Intent

As a church school, our vision for teaching RE is deeply Christian, encompassing our school vision of Christian values and the mission statement ‘A school family built on love, strengthened by faith and enriched by joy.’ Through learning about faith and through faith, the children question the impact and reflect on their own lives. They will develop religious literacy by discussing and listening, questioning and explaining, thinking and making connections so that they are able to think more deeply about God’s Big Story, their faith and the appreciation and understanding of the faith of others.

As with all curriculum areas, we intend for Heskin Pemberton’s pupils to have a thirst for knowledge, a toolkit of skills which links all of the curriculum and an aspirational approach to the future, all of which are underpinned by our Gospel Values.

Implementation

The school follows Questful RE, the Religious Education Syllabus devised by Blackburn Diocese and incorporates a wide range of topics centred on Christian teaching. Lessons include many aspects of the Christian faith including increasing the knowledge of the Bible; relating religious teaching to current society and understanding the significance of main events in the church’s calendar. Some topics are revisited each year so that children may increase their understanding in line with their increasing maturity. As a Church of England Primary School, we aim to give all children the best RE teaching and experiences. We teach RE weekly in each year group and we have a two-year rolling programme to facilitate the curriculum to our mixed year classes.

As not all of our children are Christians, parents do have the right to withdraw children from worship and Religious Education lessons. Alternative provision for a child’s education would be made should a parent wish this. Currently, all parents, including those of other faiths, choose for their children to take part in all of our worship and curriculum arrangements. Either way, our school will always uphold and fully respect parents’ wishes.

Heskin Pemberton’s ethos is ‘Let all that you do be done in Love.’ This key statement underpins all our teaching. RE is taught by creative and enthusiastic teachers who encourage our pupils to listen, talk, share and question. We encourage happy, confident and passionate learners who take responsibility for their own learning and share ideas, ask the big questions and can answer thoughtfully and respectfully.

Our SMRC learning is rooted within our Christian faith but with a compassionate, understanding and an inquisitive nature for other cultures and faiths. We respect the cultural diversity of our world and celebrate those differences whilst understanding some of the similarities we have too. We teach Christianity as a worldwide faith alongside other world faiths. Through our teaching, our children are able to think deeply about their world and the part they play in it.

RE is assessed following the RE ladder as per the Blackburn Diocese Scheme of Work. We assess attainment at the end of each unit. Summative assessments are made at the end of the year and reported to parents in the annual school report. It is the subject leader’s responsibility to monitor provision in RE and to analyse assessment data. The subject leader will use the information gleaned from monitoring activities to complete an action plan annually to inform the SLT of attainment, progression and future actions.

Spirituality

The Church of England’s ‘Statement for Entitlement’ outlines the aims and expectations for Religious Education in CE schools and guides this school’s approach to RE and spirituality. The role of RE is neither to promote nor undermine organised religion, however part of its purpose is to provide structured opportunity for consideration of the non-material aspects of life. RE can contribute dynamically to children and young people’s education by provoking challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human. It can support their own discovery of their personal spiritual journeys of meaning, purpose and value. RE allows children to reflect upon and share their own knowledge and lived experiences, plus find out about the experiences, beliefs and traditions of other people. Through this process, children expand their knowledge, begin to shape their own beliefs, form opinions and add breadth to their world view. High quality RE lessons at Heskin Pemberton’s C of E Primary offer children opportunities that challenge their thinking through Big Questions. They critically reflect on their own religious, spiritual and/or philosophical convictions and are equipped with the skills to confidently discuss religious, spiritual and philosophical ideas.

The Role of other Faiths and Cultures

Our school promotes the fundamental British value of respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. As part of our aim to help children fully embrace society and the wider world community, other faiths are valued and treated with respect. Our RE syllabus, created by Blackburn Diocese, incorporates the teaching of other main world religions. As such, whilst the majority of the curriculum is centred on Christianity, sometime will be spent on Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism. All children at Heskin Pemberton’s are encouraged to embrace the diversity of life offered within our world. We work towards this goal through education against ignorance. Wherever possible, we look to visitors to help support our aim so that learning is accurate, meaningful and enjoyable.

Blackburn Diocesan board of education website: http://www.bdeducation.org.uk

Impact

The Heskin Pemberton’s RE Curriculum has Christianity and Christian Values at its heart. We know our children are learning and making progress in RE when they:

• Are interested, enthusiastic and engaged with RE.
• Develop an understanding of other people’s cultures and ways of life and worship, which they are then able to communicate to the wider community.
• Gain an understanding into why people choose or do not choose to follow a particular religion.
• Reflect on their own lives and the lives of others.
• Are able to develop their ideas, values and identities so they can participate positively, as informed, articulate citizens, in our society with its diverse religions and beliefs in an ever-changing society.
• Leave Heskin Pemberton’s as respectful, kind, happy pupil, with a strong understanding of Christianity, other World Faiths and love at the centre of all they do.