Religious Education is an integral part of our school. It is taught throughout the school from Reception to Year 6.
As a Church of England School, we follow the Southwark Diocesan Scheme of Work. In addition to learning about the beliefs, teachings, practices and lifestyles of Christianity, the children are taught about aspects of Buddhism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism throughout the school.
Religious Education at Christ Church School has a high profile. The school uses a robust system of assessment. All RE assessments are carried out in line with other core subjects. The subject is monitored in line with other core subjects including learning walks, book looks, data drops, and pupil conferencing. Staff training in RE occurs at least once per term and teachers report progress and attainment in RE to parents in a similar way to other core subjects.
“Pupils say that teachers make RE fun because they engage in a range of interesting activities. They say that the only way to improve it would be to do more of it! Teachers create good opportunities for pupils to extend their thinking so that they can ask deep questions about meaning and purpose. The work being done to link RE with other subjects is a very significant strength because this underlines the way that faith and belief are not limited to a single academic area. As a result, pupils leave the school with a good foundation of Christian understanding and a developing knowledge of and real interest in other key faiths and beliefs. As a result, their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted at a high level.” SIAM 2016
See the REflections tab for an up-to-date celebration of RE and ethos from around the school.
RE Intent
Religious Education at Christ Church School aims to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepare all pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of the present and the future.
As a church school, it is our aim that children should leave Christ Church school with a clear understanding of Christian teachings and values. Children are encouraged to explore a personal quest for meaning, and opportunities are given to apply their understanding of Christianity to make reasoned and informed responses to life issues and moral choices.
Our curriculum is also designed so that children can develop knowledge and understanding of other global religions, especially those represented in the local and school community. The result is children are taught how to reflect on and communicate with others on issues of truth, belief and faith, and develop sensitivity and respect towards all people no matter what their beliefs. Religious education enables stereotypes to be challenged and issues of injustice and prejudice to be considered and critiqued.
The curriculum provides all children with the chance to be successful learners without being limited by literacy difficulties or other barriers to learning because RE learning is demonstrated through a range of media such as art, extended writing and drama. Religious education at Christ Church develops spirituality through discussing big questions and searching for meaning.
What the children say about RE
We asked our pupil faith group – Shining Stars – what they liked about RE:
Berachah – We get to do fun things like diaries, drama, art work.
Ellen – The best part is that we think deeply about God.
Lily – I like learning about other religions and everyone gets involved with everything.
Scarlett – I Iove doing drama in RE when we take photos of the story. When you act it out, you think about what happened and how they were feeling.
Ella – You get to share your opinions and everyone respects them. You get a chance to think about what you yourself believe.
Tye – I like doing the art to show what you understand. It gives you a chance to show things that are hard to write down.
Liana – I enjoy the quotes that we discuss and think about. It makes me want to learn more and research what they mean. I enjoy that RE give you a chance to debate and think about things differently.
Gabriella – I like that everyone can give their own opinion and everyone can express their own idea safely. We could learn more about different religions and maybe learn about other world-views.
Alizah – I like how if you look at religions, you can see the things that are the same and the things that are different. Some religions follow similar stories and the values are similar/in common.
Yousuf – I love Mrs Hudson’s lessons because they are fun and enthusiastic, and you want to carry on working in RE, Every week you learn something new and some lessons you go really deep into it. In RE, you can go deeper than other subjects and it has the most meaning to it.
Darcy – I like it because if you were learning about different religions, you would understand how to make your own choice about what to believe later in your life.
What our children think makes a good RE learner.
During pupil feedback, we asked our children what they think makes a good learner. Click on this link to see their thoughts.
For further information on our school’s RE Policies please follow links below,