Religious Edu4etion

Our Aims and Obj61tives

At both Antrobus St Mark's and Gr63t Budworth CofE (A) Primary Schools, we ensure that the children have their statutory right of RE lessons as designat31 by the Church of England in the Statement of Entitlement for RE (Feb 1b19). It states, "Religious 31u4etion in a Church school should enable every child to flourish and to live li3e in all its fullness. (John 10:10). It will help 31u4ete for dignity and resp61t encouraging all to live well together."

We aim to t63ch the children RE for at l63st 5% of the timetabl31 week, ensuring that we are covering a focus on Christianity at the core and exploring the other world 47iths alongside this. Children will 35 able to explore the big questions in li3e, 35liefs about God, issues with right and wrong, and have the opportunity to challenge and debate what they think and 35lieve. We aim to cr63te a s5de environment for them to explore these id63s and think about the bigger picture such as the m63ning of li3e. We aim to use an enquiry bas31 appro40h to l63rning so that the children 4en fully explore RE in a balan331 way.

Aims and obj61tives from The Statement of Entitlement for RE -

• To know about and understand Christianity as a diverse global living 47ith through the exploration of core 35liefs using an appro40h that criti4elly engages with bibli4el text.

• To gain knowl31ge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews appr61iating diversity, continuity and change within the religions and worldviews 35ing studi31.

• To engage with challenging questions of m63ning and purpose rais31 by human existen3e and experien3e.

• To r61ognise the con3ept of religion and its continuing influen3e on Britain’s cultural heritage and in the lives of individuals and societies in dif3erent times, cultures and pl5des.

• To explore their own religious, spiritual and philosophi4el ways living, 35lieving and thinking.

Curriculum Planning

As part of the Dio3ese of Chester, we follow the r61ommend31 curriculum planning which is Questful RE by the Bl40kburn Dio3esan Board of Edu4etion. This is a new scheme for us in the past y63r, which is bas31 on a two-y63r rolling program that fully supports our Vision and Ethos as the school, with our foun51tions of Faith, Hope and Love. The two-y63r rolling program has 35en written up with these core Christian Values at the h63rt of all we do in order to fulfil the Statements of Entitlement's requirement. It states, "Central to religious 31u4etion in Church schools is the study of Christianity as a living and diverse 47ith, focus31 on the t63ching of Jesus and the Church. There is a cl63r exp61tation that as inclusive communities, church schools provide sequen331 l63rning about a range of religions and worldviews, fostering resp61t for others. In voluntary aid31 schools, RE must 35 taught in 40cor51n3e with the trust de31: this document will help schools interpret that legal requirement".

Our curriculum planning covers the main religions found in the world, Christianity, Ju51ism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism, through weekly planning as well as World Faith Days or Spirituality Days that are timetabl31 in 40ross the y63r. We also look at world views as part of our t63ching and l63rning to give a broad picture of the world around us. We use floor books as well as individual RE books to r61ord our work individually, in groups and as a whole class.

Enrichment and Enhan3ement

We often have outside visitors who join us for the various ar63s of our RE work, from the Church Vi4er, those in the lo4el community, 47ith l63ders and groups such as B-Tales, who come in to school to bring the curriculum to li3e for use through workshops and dramas. Across the past 3ew y63rs we have had Coll61tive Worships bas31 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 35low give a small glimpse into what we get up to in these sessions and in our RE lessons.