Religious Education

RE Intent:

At Bottesford Junior School, we want our children to enjoy religious education, remember their lessons in our school and make a difference in our world. We want to give them the substantive knowledge and disciplinary skills of believing, living and thinking in order for them to be religiously literate and be able to hold balanced and well-informed conversations.

• Believing (Theology) – Identifying and making sense of religious and non-religious beliefs and concepts; understanding what these beliefs mean within their traditions; recognising how and why sources of authority (such as texts) are used, expressed and interpreted in different ways; and developing skills of interpretation.
• Living (Social Sciences) – Evaluating, reflecting on and connecting the beliefs and practices studied, allowing pupils to challenge the ideas studied whilst also challenging their own thinking, discerning possible connections between these and their own lives and ways of understanding the world.
• Thinking (Philosophy) – Examining how and why people put their beliefs into practice in diverse ways, within their everyday lives, within their communities and in the wider world.

Our children are living in a diverse and changing religious landscape and our curriculum reflects the need to understand the impact of religious and non-religious worldviews on a range of believers. Recognising that over 90% of Bottesford residents are of White British origin, we have incorporated a rolling programme of exploration and celebration of festivals to ensure pupils gain awareness of a wide range of religious celebrations that may not otherwise be taught. This approach also encourages pupils to explore their own ideas, cultivating respect, empathy and curiosity for others.

Opportunities to develop our school values (Community, Respect, Environment, Enthusiasm and Kindness) are embedded within our RE curriculum and we want our children to represent our school values long after they have left our care. Religious Education has an important part to play in promoting the spiritual, moral, social, cultural and intellectual development of our pupils. We strive to prepare our children for life in modern Britain. This means that we promote British values including tolerance and respect for different faiths and beliefs.

At the end of KS2, a Bottesford Junior School child will have:

• An extensive base of theological knowledge and vocabulary which has helped them to become independent learners.
• A real sense of curiosity to find out about the world and to promote kindness to all people regardless of religion or culture.
• The ability to work together to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in excellent knowledge and understanding about current and contemporary issues in religious society.
• Shown that they are adventurous by researching different religions and asking questions to broaden their understanding.
• The ability to persevere as they debate different perspectives and understand the viewpoint of others.
• A passion for and commitment to the subject and a feeling of responsibility to observe, explore and consider different religions.