Religious Education

Hello, my name is Miss Heyes and I am the Religious Education Co-ordinator at Bleak Hill Primary School. At our school, we believe that the study of Religious Education (RE) contributes to children’s personal development and promotes mutual respect and tolerance in a diverse society. We follow the locally agreed syllabus for RE determined by St Helens SACRE (Standard Advisory Council on RE), which from September 2019, is developed by Lancashire. 

I am very passionate about RE. I believe that the subject is important as it promotes spiritual, social, and moral development. In RE lessons children learn both about different religions and from different religions which is important as our world becomes more diverse. My undergraduate degree is in Theology and Religious Studies; I can use my subject knowledge from this degree to help other teachers to enhance their teaching of RE. 

Please take a look at out vision, intent, implementation & impact. You will also find documents relating to our curriculum below.

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The locally agreed syllabus is a curriculum for RE drawn up by the local authority. It’s put together by a group of experts including teaching associations and representatives of the Church of England and other faiths. By law, it has to reflect the fact that Great Britain’s religious traditions are mainly Christian, while taking into account its other principal religions.

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At Bleak Hill our vision is to develop children's skills of; enquiry, reasoned argument and reflection. In school, we follow the national guidance issued by the Lancashire Agreed Syllabus. 

Religious education contributes dynamically to children and young people’s education in school by provoking challenging questions about; the meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human.  

Our world is enriched by a wide and profound diversity of cultures and beliefs. We as human beings are strengthened and empowered by learning from each other. 

Engaging and stimulating religious education helps to nurture; informed and resilient responses to misunderstanding, stereotyping and division. It offers a place of integrity and security within which difficult or ‘risky’ questions can be tackled within a safe but challenging context.  

In R.E, pupils discover, explore and consider different answers to these questions, in local, national and global contexts, through learning about and from religions and other world views. They learn to appraise the value of wisdom from different sources, to develop and express their insights in response, and to agree or disagree respectfully. 

Teaching should equip pupils with knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and other world views, enabling them to develop their ideas, values and identities. It should develop in pupils an aptitude for dialogue, so that they can participate positively in society with its diverse understanding of life from religious and other world views. 

Pupils should gain and deploy the skills needed to; understand, interpret and evaluate texts, sources of wisdom and authority and other evidence. They should learn to articulate clearly and coherently their personal beliefs, ideas, values and experiences, while respecting the right of others to differ. 

At Bleak Hill Primary School, we believe that it is important for all our pupils to learn from and about religion, so that they can understand the world around them. The aim of Religious Education in our school is to help children to acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the other principal religions represented in Great Britain; to appreciate the way that religious beliefs shape life and behaviour, develop the ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues and enhance their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. 

Religious Education plays an important role, along with all other curriculum areas, particularly PHSE, in promoting social awareness and understanding in our children. We encourage our pupils to ask questions about the world and to reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences. We include and promote British values, ensuring that children are aware of their rights and responsibilities as UK citizens. 

Our curriculum is designed to encourage creativity, imagination, enquiry, debate, discussion and independence. 

We use the Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education developed by Lancashire as the basis for our curriculum. At Bleak Hill, it has been agreed that having taken into account the requirements and guidelines presented in the Agreed Syllabus, the following religions have been selected for study:  Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism  , Buddhism & Sikhism. 

From the syllabus it is required that:- In the Early Years Foundation Stage the learning outcomes are referenced to Christianity and as appropriate to a range of other beliefs and cultures 

KS1 - Christianity is studied (and one other principal religion in some depth) 

KS2 – Christianity is studied (and two other principal religions in some depth) 

There are no presumptions made as to the religious backgrounds and beliefs and values of the children and the staff.  We value the religious background of all members of the school community and hope that this will encourage individuals to share their own experiences with others freely.  All religions and their communities are treated with respect and sensitivity and we value the links, which are, and can be made between home, school, and a faith community.  We are extremely lucky that members of the local church, St Andrew’s, regularly visit our school to carry out assemblies. 

We acknowledge that each religion studied can contribute to the education of all our pupils.  We promote teaching in Religious Education that stresses open enquiry and first-hand experiences wherever possible for both staff and children.  

The children at Bleak Hill enjoy learning about other religions and why people choose or choose not to follow a religion. Through their R.E. learning, the children are able to make links between their own lives and those of others in their community and in the wider world, developing an understanding of other people’s cultures and ways of life. As such, R.E. is invaluable in an ever-changing world. 

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WORLD RELIGION DAY 2023

World Religion Day is a time to celebrate the culture and diversity of all world religions. World Religion Day occurs annually on the third Sunday of January, and was first established by members of the Bahá’í faith. The Bahá?í Faith emerged in 19th century Persia (now Iran), and believes all religions have value and that there are common features and similarities between them. They believe in the oneness of religion and humanity, and that no one should be treated differently because of their race, age, gender, color, sexuality, or whether they believe in religion or not.

Based on their core principles, World Religion Day exists to promote interfaith understanding and harmony. When celebrating World Religion Day, remember that it is a time of awareness and peace. Never disparage others for their beliefs as they should never disparage you! 

 

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