RE

Intent

In RE we aim to encourage children to think deeply on big questions and make links between how concepts are expressed in differing religions, posing their own questions whilst being open-minded and respectful towards the views of others. Driven by our school values of Wisdom, Courage & Respect, we and aim to encourage children to reflect on their own beliefs and values whilst developing a respectful attitude towards all that we share our world with. By exposing children to a variety of religions, both through our agreed syllabus and through assemblies, we want our pupils to embrace diversity and recognise the impact that people from a range of backgrounds have on our lives, both within our local community and beyond.

Implementation

Living Difference is the agreed syllabus for the teaching of RE in Hampshire.  It offers an educative approach to religious education, emphasising a process of enquiry into concepts. Children and young people have the opportunity to respond from their own experience before being introduced to the way others appreciate things.

The process of enquiry has five steps: communicate, apply, enquire, contextualise and evaluate.

Each enquiry begins with the teacher inviting the children and/or young people into the enquiry by communicating the concept; bringing the child or young person to attend first to their own experience of the concept through an activity, before at apply exploring their own responses in relation to others' experience.

At enquire, material that is new to the children and young people is introduced in varying complexity, children may also reflect collaboratively, for example in a community of philosophical enquiry, recognising that there are many different ways of looking at things. At the evaluate step children are asked to weigh up their experience of the concept in their own and other’s lives.

Impact

At The Schools of Woolton Hill, children enjoy learning about Christianity, other religions and world views. They consider why people choose, or choose not to hold religious or non-religious beliefs. 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. Through R.E. our children are developing an understanding of other people’s cultures and ways of life and worship, and their own which they are then able to communicate to the wider community.