to have a positive attitude to the search for meaning and purpose in life.
- to encourage learners to develop a positive attitude towards other people who hold religious beliefs different from their own.
The intent of our RE curriculum is to deliver a curriculum which is accessible to all and that will maximise the outcomes for every child so that they think more deeply, develop their own values and beliefs whilst holding mutual respect for the different values and beliefs of others. As a result of this, they will become independent and responsible members of a society who understand and explore big questions about life, to find out what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that they can make sense of religion, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living. We provide our children with opportunities for them to learn about and from religions and worldviews in local, national and global contexts, to discover, explore and consider different answers to these questions. As a Church school, the focus is predominantly within Christian beliefs and traditions, they will be equipped with systematic knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews, enabling them to develop their ideas, values and identities. Our children are encouraged to develop their skills of dialogue and philosophical debate so that they can participate positively in our society, with its diverse religions and worldviews.
Within the key religions we teach, pupils will know how and understand some specific beliefs and teachings and give accounts of the impact of some religious teachings upon believers. Pupils will build conceptual bridges between their own experiences and some of the central concepts of religion. Opportunities for pupils to develop spiritually, morally, socially and culturally will be a key part of RE lessons at St Pauls’. Through a interpretive methodology, pupils are encouraged to relate to a way of life that is different from their own, by introducing them to material from religious traditions and helping them to connect it with their own personal knowledge and experience. Active interpretation of religious meaning, making not just passively receiving information about a tradition is evident throughout lessons. To establish their own personal views, pupils are asked to raise their own questions about what life would be like if everyone followed the example of leaders of religion and beliefs but also about the substantial content of the curriculum taught. Pupils are challenged to develop their own views about what might be ‘true’ in relation to several options and their religious literacy is developed by inviting them to develop their views about religion itself and other critical narratives drawn from philosophy, psychology, theology and history. Pupils are supported in developing their natural capacities for individual storying and constructing meaning. Pupils are challenged to develop their own world views by relating their own experiences and reflecting on their own patterns of belief and behaviour and use processes of identification, reflection and application to engage pupils in exploring religious beliefs and practices and related human experiences.
Legal requirements for Religious Education:
Religious Education is a statutory subject of the curriculum for all pupils in each year group and ‘should be provided for all registered pupils except those withdrawn at the request of their parents.’ (s 71 SSFA 1998)
Parents have the right to request that their son or daughter be excused from all or part of the RE provided at school.
The syllabus should ‘reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian, while taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain.’ (s375 (3) Education Act 1996)
We ensure that we comply with the legal requirements by following the Herefordshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education 2011-2016 and Understanding Christianity: Text, Impact, and Connections.
Religious Education is generally taught on a weekly basis, but is sometimes delivered through a class topic or as a whole-school RE day. Teachers may develop their own key questions linked to the themes in the syllabus, allowing links with other subject areas where appropriate.
Pupils’ progress in RE is based on the expected outcomes outlined in the locally Agreed Syllabus (Awareness, Mystery and Value 2019) and in Understanding Christianity, which in turn have been developed in line with guidance produced nationally.
Progress in RE is reported annually to parents and has a prominent position in the end of year report.
At St Paul’s, our RE curriculum will give pupils the opportunity to develop their own patterns of belief and behaviour through exploring beliefs and practices and related human experiences. Pupils have the skills to learn effectively. They can plan, research and critically evaluate, using reasoned arguments to support conclusions. They think creatively, making original connections and generating ideas. They consider alternative solutions to problems. They investigate, asking relevant questions, identifying problems, analysis and judging the value of information and ideas, questioning assumptions. They use their imagination to explore possibilities and generate ideas. They try out innovative alternatives, looking for patterns, recognising differences and making generalisations, predicting outcomes and making reasoned decisions. They communicate, interacting with different audiences in a variety of ways using a range of media and they evaluate, developing criteria for judging their work and suggesting refinements and improvements.
Progression of Skills
Extra Curricular Opportunities at St Paul's
Advent Trails in Years 3 and 4.
Whole School exploration of the Stations of the Cross at Easter