Religious Education

Intent

At St Wilfrid’s Church of England Primary School we believe that Religious Education has a very important role to play in the promotion of the spiritual, moral, social, cultural and intellectual development of our children. We believe it is essential in supporting our children to gain a greater understanding of not only themselves, but others

The curriculum underpins our Christian Values and the ethos of the school whilst also providing opportunities to learn about other faiths and their similarities and differences.

Through Religious Education, pupils develop their knowledge of the 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.

Implementation

We follow the Manchester Diocesan Syllabus for Religious Education, called Questful RE

Each class follows a long term plan, as set out by the syllabus, with numerous opportunities for children to discuss, raise and answer questions, and produce drama, music or art work to complement their learning.

Included in the syllabus are core Christian ideas and values, along with opportunities to learn about other religions. Children are encouraged to ask questions that can be explored further during their Religious Education lessons.

Our aim is to provide our children with life’s essentials; acceptance, tolerance, empathy and appreciation. Our syllabus allows us to explore and develop our thinking skills with lessons that encourage child-led philosophical discussions.

We are currently developing our RE syllabus and are in the process of incorporating ‘Understanding Christianity’ to support our ‘Questful RE’.

‘Understanding Christianity’ is a supplement to aid the teaching and learning in order for the children to really have a solid grasp on the Christian Faith.

The Big Frieze

Through ‘Understanding Christianty’, the teachers and children refer to ‘The Big Frieze’ – a wall frieze to illustrate seven of the eight core concepts that are explored throughout the Understanding Christianity materials. The Big Frieze is designed to give teachers the opportunity to make pupils aware of the wider context of each concept, unit and text studied in the Understanding Christianity materials. Reminding pupils regularly of where a particular text occurs within the ‘big story’, by pointing it out on the Frieze, helps to build up a coherent understanding of the core concepts and the relationship between them.

The artwork illustrates these concepts, from Creation to Kingdom of God, presenting a Christian view of the Bible as more than a collection of different texts – one which has an overarching coherence and story.

Our children worked alongside their teachers to produce their own interpretations.

RE Across St Wilfrid’s