RE Lead - Mrs Hanson

RE Subject Statement

Here at St. Margaret’s, we are proud to be a church school, this is at the heart of our identity. We believe that it is vital for all our pupils to learn from and about Christianity and other world faiths, so that they can understand the world around them.

Through Religious Education, pupils develop their knowledge of Christianity and other world faiths, and their understanding and awareness of the beliefs, values and traditions of other individuals, societies, communities and cultures. We encourage our pupils to ask questions about the world and to reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences.

Our Religious Education curriculum is enhanced further with trips to our local churches and other places of worship. We follow the RE syllabus of Bury Diocesan Board of Education. This syllabus is specially designed to give pupils a sense of being on a quest of discovery. A key feature of the syllabus is the range of questions included in each unit. The purpose of these questions is to allow pupils opportunities to investigate, think, reflect, evaluate and make meaning. In doing so they will discover more about themselves, their relationships with others, their relationship with the world and most importantly their relationship with God.

Spirituality

Spirituality in Religious Education

Spiritual development is nurtured in Religious Education through:

• Reflecting on people, places, things, books, actions and ideas held by religious believers to be holy

• Asking 'Big Questions' about meaning and purpose

• Exploring ideas of the divine / questions of God

• Researching different forms of worship

• Using music, art and drama to express beliefs

• Discovering a variety of beliefs, celebrations and rituals

• Suggesting ways religion can create a sense of belonging and commitment to groups and institutions

• Appreciating the idea of mystery and questions with no clear answers

What is Spirituality?

It is very difficult to put into words what ‘spirituality’ actually is because it is a very personal experience. It differs from person to person, and often spirituality changes within people during their lifetime. Spirituality is not the same as having a religion or faith; a person can be spiritual without having a particular faith.

At St Margaret's we define spirituality as:

'A feeling we have inside ourselves, like an inner peace or the feeling of wonder. We ask big questions and have a care for nature and living things.'

The language we use to define spirituality is not child-friendly, so when talking to children about it, we will refer to:

• A sense of awe and wonder
• Care for nature and living things
• Wanting to love and to be loved by people

Awe and Wonder

Children are born inquisitive, and it is our duty to nurture this natural curiosity and guide them towards looking at the world and noticing, with awe and wonder, the natural and man-made delights all around us. We want to encourage them to ask ‘big questions’ about life, religion, nature, science and any other area of fascination.

Caring for Nature and Living Things

We provide many opportunities for children to learn about nature and are lucky to have so many lovely natural [laces on our doorstep such as Heaton Park. Through our curriculum and outdoor learning children learn about the world and how they can care for living things.

Love

We are a very caring school and pride ourselves on living and breathing our school values which are all underpinned by our core value of love.

Through our Christian Values, we teach children to care for friends, family and the community and talk about love: who we love, what we love and what it feels like to be loved.

Children’s spiritual development is fostered through all aspects of our provision. It is about the relationships and the values that we consider to be important, as well as the development of knowledge, concepts, skills and attitudes.

We give children opportunities to:

• Express personal beliefs and compare views with others, sharing feelings and opinions through discussions and stories.
• Begin to develop their own system of beliefs which may or may not include religious beliefs.
• Show respect and understanding for the beliefs of others which includes valuing all members of our St.Margaret's family regardless of age, gender, religion, sexuality or any other protected characteristic.
• Experience a love of learning through rewarding their enthusiasm and by encouraging exploratory play and learning.
• Reflect upon the world around them and show a sense of awe and wonder towards aspects of the natural world or human achievement.
• Reflect on the situations of others through role play, stories.
• Experience a range of stories, music, art, drama and dance

RE Curriculum

RE Long Term Plan

RE in the Early Years Foundation Stage

Collective Worship

Useful websites