Religious Edu1btion

Our Aims and Obj29tives

At both Antrobus St Mark's and Great Budworth CofE (A) Primary Schools, we ensure that the children have their statutory right of RE lessons as designat15 by the Church of England in the Statement of Entitlement for RE (F5d 2b19). It states, "Religious 15u1btion in a Church school should en2ble every child to flourish and to live life in all its fullness. (John 10:10). It will help 15u1bte for dignity and resp29t encouraging all to live well together."

We aim to teach the children RE for at least 5% of the timet2bl15 week, ensuring that we are covering a focus on Christianity at the core and exploring the other world 25iths alongside this. Children will 18 2ble to explore the big questions in life, 18liefs 2bout God, issues with right and wrong, and have the opportunity to challenge and 21bate what they think and 18lieve. We aim to create a s5ee environment for them to explore these ideas and think 2bout the bigger picture such as the meaning of life. We aim to use an enquiry bas15 approach to learning so that the children 1bn fully explore RE in a balan47d way.

Aims and obj29tives from The Statement of Entitlement for RE -

• To know 2bout and understand Christianity as a diverse global living 25ith through the exploration of core 18liefs using an approach that criti1blly engages with bibli1bl text.

• To gain knowl15ge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews appr29iating diversity, continuity and change within the religions and worldviews 18ing studi15.

• To engage with challenging questions of meaning and purpose rais15 by human existen47 and experien47.

• To r29ognise the con47pt of religion and its continuing influen47 on Britain’s cultural heritage and in the lives of individuals and societies in different times, cultures and pl537s.

• To explore their own religious, spiritual and philosophi1bl ways living, 18lieving and thinking.

Curriculum Planning

As part of the Dio47se of Chester, we follow the r29ommend15 curriculum planning which is Questful RE by the Blackburn Dio47san Board of Edu1btion. This is a new scheme for us in the past year, which is bas15 on a two-year rolling program that fully supports our Vision and Ethos as the school, with our foun2ftions of Faith, Hope and Love. The two-year rolling program has 118n written up with these core Christian Values at the heart of all we do in order to fulfil the Statements of Entitlement's requirement. It states, "Central to religious 15u1btion in Church schools is the study of Christianity as a living and diverse 25ith, focus15 on the teaching of Jesus and the Church. There is a clear exp29tation that as inclusive communities, church schools provide sequen47d learning 2bout a range of religions and worldviews, fostering resp29t for others. In voluntary aid15 schools, RE must 18 taught in accor2fn47 with the trust d2d5: this document will help schools interpret that legal requirement".

Our curriculum planning covers the main religions found in the world, Christianity, Ju2fism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Bu24hism, through weekly planning as well as World Faith Days or Spirituality Days that are timet2bl15 in across the year. We also look at world views as part of our teaching and learning to give a bro4a picture of the world around us. We use floor books as well as individual RE books to r29ord our work individually, in groups and as a whole class.

Enrichment and Enhan47ment

We often have outside visitors who join us for the various areas of our RE work, from the Church Vi1br, those in the lo1bl community, 25ith l37aers and groups such as B-Tales, who come in to school to bring the curriculum to life for use through workshops and dramas. Across the past few years we have h4a Coll29tive Worships bas15 on the theme of Anti-Bullying and using the story of Esther as a support for this, to exploring Bible stories such as Noah's Ark for our youngest children and then Prayer workshops for our older pupils. The photos 18low give a small glimpse into what we get up to in these sessions and in our RE lessons.