What is R.E?
R.E involves pupils exploring both the beliefs and practices of world faiths and their own responses to questions about the meaning and purpose of life. They also learn about non-religious belief and values.
- R.E contributes dynamically to children and young people’s education in schools by provoking challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human.
- In R.E they learn about and from religions and worldviews in local, national and global contexts, to discover, explore and consider different answers to these questions.
- They learn to weigh up the value of wisdom from different sources, to develop and express their insights in response, and to agree or disagree respectfully.
- Teaching therefore should equip pupils with systematic knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews, enabling them to develop their ideas, values and identities.
- It should develop in pupils an aptitude for dialogue so that they can participate positively in our society, with its diverse religions and worldviews.
- Pupils should gain and deploy the skills needed to understand, interpret and evaluate texts, sources of wisdom and authority and other evidence. They should learn to articulate clearly and coherently.
Curriculum planning in R.E
We plan our R.E curriculum in accordance with the Tameside Agreed Syllabus. We ensure that the topics studied in R.E build upon prior learning. We offer opportunities for children of all abilities to develop their skills and knowledge in each unit, and we ensure that the planned progression built into the scheme of work offers the children an increasing challenge as they move through the school.
R.E is taught in each year group. The section Personal and Social and Emotional Development and Understanding the world, in the Early Years Foundation Stage guides the planning and delivery of RE.
Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development (SMSC) and British values
Through teaching R.E, we provide opportunities for spiritual development. Children consider and respond to questions concerning the meaning and purpose of life. We help them to recognise the difference between right and wrong through the study of moral and ethical questions. We enhance their social development by helping them to build a sense of identity in a multicultural society. Children explore issues of religious faith and values and, in so doing, they develop their knowledge and understanding of the cultural context of their own lives. Children will learn to understand religious and belief systems’ commitment to morality and social justice, to responsible stewardship of the environment and to deepening the experience of being human.
R.E has a significant contribution to creating awareness of British values. Through the exploration of multiple identities and local communities, through visits to places of worship and meeting people from religious and belief communities, and through a deepening understanding of beliefs and practices, R.E helps our pupils to come to an informed and empathetic understanding of different groups which will help promote cohesion and integration. Pupils will explore British values in relation to religions and beliefs