Church of England Schools Statement of Entitlement

Religious education in a Church school should enable every child to flourish and to live life in all its fullness. (John 10:10). It will help educate for dignity and respect encouraging all to live well together

Such an approach is offered through a commitment to generous hospitality, being true to our underpinning faith, but with a deep respect for the integrity of other religious traditions (and worldviews) and for the religious freedom of each person.

Religious Education at SMFR

At SMFR school we recognise that the UK has a rich heritage of culture and diversity, and how religion and belief form a crucial part of everyone’s identity. Through our RE curriculum, we ensure that the children develop an understanding of the impact religion has had on society and public life, both in the present and the past, and how these link to our values as a church school. We foster a thirst for knowledge to assist the children in recognising the role that religion and its followers have had on the world, and believe it is vital that we encourage our children to engage, enquire, evaluate and reflect on not only their own faith but those of other families in our SMFR community and beyond. By following a non-linear planning structure, we allow children to revisit areas of learning as their awareness and curiosity continues to mature and develop. Through a varied RE curriculum we encourage children to question the ultimate meaning and purpose of life; beliefs about God; the nature of reality; issues of right and wrong and to shape their own beliefs and values of respect and dignity, equipping them well for their future.

Subject Aims

RE is part of the basic curriculum and is statutory for all state-funded schools. RE offers pupils the chance to raise and reflect on perennial questions about life. In doing this, it draws on the rich history of the major religious traditions and other world-views in Britain, giving due prominence to Christianity to reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are, in the main, Christian.

Thus, there are two main educational purposes to RE. Firstly so that pupils can learn more about themselves and their place in the world from their study of religion and world-views. Secondly, so that they can learn about religions and world-views which have influenced the lives of millions of people and heavily influenced the development of different human cultures. These two purposes work together and should not be treated separately.

In our RE curriculum, which follows the Oxford Diocese scheme of work, each unit has a “Big Question” which has been created to allow children to experience a range of theological, philosophical and social elements. The “Big Questions” address syllabus questions and topics. Christianity is the main religion taught, in accordance with the national guidelines. In addition, Judaism is taught in KS1, and in KS2 there are units on Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism. RE is therefore both rigorously academic and personally significant.