Religious Education at St Richard's

OUR INTENT 

 At St Richard’s Religious Education is an integral part of our curriculum. RE lessons provide an opportunity for our children to learn about Christianity, the church and other world religions as well as exploring moral issues. We adhere to the Church of England’s Statement of Entitlement to ensure our children receive high quality lessons delivered in an atmosphere of respect, we want the children to become Religiously literate, where they have the knowledge and understanding to engage in well informed, empathetic discussions in RE lessons.  

Lessons and whole school focus days aim to inspire the children to further their understanding, as well as providing an opportunity for them to share their knowledge and experience. Through RE we hope the children will feel confident to ask big questions and think deeply, not only about what they have learnt but also about their own opinions and beliefs. We want the children to build their knowledge and beliefs and become ‘courageous advocates’ pioneering change for good, not only in the school but also in the local community.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RE CURRICULUM 

As a Church of England school we follow the RE curriculum of the Southwark Diocesan Board of Education (SDBE). Over the course of each academic year two thirds of the curriculum will focus on topics related to Christianity and the Church.  We are keen to present Christianity as a living and diverse faith, we are supported by local churches who actively contribute to RE lessons and help bring topics to life. The other third of the curriculum time in RE is spent studying the other 5 main world religions (Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Sikhism). In RE lessons, we focus on 3 strands of learning: Theology (What people believe about God), Philosophy (Discussing beliefs and questions around meaning and purpose) and Sociology (How people live because of their faith). The children explore these themes thought the key words: Believing, Thinking and Living.

Please see below for an overview of how we teach RE at St Richard's. 

In the Early Years the children are encouraged to respond to Bible stories and festivals through creative work and reflective play. We introduce key concepts from Christianity and share celebrations from faiths represented in the class.

Impact

“Three things will last forever – faith , hope and love -and the greatest of these is love. “

1 Corinthians 13 v 13

As the children in our school journey through the RE curriculum it is our hope that they develop not only knowledge about Christianity and other religions but also qualities of love, compassion, respect and hope.

 Through the RE curriculum the children will learn to not be afraid of asking big questions and exploring their sense of self in the context of faith.

By providing opportunities to reflect and discuss we hope the children will develop their own identity as well as seeing the world from another person’s perspective.

Above all we want our children to leave St Richard’s carrying a love for the subject of RE and for people, understanding that difference and diversity are to be celebrated and respected.