RE at Warton St. Paul's

RE

Updated: 17/01/2023 42 KB
Updated: 17/01/2023 205 KB

Intent 

Our expectation at Warton St. Paul's is that all pupils are religiously literate by the time they leave in Year 6.  
We learn about:

  • God who reveals the truth about himself and humanity through creation, the giving of the law, his action in history and through the prophets;
  • God who reveals himself ultimately in Jesus his Son, living among us and dying and rising for us;
  • God who reveals himself in his Spirit working in the living faith of the Church experienced through scripture, tradition and reason;

We learn from:

  • an empathetic response to the Christian faith and a critical engagement with it;
  • responding personally to the stories and teachings of Jesus Christ;
  • examples of Christian living which give priority to the values of unconditional love, forgiveness, reconciliation, justice, compassion and faith. 

Our aim for Religious Education at St. Paul’s C.E. School is to help pupils to:

  • learn about other faiths, their beliefs, traditions and practices and from them through encounter and dialogue;
  • recognise and respect those of all faiths in their search for God;
  • recognise areas of common belief and practice between different faiths;
  • enrich and expand their understanding of truth while remaining faithful to their own tradition;
  • enrich their own faith through examples of holy living in other traditions;
  • reflect theologically and explore the ultimate questions and challenges of life in today’s society;
  • reflect critically on the truth of the claims of Christian belief;
  • see how the truth of Christianity is relevant today;
  • understand the challenge faced by Christians in today’s pluralist and post-modern society;
  • develop the skills to handle the Bible text;
  • recognise that faith is based on commitment to a particular way of understanding God and the world;
  • begin to develop their own commitments, beliefs and values;
  • develop a sense of themselves as significant, unique and precious;
  • experience the breadth and variety of the Christian community;
  • engage in thoughtful dialogue with other faiths and traditions;
  • become active citizens, serving their neighbour;
  • find a reason for hope in a troubled world;
  • understand how religious faith can sustain believers in difficult circumstances and in the face of opposition

Implementation 

Religious Education is typically taught for one hour per week in both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 and has a regular place on the weekly timetable in all of these classes. Further opportunities for Religious Education teaching are implemented through special religious festivals, such as Christmas, Easter, Sukkot, Diwali and Eid, and themed weeks, such as Multi Faith Week. In EYFS, as well as these further opportunities, children take part in discrete Religious Education lessons as well as those interwoven through the early years curriculum. 
At Warton St. Paul’s, we follow the Blackburn Diocesan RE syllabus - Questful RE - alongside Understanding Christianity. Lessons are planned and delivered in a variety of ways ensuring that all children can access and participate in lessons. Interactive, practical activities encourage the children to discuss their ideas and extend their understanding of difficult concepts and challenging questions. Learning is recorded both individually and in a class scrapbook, with greater emphasis on scrapbook work in Early Years and Year 1.
Pupils’ progress in RE is based on the expected outcomes outlined in the Agreed Syllabus using the ladder of expectation for teacher assessment. Pupils are assessed on a termly basis. Teachers are mindful that pupils’ personal beliefs and ideas are not subject to formal assessment, but are central to good RE. Progress in RE is reported annually to parents in the end of year report.

Impact 

Religious Education at Warton St. Paul’s enables:

  • pupils and teachers to talk openly and freely about their own personal beliefs and practice without fear of ridicule;
  • pupils to make excellent and appropriate progress in their knowledge and understanding of Christianity;
  • pupils from Christian families to talk openly about their beliefs and values in lessons and to grow in their faith;
  • pupils from other faith backgrounds to understand and be encouraged in their faith;
  • pupils with no religious background to be given an insight into what it means to be a person of faith;
  • pupils of all backgrounds to have a safe place to explore the ultimate questions and challenges of life in today’s society.