R.E
KEY QUESTION
' How does RE support children to develop mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different World views'
Intent
At St Martins C of E Primary school, “the pupils and their families can expect an RE curriculum that enables pupils to acquire a rich, deep knowledge and understanding of Christian belief and practice…” (The Church of England Education Office, Statement of Entitlement), within a broader curriculum which introduces children to the other key World faiths and belief systems. We believe that RE lessons should give children the opportunity to develop their own beliefs in a safe environment where they feel free to challenge and build on what each other says.
Our children’s spiritual development is a high priority within our school, embedded through our school Vision, and through our values which we see practicedthroughout the day in school. The Forest is a key resource for developing children's spiritual development, encouraging them to reflect on the wonders of our World.
Ofsted describes pupils spiritual development as the…
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- Ability to be reflective about their own beliefs, religious or otherwise
- Sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them
- Use of imagination and creativity in their learning and willingness to reflect on their experiences
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This fits entirely with our school ethos “To be the best we can be for ourselves, each other and God’s world.”
Implementation
Our curriculum is derived from the Devon and Torbay Agreed Syllabus, whilst maintaining the rich questions from the Understanding Christianity resource. As a Church of England school, the children learn about Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Humanism.
St Martin's 'Rings of Spirituality' Model
At St Martin's, we have adapted Rebecca Nye and David Hay's ideas of spirituality being a relational awareness. We believe that spirituality is having an awareness of the different relationships that we might have and the impact they can have on our lives. These relationships could be with ourselves, with those around us (friends and family), with God's world or with God/ the beyond. Through using tools such as weekly Picture News, we are able to discuss how the different events that happen can impact the different relationships that we have. Sometimes, events may impact ourselves and those closest to us whereas other events may have a more global impact. We believe it is important to reflect on the different rings and have an awareness of the impact that this can have on the different people in our lives.
Each day, the children have time for reflecting and time for spirituality, through whole school and class collective worship. We use the Picture News resources to promote children's understanding of others in the World, and use this as a prompt for deepening children's compassion and respect for others through promoting challenging discussions.
Impact
'Pupils respond well to big questions, refining their opinions and learning to disagree well. They have an extremely well-developed understanding of religions and worldviews which leads them to celebrate diversity. They have a growing understanding of key religious concepts. An innovative approach allows able pupils to show the depth of their knowledge.' SIAMS June 2022