At St James CE Primary School, we  use the LDBS RE planning to enable every child to flourish and to love in all its fullness (John 10:10).  It will help educate for dignity and respect, encouraging all to love well together. 

Religious Education (RE) in a Church school should enable every child to flourish and to love in all its fullness (John 10:10).  It will help educate for dignity and respect encouraging all to love well together.

Religious Education (RE) in a Church school  will enable our children to acquire a rich and deep knowledge and understanding of Christian belief and practice, this will  include the ways in which it is unique and diverse. Children at St James’ can expect an approach that engages with biblical text and theological ideas. 

Our Children can expect that a Church schools RE curriculum will engage and challenge them through an exploration of core concepts and questions. They can expect Church schools to provide meaningful and informed dialogue with a range of religions and world views. There will  be opportunities for them to understand the role of foundational texts, beliefs, rituals, and practices and how they help form identity in a range of religions and world views. Our children will explore how these may change in different times, places and cultures. RE will go beyond a sociological study of religious phenomena and will introduce pupils to a range of relevant disciplines including theology, philosophy and the human and social sciences.

RE is an essential and fascinating part of learning. RE helps children to develop a growing understanding and make sense of the world around them, both at a local level and in a worldwide context. 

RE allows children growing up in a diverse society to understand the views and opinions of people whose beliefs and values differ from their own. As a Church of England school, different faiths, along with Christianity are an important part of the RE curriculum. Along with daily collective worship, it provides space for children to reflect on their own ideas and develop their thoughts about questions of meaning and ethics. 

Through learning, debate and questioning, along with gaining knowledge and understanding, children are being equipped to handle issues in their lives, and preparing them for the next steps in their lives and beyond. 

We use the LDBS scheme to teach RE from Reception to Year 6.  Staff are expected to adapt the planning to meet the needs of their children.  It is expected that all RE work should be of a high quality and similar in standard to that of English.

Children should feel safe and secure during RE so that they are able to fully express their thoughts and feelings on a range of philosophical questions.

The impact of RE will be seen through our pupils who will be able to give a theologically informed and thoughtful account of Christianity as a living and diverse faith.  They will show an informed and respectful attitude to all religions as well as engage in meaningful and informed dialogue with those of other faiths and reflect critically and responsibly on their own spiritual, philosophical and ethical convictions.

The children’s learning in RE is assessed at the end of each unit with judgements by class teachers having been informed by the contributions made by children in class discussions and work recorded in their RE book. RE is reported on formally to parents at the end of each academic year.