INTENT

At JWS Primary School, the aim of Religious Education is to help children to acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the other principal religions represented in Great Britain; to appreciate the way that religious beliefs shape life and our behaviour, develop the ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues and enhance their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Religious Education is taught throughout the school in such a way as to reflect the overall aims, values, of the school. At JWS Primary, Religious Education plays an important role, along with all other curriculum areas, in promoting the spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development of our children.

As a Church of England and Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School, high quality RE teaching and learning is considered a fundamental aim within the school’s curriculum.

IMPLEMENTATION

At JWS, it has been agreed that having taken into account the requirements and guidelines presented in the Kent Agreed Syllabus, the following religions have been selected for study: 

• Christianity
• Islam
• Judaism
• Hinduism  
• Sikhism

At JWS we use ‘Understanding Christianity’ as our key resource for teaching Christianity. ‘Understanding Christianity’ is a spiral curriculum, delving into eight units which are revisited and built upon as your child progresses through the school.

‘Understanding Christianity’ will:

• Provide your child with a theological and conceptual basis of Christianity through exploring Christian accounts of the ‘big story’ of salvation
• Provide a clear outline of core knowledge in relation to Christianity
• Explore essential background information to Christian concepts
• Teach children how to use the Bible and apply teachings to their own lives
   

‘Understanding Christianity’ aims to see children leave the JWS with a coherent understanding of Christian belief and practice. Additionally, at JWS as we follow the Kent Agreed Syllabus, every child leaves our school with knowledge about Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Sikhism. 

At the JWS we are a Church of England Methodist Voluntarily Aided school which means that we are privileged to be involved with both churches. As a school we have developed a positive working relationship with both churches.

There are no presumptions made as to the religious backgrounds and beliefs and values of the children and the staff.  We value the religious background of all members of the school community and hope that this will encourage individuals to share their own experiences with others freely.  All religions and their communities are treated with respect and sensitivity and we value the links, which are, and can be made between home, school, and a faith community.  We acknowledge that each religion studied can contribute to the education of all our pupils.  We promote teaching in Religious Education that stresses open enquiry and first-hand experiences wherever possible for both staff and children. 

IMPACT

The children at JWS Primary enjoying learning lots about other religions and why people choose, or choose not to follow a religion. Through their R.E. learning, the children are able to make links between their own lives and those of others in their community and in the wider world. R.E. acts as a hub, therefore, between social aspects of learning, science and geography. Through R.E. our children are developing an understanding of other people’s cultures and ways of life, which they are then able to communicate to the wider community. R.E. also offers our children to ask why, how and ‘I wonder’ questions and to present arguments and debate topics important to them in a safe and respectful environment.

R.E. offers our children the means by which to understand how other people choose to live and to understand why they choose to live in that way. As such, R.E. is invaluable in an ever changing and shrinking world.