Principles for RE Learning at St Peter’s
Religious Education (R.E.) is a core subject at St Peter’s Church of England Primary School and is at the centre of our ethos. We believe R.E. plays an important role in preparing pupils for lifelong learning and adult life; we endeavour to help the children become successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens who understand the Christian values and who value truth and diversity and are able to make positive moral judgements. It is inextricably linked with SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural) and British Values education.
As a school we use the resource ‘Understanding Christianity’ which has been developed by ‘The Church of England Education Project’. This resource aims “to help all teachers support pupils in developing their own thinking and their understanding of Christianity, as a contribution to their understanding of the world and their own experience within it” (The Church of England Education Office, 2016) and enables children’s learning to develop in a progressive way. The enquiry approach of ‘Understanding Christianity’ aims to make RE exciting and engaging for the children. They are encouraged to think critically and ask questions of a religion as each unit focusses on a ‘Big Question’.
We also use a variety of resources to support our teaching of different faiths and beliefs: these include Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism.
Children have timetabled RE sessions each week. Sometimes these may be extended or blocked to build on cross-curricular links. Where possible, year groups engage the children in visits to places of worship. We also have strong links with St. Peter’s Church and the other churches in the village.
