INTENT
Our Religious Education curriculum aims to motivate and inspire children through an engaging curriculum that challenges all learners whilst ensuring that the school Christian values are at the heart. The distinctive Christian ethos permeates all aspects of school life and has an outstanding impact on pupils’ personal development.
Our curriculum is designed to deepen knowledge and develop skills, with literacy at the heart, ensuring effective progression within each subject discipline and across all year groups. Our Christian Values and Distinctiveness, alongside our School Mission Statement of ‘Living and Learning Together, Celebrating Life at its Fullest’ are at the heart of our curriculum and all that we do at Dickleburgh.
IMPLEMENTATION
Religious Education is a curriculum entitlement for all children and the school follows the new Norfolk “Syllabus for Religious Education 2019”. The purpose of RE is to help children and young people to hold balanced and well- informed conversations about religion and belief. In order to fulfil this purpose, we advocate that R.E. needs to provide a balance between three disciplines. These are:
- Theology: This is about believing. It looks at where beliefs come from, how they have changed over time, how they are applied differently in different contexts and how they relate to each other.
- Philosophy: This is about thinking. It is about finding out how and whether things make sense. It deals with questions of morality and ethics. It takes seriously the nature of reality, knowledge and existence.
- Human/Social Sciences: This is about living. It explores the diverse ways in which people practise their beliefs. It engages with the impact of beliefs on individuals, communities and societies.
As a Christian School, our pupils are taught about other world faiths as part of the multicultural society in which we live. Our curriculum is well-planned and provides literacy-rich, cross-curricular opportunities. For each topic a series of stimulating lessons are planned, with clear knowledge-based learning objectives incorporating the Christian concepts and subject-specific vocabulary. Reflective opportunities are planned to allow children the opportunity to evaluate what they have learnt and to address any misconceptions. Our curriculum is delivered through highly effective ‘quality first teaching’. 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.
IMPACT
Our well-planned Religious Education curriculum ensures that children are able to make links between Christian faith and those of others in their community and in the wider world. Through the breadth and depth that our curriculum offers, children are developing an understanding of other religions and ways of life. Our curriculum enables children to become active citizens, serving their neighbour and enables them to become global citizens and courageous advocates for change in the world, from a local to global level.
Religious Education does not seek to urge religious beliefs on children or to compromise the integrity of their own beliefs by promoting one religion over another. Parents have the right to withdraw their child from Religious Education. Suitable alternative provision will be made.
Spiritual Development
We teach our pupils about different religions and world views. We develop our children’s understanding and awareness of different religious beliefs, teachings and practices and how these influence individuals and communities. We want our children to develop their own beliefs in our ever-changing world