Religious Education - R.E.

Intent

At St Mary Bourne Primary School, the aim of Religious Education is to help children to acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the other principal religions represented in Great Britain; to appreciate the way that religious beliefs shape life and our behaviour, develop the ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues to enhance their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Religious Education is taught to reflect the overall aims, values, and ethos of the school. Religious Education plays an important role, along with all other curriculum areas, particularly PSHE, in promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our children.

Implementation

At St Mary Bourne, it has been agreed that having taken into account the requirements and guidelines presented in the Agreed Hampshire Syllabus- Living Difference, the following religions have been selected for study:

• Christianity
• Judaism
• Islam
• Hinduism

We value the religious background of all members of the school community and hope that this will encourage individuals to share their own experiences with others freely. All religions and their communities are treated with respect and sensitivity and we value the links which are, and can be made between, home, school, and a faith community. We acknowledge that each religion studied can contribute to the education of all our pupils. We promote teaching in Religious Education that stresses open enquiry and first-hand experiences wherever possible for both staff and children.

Impact

The children at St Mary Bourne Primary School enjoying learning about other religions and why people choose, or choose not to follow a religion. Through their R.E. learning, the children are able to make links between their own lives and those of others in their community and in the wider world. R.E. helps children to develop an acceptance of others in the world around them and helps to safeguard theirs and others well-being in this way. Through R.E. our children are developing an understanding of other people’s cultures and ways of life, which they are then able to communicate to the wider community.

 R.E. offers our children the means by which to understand how other people choose to live and to understand why they choose to live in that way. As such, R.E. is invaluable in an ever changing world.