Religious Education

Religious Education (RE) is a core subject at our school and is taught weekly. Children and their families can expect a high quality RE curriculum that is rich and varied, enabling learners to acquire a thorough knowledge and understanding of a range of faiths and world views.

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 and the Understanding Christianity resources in line with Canterbury Diocese to learn about other religions and worldviews, fostering reverence and respect for them. Our curriculum includes study of religious traditions learning from Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Jewish people. Through using a variety of teaching techniques such as drama, art, discussion, use of artefacts, stories, pictures, periods of stillness and reflection, children have opportunities to learn both about religion and from religion. Our working walls/journals show the journey of learning throughout a whole unit of work and enable children to interact and respond to key questions, ideas and beliefs.

Understanding Christianity is a spiral curriculum where units of work are revisited in subsequent years. 70% of our curriculum is based on Christianity; the remaining 30% is focused on other world faiths and non-religious worldviews. It is our aim that RE is delivered in an objective and critical manner, which challenges children to enquire and question, enabling all children to develop a rich religious literacy.

Links with our Christian values and support for pupil's spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development and to their understanding of British Values are intrinsic to our RE curriculum. We aim to provide a wide range of opportunities for learners to understand and to make links between the beliefs, practices and value systems of the range of faiths and worldviews studied.

Parents have had the right to withdraw their children from religious education. However, in view of the Christian ethos and distinctive Christian character of our school, we would hope that all children admitted will participate fully in RE, and that anyone wishing to withdraw their child would discuss this with the headteacher before making this decision.

RE Syllabus

Skills progression

Assessment principles

RE Policy