St Mary's C of E Primary School & Nursery

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION & WORLDVIEW AT ST MARY'S

‘Faith in Everyone to Shine Brightly’ 

We are extremely proud to be a Church of England Primary school, with a strong distinctiveness within this area. Our mission and vision is firmly embedded and rooted in school life and permeates everything that we do. 

Religious Education at our school is underpinned by our values and ethos that we have 'faith in everyone to shine brightly’. In Religious Education, our children explore questions arising from the study of Christianity and other major world beliefs. Using a variety of creative techniques, such as poetry and art, and enquiry, children are encouraged to reflect on this knowledge in their own search for identity and significance.
 

Religious Education – Statement of Intent

At St Mary’s we believe that RE is inclusive. We aim to equip our children with the skills and wisdom to prepare them for modern Britain. We have a strong Christian distinctiveness, underpinned by our values. Each term we have two values which are our focus and link to out fortnightly big questions in all year groups. Our big questions are all underpinned by our ‘shining brightly’ ethos, which is grounded in a Christian narrative, underpinned by biblical teaching.

 We encourage all children to be respectful of all faiths and tolerant of other beliefs. Our curriculum allows children to develop their knowledge and understanding of these faiths and beliefs and enables them to ask and explore life's 'big questions'. Our curriculum is broad, balanced and informed by our vision.

RE – Statement of Implementation

Each term, two specific Christian values are explored, celebrated, and lived out through our carefully planned curriculum. Our values, big questions and lessons are intertwined to ensure that our children can access the curriculum and have the opportunity to shine brightly. Significant local, national, and international events are marked and celebrated with relevance and meaning.

At St Marys we follow the Wiltshire Agreed Syllabus, which is supported by Understanding Christianity and Discovery RE to deliver a diverse and appropriate curriculum to our school community. Both programmes of study offer a rich and diverse curriculum for all our learners. Units of work are selected from the core concept grids to give the best coverage for our school community. 

The key aims of Understanding Christianity are:  

• To enable pupils to know about and understand Christianity as a living world faith, by exploring core theological concepts;
• To enable pupils to develop knowledge and skills in making sense of biblical texts and understanding their impact in the lives of Christians;
• To develop pupils’ abilities to connect, critically reflect upon, evaluate and apply their learning to their own growing understanding of religion and belief (particularly Christianity), of themselves, the world and human experience.  

By the end of KS2, all children will have been taught about Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Hinduism and Buddhism, with the greater emphasis and time allocated to Christianity. The aim is that all our our children will leave St Marys with a well-rounded, diverse knowledge and understanding, whilst being given the opportunity to learn about and develop their own Christian distinctiveness. 

Please see our RE overview at St Marys School. All selected topics are linked to our termly Big Question, which is underpinned by our termly values.

As a Church of England school, we seek to follow the Church of England’s Statement of Entitlement for Religious Education, which states as the aims of Religious Education in Church schools are:

• 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.

An important aim of RE is that children are encouraged to reflect on their learning and make their own decisions about what they believe. The aim of RE is not to make children into religious believers, but to understand that religion influences and sustains many people in the world today, and to consider the wisdom of faith traditions, and reflect on what they might take from it.  Our teaching is rooted in the Church of England, but we provide a space for all children to express their home religion, or for those of no faith.

Religious Education at St Mary’s may be taught through art, drama, storytelling and investigating artefacts. We encourage children to develop a knowledge of the rich tradition of religious art and music; responding and reflecting on what they may learn from it. We try to bring in visitors and take the children out to experience religion in the real world. 

Above all, we believe that the Christian values underpinning our education will enable the children to become confident, reflective, spiritual and morally aware people who can play a role in shaping modern Britain. 

Religious Education – Statement of Impact

Monitoring Plan evidence shows that (in line with age expectations):

• most children have a good level of religious understanding and knowledge, including a range of religions and worldviews which enables them to engage in informed and balanced conversations about religions and beliefs.
• most children are inquisitive and ask significant and reflective questions, giving personal reflections on meaning and purpose.
• all children to have a positive attitude to those who hold religious beliefs which are different from their own.
• courageous advocacy enables our learners to stand up for what is right.
• children are spiritually, morally, socially and culturally aware and reflect on their own beliefs.
• most children are able to be discerning about the many attitudes and opinions they encounter and are respectful of different view and beliefs.
• most children are asked to consider their relationships to themselves, others, the planet, nature, suffering, pain, death and beyond. 

Right to Withdraw Your Child

Parents have the legal right to withdraw their child from Religious Education (RE) in primary schools, as per the 1988 Education Reform Act. This right applies to all maintained schools, academies, and free schools in the UK. The Department for Education (DfE) ensures that all statefunded schools must offer a balanced and broadly based curriculum, which includes RE. The curriculum aims to promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental, and physical development of pupils and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences of life.

Parents are encouraged to consider the benefits of RE in fostering understanding and respect for diverse beliefs and cultures. However, they are also informed that schools have a duty to supervise children during RE lessons and that they should not incur extra costs or provide additional teaching. Schools should inform parents about the RE syllabus and the aims of the curriculum, and parents should be given the opportunity to discuss these matters.

It is important for parents to request withdrawal in writing and to be aware of the limitations to withdrawal. Schools must comply with the request and excuse the pupil until it is rescinded. While parents have the right to withdraw their children from RE, they should note that children may also encounter religions and beliefs in other areas of the curriculum from which there is no right of withdrawal.