RE

Learning Together Following Jesus

Christian values are the heartbeat of our school. Seeking to be respectful, responsible and empowering global citizens, we follow the words of St Paul,

 ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart’.

 In this context, rejoicing in Jesus’ love and compassion for all, we pursue excellence as we celebrate everyone’s uniqueness in a broad, rich and balanced curriculum.

Intent

 At Adlington St Paul’s School, the Religious Education provided conforms to the rites, practices and doctrines of the Church of England as laid down in the Trust Deeds. Our challenging and robust RE curriculum is based on an accurate theological framework and aims to:

• to enable pupils to know about and understand Christianity as a living faith that influences the lives of people worldwide and as the religion that has most shaped British culture and heritage;
• to enable pupils to know and understand about other major world religions and world views, their impact on society, culture and the wider world, enabling pupils to express ideas and insights;
• to contribute to the development of pupils’ own spiritual/philosophical convictions, exploring and enriching their own beliefs and values;
  give pupils a theologically informed and thoughtful account of Christianity as a living and diverse faith;
• enable pupils to show an informed and respectful attitude to religions and world views in their search for God and meaning;
  allow pupils to engage in meaningful and informed dialogue with those of other faiths and none;
• enable pupils to reflect critically and responsibly on their own spiritual, philosophical and ethical convictions.
• At Adlington St. Paul’s school, we are committed to providing our children with an exciting and positive learning environment, in which they can develop their knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other world religions while contributing to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

We aim to provide a welcoming, family atmosphere, guided by the values and beliefs of our Christian faith. A community which fosters friendliness, respect and consideration for all. A curriculum that introduces pupils to the essential knowledge that they need to be educated citizens and introducing them to the best that has been thought and said, helping to engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement. Children will be given the opportunities to explore and challenge a range of values, attitudes, beliefs, rights and responsibilities.

At the heart of our curriculum sit our Christian values which are:

Thankfulness, Perseverance, Trust, Forgiveness, Justice, Generosity, Compassion, Service, Friendship, Respect, Courage, Truthfulness

Implementation

Our curriculum follows the Blackburn Diocesan Board of Education R.E. Syllabus for Church Schools.  This is entitled Questful R.E. and is creative and challenging for our children in school.  It incorporates a programme of teaching called "Understanding Christianity". "Understanding Christianity" bases Christianity within a framework called "God’s Big Story," which develops an understanding of the Old Testament and the New Testament.

For each topic a series of stimulating lessons are planned, with clear knowledge-based learning objectives and subject-specific vocabulary. Reflective opportunities are planned to allow children the opportunity to evaluate what they have learnt and to address any misconceptions. Teachers assess learning in Religious Education against the Blackburn Diocese ladder of expectation. Our curriculum is delivered through highly effective ‘quality first teaching’.

At Adlington St Paul’s school, Religious Education is taught every week. Visits from the local clergy are encouraged. The learning is recorded in either the children’s Religious Education book or in their class floor book.

Enrichment opportunities, including outdoor learning, inspirational visitors (Christianity and other faiths) and exciting educational visits, provide our children with rich experiences and enhance teaching, learning and knowledge. Our Religious Education curriculum promotes children’s Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development, ensuring that they are reflective and responsible citizens. Fundamental British Values are actively promoted in Religious Education lessons in order to prepare the children for life in Modern Britain.

Christianity is central to the teaching of R.E. taking up 80% of the available time. Teaching about other faiths and world views are included.

In addition to the RE curriculum, the children take part in a daily act of Worship; some of these involve outdoor worship. Prayers are said in class at morning registration, lunch time and home time. These prayers are displayed in every classroom. Every class has its own reflection area and prayer tree.

Impact

 At Adlington St. Paul’s School, we seek to ensure that all children in our school are educated to develop spiritually, academically, emotionally and morally to enable them to better understand themselves and others and to cope with the opportunities, challenges and responsibilities of living in a rapidly changing, multicultural world. Regular assemblies and celebrations of learning help to celebrate the diversity of the school community and promote positive images of people in the wider community, including their beliefs, traditions, culture, language and history.

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