Religious Education at St Peter's CE Primary

At St Peter’s, Religious Education is a vibrant, inclusive and academically rich subject which helps children to explore and understand a wide range of religions and worldviews. Through RE, pupils learn about different beliefs, values and traditions, as well as developing a deeper understanding of their own thoughts, experiences and identity.

RE lessons provide regular opportunities for discussion, reflection and enquiry. Children are encouraged to express their views respectfully, to listen carefully to others and to ask thoughtful questions. In doing so, they model our school values of respect, courage and compassion, learning how to engage with a variety of views in a positive and meaningful way.

Our curriculum is carefully planned to be creative, age‑appropriate and engaging. Lessons make use of stories, artefacts, visits, visitors and discussion‑based learning to ensure that RE is accessible and inspiring for all learners. Pupils have the opportunity to visit our local church, St Peter’s, as well as other local places of worship, helping them to make real‑life connections and deepen their understanding of faith in practice.

We are proud of our diverse school community and enjoy celebrating the wide range of beliefs and worldviews represented within it. RE helps children to understand their local community and the wider world, preparing them to live well together and to play their part as thoughtful, informed and compassionate global citizens.

Religious Education at St Peter’s is an academic subject which teaches children about religions and worldviews. Pupils are not encouraged or expected to change their own beliefs in any way; rather, they are supported to develop knowledge, understanding and respect for others as they grow and look towards the future.

English legislation states that:

RE is for all pupils.
Every pupil has a legal entitlement to RE.
RE is a necessary part of a ‘broad and balanced curriculum’ and must be provided for all registered pupils in state-funded schools in England, including those in the sixth form, unless withdrawn by their parents (or withdrawing themselves if they are aged 18 or over)
The ‘basic’ school curriculum includes the National Curriculum, RE, and relationships and sex education.

Currently RE is locally determined, not nationally. A locally agreed syllabus is a statutory syllabus for RE, recommended by a local standing advisory committee for RE (SACRE) for adoption by a local authority. Our school RE curriculum has been created by the diocese which we fall under which is Rochester. We work closely within the Diocese of Rochester for training, events for pupils and support for school staff.

RE is multifaith, and recognises the place of Christianity and the other principal religions in the UK. Non-religious worldviews are included. The RE curriculum, drawn up by the Diocese of Rochester reflects 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. Contemporary guidance from the Government makes clear that the breadth of RE will include the six principal religions of the UK and non religious worldviews.

Parental right of withdrawal from RE. This was first granted in 1944 when curricular RE was called ‘Religious Instruction’ and carried with it connotations of induction into the Christian faith. RE is very different now – open, broad and exploring a range of religious and non-religious worldviews.

Intent

At St Peter's Church of England Primary School, our Religious Education (RE) curriculum has an important role in reflecting the Christian character and vision of our school.

RE has a particular contribution to make towards the Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural education of each pupil. It involves learning about religion i.e. understanding what people believe and do, and how they express themselves, and also learning from religion i.e. making sense of who we are, of life, and of right and wrong. We encourage respect for religious commitment and for those holding different beliefs.

We aim that pupils will learn to articulate clearly and coherently their personal beliefs, ideas, values and experiences while respecting the rights of others to differ.

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 world views 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.

Implementation

As a church school, the teaching of Christianity is at the heart of our RE curriculum. Through the Understanding Christianity resource, the use of an enquiry approach engages with significant theological concepts and the pupil’s own understanding of the world as part of their wider religious literacy. Using the Kent Agreed Syllabus, with the Understanding Christianity resource, we learn about other religions and world views, fostering respect for them.

Progression of skills in RE

Understanding Christianity

Within the Understanding Christianity resource, there is a focus on a number of core concepts which are part of the 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.

Here is the progression through each of the core concepts within Understanding Christianity:

Parents have the right to withdraw their child/ren from Religious Education after consultation with the Headteacher.