Religious Education

Purpose of study

• Religious education should enable every child to flourish and to live life in all its fullness. (John 10:10). It will help educate for dignity and respect, encouraging all to live well together
• We have a commitment to our underpinning Christian faith, with a deep respect for the integrity of other religious traditions (and worldviews) and for the religious freedom of each person.
• We teach a full curriculum that prepares pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life in modern Britain.
• Christianity will be studied as a living and diverse faith, focused on the teaching of Jesus and the Church.
• There will be opportunities for children to understand the role of foundational texts, beliefs, rituals, and practices and how they help form identity in a range of religions and worldviews.

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Aims

When children leave Norton St Nicholas they will:

• 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.
• Have gained knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews appreciating diversity, continuity and change within the religions and worldviews being studied.
• Have grown in respect for people of all religions and worldviews.
• Have engaged with big questions of meaning and purpose raised by human existence and experience.
• Have explored their own religious, spiritual and philosophical ways of living, believing and thinking.
• Be confident in expressing their own opinions, thoughts and questions.

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The curriculum

• In KS1 RE is taught for at least one hour every week; In KS2 RE is taught for at least 1 ¼ hours each week.
• At least 50% of curriculum time in each year group is spent studying Christianity. Children also learn about Judaism, Islam, Sikhism and Hinduism.
• Each unit of learning has a Big Question, which is explored over the course of a half term. Most of these units are based on brilliant resources from The Emmanuel Project, which help children to:
  • Engage with the key concept in their own lives/world.
  • Enquire into aspects the key concept relates to.
  • Explore the key concepts through religious narrative, religious community practice and religious living.
  • Evaluate and express their learning about the Big Question.​​​​​​​