Religious Education is an important subject in our school, not solely because it is a Voluntary Aided Church of England School and therefore we have a statutory expectation, but moreover, because we believe it gives children the opportunity to take on information, question it, debate it and give an opinion. 

“The ability to understand the faith or belief of individuals and communities, and how these may shape their culture and behaviour, is an invaluable asset for children in modern day Britain. Explaining religious and non-religious worldviews in an academic way allows young people to engage with the complexities of belief, avoid stereotyping and contribute to an informed debate” RE Council.

Being a school that follows the teachings and beliefs of Christianity, children have a strong base with which to develop their understanding of other religions.

Voluntary Aided schools in the Peterborough Diocese follow their bespoke RE syllabus, launched June 2019, with a stronger emphasis on the teaching of Christianity; an area which has already been established in RE teaching at our school.

Much of our Christian schemes of work will draw from resources and teaching styles from the “Understanding Christianity” resource.

By addressing key questions, Understanding Christianity encourages pupils to explore core Bible texts, examine the impact for Christians and consider possible implications. Each unit incorporates the three elements:

• Making sense of the text – Developing skills of reading and interpretation; understanding how Christians interpret, handle and use biblical texts; making sense of the meanings of texts for Christians
• Understanding the impact – Examining ways in which Christians respond to biblical texts and teachings, and how they put their beliefs into action in diverse ways within the Christian community and in the world
• Making connections – Evaluating, reflecting on and connecting the texts and concepts studied, and discerning possible connections between these and pupils’ own lives and ways of understanding the world.

At All Saints we encourage and embrace learning about other faiths, religions and cultures.  Children learn about Judaism, Islam and Hinduism with the same rigour as Christianity.

RE teaching also features in collective worship and humanities, as often there are many overlaps and opportunities for further questioning and debate.

RE is usually taught across the school on a Friday morning, leading on from Family Worship and starting off with ‘Big Questions’.