Intent

At Eastchurch CE Primary School, Religious Education is at the heart of our curriculum.  RE lessons are highly aspirational and challenging, exploring thought provoking questions which ensure that children at our school learn from as well as about religion.

Religious Education seeks to make a major contribution to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. It includes specific Christian teaching appropriate to our status as a Church of England School, providing the children with secure subject knowledge relating to Christianity, and as an inclusive community the other major religions represented in Britain. The Bible, its stories and teachings are emphasised, and especially the life of Jesus. RE also helps children to develop their own beliefs and values and to become religiously literate adults. We teach the children moral values such as respect for individuals and to put into practice the Christian teachings on love, hope and forgiveness. 

We believe that it is vitally important for children to learn about different faiths in an honest and respectful way so they can:

• know about and understand Christianity as a living world faith, by exploring core theological concepts. 

• develop knowledge and skills in making sense of biblical texts and understanding their impact in the lives of Christians.
• develop pupils’ abilities to connect, critically reflect upon, evaluate, and apply their learning to their own growing understanding of Christianity, of religion and belief more widely, of themselves, the world and human experience.

RE at Eastchurch CE Primary School also gives children the opportunity for personal reflection as well as providing them with a safe space to ask their own questions. It encourages independent thinking and also the ability to work as a team, showing consideration for each individual’s opinions and beliefs.

By the time the children leave our school, RE will have contributed to them developing their own sense of identity and will ensure that they are well informed on the community they live in and beyond. They will be respectful, compassionate and tolerant citizens, who have gained the knowledge and skills necessary to make positive and healthy choices in life.

 Implementation

The principal aim of RE is to engage pupils in systematic enquiry into significant human questions which religion and world views address, so that they can develop the understanding and skills needed to appreciate and appraise varied responses to these questions, as well as develop responses of their own (Kent Agreed Syllabus, September 2023).

RE is taught in dynamic and creative ways at Eastchurch CE Primary School. Children are given opportunities to learn through discussion, art role play and all of which enhance their learning. Achievement is given prominence in school and classroom displays which show the children’s journey towards answering big questions. The provision of Religious Education covers a wide range of world faiths, allowing pupils to explore their own beliefs through discovery of other cultures.

We follow guidelines from the Kent Agreed Syllabus, including Understanding Christianity, as recommended by the Canterbury Diocese for both our RE and Collective Worship. This in turn ties in with our curriculum in which pupils explore other countries.

Pupils enjoy RE lessons in which they are encouraged to engage in a series of mini-questions leading up to answering a big question which reflects the learning for the term. This learning journey is documented in the pupils’ books and on our working walls. Pupils are taught to appraise different beliefs, share their views and form reasoned responses for themselves. In addition, learning about religion is always applied to real life, so that our children can learn from it and understand what it means to be a citizen of multicultural Britain.

Other opportunities for religious expression include our daily collective worship and planning for our services at Harvest, Christmas, Easter, Remembrance and the end of the year. As a school community, we visit All Saints Church in the village on a regular basis to come together for collective worship and celebrate religious events through the year.

We promote children’s social, moral, spiritual and cultural development through RE lessons and across the broad curriculum Eastchurch offers. In each class, there is a special separate prayer corner set up for quiet reflection, along with prayer books, Bibles and candles if the children want to choose a calmer space to learn during the busy school day.

Knowledge and Skills Development

We believe that effective RE goes beyond mere factual learning. Our curriculum places an emphasis on developing key skills such as critical thinking, respectful dialogue, empathy, and reflection. Through the use of high-quality resources, our learners engage with a variety of primary and secondary sources, including sacred texts, artifacts and religious clothing to deepen their knowledge and understanding of different religions and worldviews.

Promoting Tolerance and Respect

Promoting tolerance and respect is at the core of our RE provision. We actively promote an inclusive environment where pupils learn about and from each other's beliefs and values, fostering a climate of understanding and acceptance. Our lessons incorporate opportunities for pupils to explore ethical and moral issues, encouraging them to consider different perspectives and develop empathy towards others. We provide a forum for respectful discussion and debate where pupils can express their own opinions, while respecting the rights and beliefs of others.