Religious Education Policy
At Guyhirn Primary School Religious Education is seen as central to the whole school curriculum and is to be provided in accordance with the Dioceseof Ely Guidelines for Church Schools and also The Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education in Cambridgeshire.
Religious Education is educational, not confessional. Assumptions should not be made about the religious beliefs of pupils.
Legal Requirements for R.E.
· Religious Education should be provided for all registered pupils in school.
· Cambridgeshire Schools are recommended to use the Agreed Syllabus.
· Teaching will promote our schools beliefs and will explore other religious denominations and faiths.
· Religious Education should promote pupils' broader personal development.
· The Headteacher, Governors and LEA have a joint responsibility to ensure that Religious Education is provided.
Aims of Teaching RE
To promote the spiritual, moral and cultural development of the child by:
· developing awareness of the fundamental questions of life;
· responding to such questions with reference to their own experience and understanding;
· exploring and reflecting on their own experiences, values and beliefs.
To develop a positive attitude towards:
· other people, respecting their right to hold different beliefs;
· living in a society of diverse religions and cultures;
· religion as a significant element in human experience.
To contribute in the preparation of pupils for the experiences and responsibilities of adult life.
To give pupils knowledge of and bring them closer towards an understanding of the six principal religions represented in the world, their beliefs and practices.
To encourage pupils to explore, reflect on and respond to human experience.
To develop skills of exploring, investigating and learning about religion.
To develop understanding of the influence of beliefs, values and traditions on individuals, communities, societies and cultures.
To develop the ability to make reasoned and informed responses to religious and moral issues.
R.E. in the curriculum
We aim that R.E will be taught for 36 hours in the School Year for Key Stage 1 and for 45 hours in the School Year for Key Stage2.
R.E. will be taught through
· discrete weekly timetabled Religious Education lessons,
· the use of the Cambridgeshire agreed syllabus for Religious Education
· Cross- curricular links with particular close links to personal, social and health education.
The themes of the daily Act of Collective Worship are used in relation to the
The Cambridgeshire Agreed guidelines for Collective Worship and the Agreed syllabus for Religious Education.
Please refer to our separate Collective Worship School Policy.
Parental Right of Withdrawal
Parents have the right to withdraw their children from R.E. lessons and should do so by writing to the Headteacher. If this is their wish the child will be given an alternative supervised activity while R.E. lessons are taking place.
Religious Education for pupils Under Five
The religious education will reflect the Cambridgeshire Agreed Syllabus and the requirements of the Foundation Stage Curriculum. This will be met through cross curricular and outdoor independent learning. It will:
· draw on and contribute to pupils' experience of religion, especially in relation to events, people and places in their immediate environment;
· recognise and take seriously children's questions and ideas about profound, puzzling and difficult areas of life;
· recognise, value and encourage pupils' capacity to wonder at and enjoy aspects of their experience;
· contribute to pupils' growing sense of themselves as individuals and as members of the communities to which they belong.
Methods of Teaching R.E.
Teaching will include the use of stories, artefacts, visits, speakers, festivals etc and will introduce the main elements of the world Religions.
To ensure continuity and progression the School follows the Cambridgeshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education.
The School has, and will build on, a collection of books and artefacts. There are also a number of other sources:
Ely Diocesan Resources Centre
Wisbech and Peterborough Museums
Neale-Wade R.E. Resources Centre
The Chapel of Ease
Local Libraries
Classroom stories
Articles the children bring in.
The Cambridgeshire Portal Directory of Places to visit and
recommended visitors.
Assessment and Record-Keeping
The children's knowledge and skills in R.E. will be assessed along with the other Foundation subjects using the schools AFL - ROG method – name placing - see assessment policy. This will be recorded at the end of each unit. For the Foundation Stage photographic evidence and observations will be made to aid assessments in relevant areas of the Foundation Stage Profile.
