St John's CE Academy

Religious Education (RE)

‘Differences were meant not to divide but to enrich.’ J.H Oldham

Subject Intent

At St. John’s Church of England Academy we provide children with the skills, knowledge and understanding required to handle questions raised by different religions and beliefs whilst also reflecting upon their own ideas and ways of living.

In line with all church schools, St John's Church of England Academy has a duty to provide accurate knowledge and understanding of religions and world views. As a Church of England Academy, Religious Education has the same status as the core subjects of English and Mathematics. We base our religious education firmly on the Christian faith with this also enshrined within our Christian school values. We follow the new Gloucestershire Syllabus for Religious Education, which aims to explore different religious beliefs and to instill respect, tolerance and curiosity about other faiths.

We appreciate the positive impact that local faith communities can have on pupils’ experience in RE. Therefore, St John’s C of E Academy encourages visits to places of worship and welcomes visitors from different faith communities. We recognise it is vitally important that staff demonstrate respectful attitudes towards all faiths, modelling the attitudes and responses we would expect from our pupils.

Curriculum Drivers

Through the delivery of our curriculum, we want our children to be ready for life beyond St John's Church of England Academy.

We aspire for them to be:

Articulate

Aspirational

Curious

Appreciative

As a Religious thinker we want our children…

To explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that pupils can gain the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and belief, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living. (Gloucestershire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education 2017 – 2022)

By teaching RE we aim to ensure that all pupils:

1. make sense of a range of religious and non-religious beliefs

2. understand the impact and significance of religious and non-religious beliefs.

3. make connections between religious and non-religious beliefs, concepts, practices and ideas studied.

Impact

The impact and measure of our Religious Education curriculum is to ensure that children at St John’s Church of England Academy are equipped with the skills and knowledge that will enable them to be ready for the curriculum at Key Stage 3 and for life as an adult in the wider world.