Religious Education

Our Curriculum Intent

For children to: 

• all pupils receive high-quality Religious Education teaching to help children to develop an understanding of the religions and beliefs which form part of contemporary society.
• have experiences that raise their cultural capital and to have essential knowledge to be educated citizens in a continuing era of globalisation and an increasingly interdependent world.
• develop their understanding of the UK’s rich tapestry of heritage in culture and diversity and to understand that religion and belief for many people forms a crucial part of their culture and identity.
• be respectful to other belief systems and promote mutual respect and tolerance in a diverse society (alongside the schools’ values of TLC and British Values)
• have opportunities to celebrate diversity as well as opportunities to deepen their understanding of the significance of religion in the lives of others – individually, communally, and cross-culturally.

Implementation

As required by law, RE is taught as part of our basic curriculum and is taught in accordance with the Bromley Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education (2020).

Our syllabus is predominantly about all religions and faiths;  Buddism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism are the religions studied. As well as the units which focus on these major religions, our approach also includes thematic approaches and big questions which draw on a number of religions and how they may relate in different ways. Our curriculum enables the children to consider challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, the self and the nature of reality and issues of right and wrong. It allows pupils to develop knowledge and understanding of different faiths, religious traditions and worldwide views. Therefore, RE provides valuable opportunities for reflection and encourages our children to develop their sense of identity.

Impact

At Alexandra Junior School, children develop the ability to make reasoned and informed judgements - which enhance social, moral, spiritual and cultural development - and the confidence to question others through discussion; they are taught to develop the skill to disagree agreeably. Our children learn from and about religion, to encourage an understanding of the world around them through examining the theology (believing), philosophy (thinking) and social science (living) of the world we live in today, within a historical and religious context.

RE Overview