RE & SMSC

RE in our school

Intent

At Elton Primary School, it is our intention that our RE curriculum empowers our students to be able to show empathy and respect for others, including issues which affect people nationally and internationally. We do this through teaching the fundamental concepts at the heart of RE, such as the celebration of the broad range of beliefs and cultures in our world. We encourage our students to be inquisitive about different religions, to accept that others may have beliefs different from their own, and to respect these differences. Our RE and Philosophy for Children lessons promote independent thinking and confident self-expression, whilst also encouraging respect for the opinions of others. Team work skills are built through critical and creative discussions, and through the debate of key concepts. By teaching RE using a variety of different disciplines, such as art, music and drama, lessons are engaging and enjoyable for students.

Purpose of Study

Religion and beliefs inform our values and are reflected in what we say and how we behave. RE is an important subject in itself, developing an individual’s knowledge and understanding of the religions and beliefs which form part of contemporary society. Religious education provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, the self and the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong, and what it means to be human. RE plays an important role in preparing pupils for adult life, employment and lifelong learning. It helps children and young people become successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens. It gives them the knowledge, skills and understanding to discern and value truth and goodness, strengthening their capacity for making moral judgements and for evaluating different types of commitment to make positive and healthy choices. RE makes an important contribution to a school’s duty to promote community cohesion. It provides a key context to develop young people’s understanding and appreciation of diversity, to promote shared values and to challenge racism and discrimination. Effective RE will promote community cohesion within the school, local, UK and global communities.

Aims

That all children form their own opinions about religious beliefs and customs and that they develop an understanding and tolerance of people who hold a strong faith.
That children enjoy learning about religion because it is taught in a stimulating and interesting way that arouses their curiosity and develops positive skills and attitudes.
That children develop a sense of awe and wonder about the world around them.
To help pupils understand some of the impact of religion throughout the world, its influences on the lives of individuals and communities and its effect on the cultural diversity of their own and other societies both presently and in the past.
To support pupils personal and spiritual development by encouraging self-awareness and self-respect.
To help pupils develop their social and moral development by encouraging a positive attitude and valuing the beliefs of others, however different from their own.
That children develop their social and personal development through encouraging resilience, teamwork and self-reflection.

RE is an important part of the curriculum in our school. Each class, from Year 1 to Year 6 has an hour of RE each week, as well as being a part of our daily collective worship. We study five of the six major world religions; Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Sikhism, and we also learn about the Baha'i faith and a variety of non-religious world views, in particular Humanism.

Being a local authority school, we follow the Cheshire West agreed syllabus, and use the optional scheme of work provided by Cheshire West to support our planning. For more information about our RE lessons, you can speak to your child's class teacher (in the first instance) or Mrs Harland, who is the Year 3 class teacher, but also our RE lead teacher.

If you have any questions about what your child is covering in RE lessons, then please speak to their class teacher. They will be able to talk to you about the content of the lessons, and show you any resources.

Our RE curriculum overview, along with other documents, can be found at the bottom of this page.

To view the locally agreed syllabus for Cheshire West and Chester, and to view any additional RE documents, please click here.

Our Links with St. James' Church, Ince

Our school works closely with St. James' Church in Ince. We are very lucky that Reverand John, the vicar from St James' Church, is actively involved in our school, and delivers a monthly assembly to us, centred around the teachings from the Bible. We are also fortunate to have parishioners from the church come in to deliver our Open the Book assemblies every fortnight, where we learn the stories from the Bible.

Further information about St. James' such as the history of the church and current service times can be found by clicking here

Comments from our parents & pupils

Mrs Hodgson - I took Beth to the hospital at 1.30 and she grumbled she was missing the practice of the play. But then she gasped in horror and said "oh no I'm missing R.E and that's about God and Jesus, I need to know these things mum"

"I really like RE. It's the time I get to really think."

"RE helps you to understand the world more. You know why people wear different clothes and say different things."

"It's learning about people."