Mission Statement Carnforth Christ Church C of E Primary School RELIGIOUS EDUCATION POLICY Christ Church C of E Primary School is a vibrant, stimulating and caring educational community which exists to celebrate the uniqueness of every person, made as they are in the image and likeness of God. Religious Education Ethos RE plays a major part in promoting christian aims, values and ethos of the school. As a Church school we seek to create an environment which actively endorses the teaching of Christ, the Trinity and of the Church. Within our school, the teaching of RE is rooted in the living faith of the school. This ethos has an impact on the whole of school life, lying at the heart of the curriculum thus reflecting the Christian character of the school. RE will support the children in developing their own beliefs, values and attitudes through the exploration of shared human experience and the place and significance of Christianity and other religions in the contemporary world with such emphasis on Church of England beliefs and practices as is appropriate to our school. Governors Responsibilities At Carnforth Christ Church School the Governing Body and the Headteacher are responsible for determining the nature of RE provision in accordance with the rites, practices and doctrines of the Church of England, as laid down in the Trust Deeds. The school has adopted the Blackburn Board of Education Syllabus for RE, which reflects the National Framework for RE. The Governing Body have agreed that 5% (1 hr 15 mins per week for KS2 and 1 hr per week for KS1) of the curriculum time will be devoted to RE. The teaching of RE will be predominantly Christian with no more than 20% of the time being devoted to the teaching about other faiths as agreed by the Governing Body. Collective Worship and RE naturally complement and enrich each other but are managed separately. However, the teachers will endeavour to make explicit links between the worship themes, RE teaching and PSHE where relevant and appropriate. Carnforth Christ Church School aims to foster close links with the Parish Church. The Church and the artefacts therein are used as a valuable resource in teaching the syllabus. Legal Responsibility The School curriculum for RE meets the requirements of the 1996 and the 1998 Education Acts (EA). The EA stipulate that RE is compulsory for all the children. The EA allows parents to withdraw their
child from RE teaching if they so wish, although this should only be done once the parents have given written notice to the School Governors. The RE provided by the school is in the accordance with the Church of England Foundation. This ethos is also reflected in the curriculum and the whole life of the school community. Since the conduct of the school as a whole reflects this approach, removal of pupils from RE cannot insulate them from the RE life of the school community. It is clearly envisaged that the Governing Body of Carnforth Christ Church School has a duty to appoint teachers sympathetic to the aims and the Trust Deed of the school and who are willing to teach RE as part of the curriculum. Spiritual, Moral and Cultural Development Through teaching RE in school, opportunities are provided for spiritual, moral and cultural development. Spiritual development within our school encourages the pupils discovery of God, of their inmost being and of the wonder of the environment. Moral development is based on the teachings of Christ, which offer pupils a secure foundation on which to make decisions. Children consider and respond to questions concerning the meaning and purpose of life. Cultural development provides the children with opportunities to develop an understanding of Christianity as a worldwide, multi-cultural faith and a respect for the great world faiths. Children explore issues of religious faith and values and in doing so develop their knowledge and understanding of the cultural context of their own lives. Curriculum Content RE follows the syllabus as directed by the Blackburn Diocese. In delivering the RE curriculum, as prescribed by the syllabus, there will be a balanced approach of Learning about Religion (AT1) and Learning from Religion (AT2). Learning about Religion (AT1) We learn about God who reveals the truth about himself and humanity through creation, the giving of the law, his action in history and through the prophets. God who reveals himself ultimately in Jesus his Son, living among us and dying and rising for us. God who reveals himself in his Spirit working in the living faith of the Church experienced through scripture, tradition and reason.
Learning from Religion (AT2) We learn from An empathic response to the Christian faith and a critical engagement with it. Responding personally to the transforming power of Jesus Christ. Developing a vision for life that transcends a dull materialism and recognises the reality of the spiritual realm. Understanding ourselves and others, celebrating our shared humanity and the breadth of human achievement. Examples of Christian living which give priority to the claims of justice, mercy, holiness and love. RE at Carnforth Christ Church School will help the pupils to: Think theologically and explore the great questions of life and death, meaning and purpose. Reflect critically on the complexity of Christian life. Understand how the truth of Christianity is relevant today and the Christian response to that teaching. Develop the skills to handle the Bible text. Develop a sense of themselves as significant, unique and precious. Experience the breadth and variety of the Christian community to become active citizens, serving their neighbour. Engage in thoughtful dialogue with other faiths and traditions. Understand how religious faith can sustain them in difficult circumstances. Learn about other faiths, their beliefs, traditions and practices and from them through encounter and dialogue. Recognise and respect those of all faiths in their search for God. Recognise areas of common belief and practice between different faiths. Opportunities to explore the experience of the Church s year. Study of the stories of the Christian community with its saints and martyrs. Visits to places of worship, especially the local parish Church to develop the understanding of the Church as a living community. Welcoming visits from the local parish to share their experience of Christian belief and life.
Have access to Bibles appropriate to the children s age and understanding. Access to religious artefacts that are used with care, respect, where pupils and teachers are able to talk openly and freely about their own personal beliefs. Pupils to make good progress in their knowledge and understanding of Christianity. Teaching RE to children with special educational needs In the school RE is taught to all children whatever their ability. The teaching of RE is a vital part of the school curriculum policy, which states that that a broad and balanced education will be provided for all children. The fact that all classes in the school have widely differing abilities is recognised and so suitable learning opportunities are provided for all children. When teaching RE it is ensured that learning opportunities are provided which match the needs of children with learning difficulties. The targets set for individual children are taken into account in their Individual Education Plans. Assessment and Record Keeping Children s work in RE is assessed by making judgments as they are observed during lessons. Written work is marked and commented upon to encourage pupils to think on a deeper level. Attainment is measured against the levels as outlined in the units from the Religious Education Syllabus for Church Schools. Assessment of pupils achievement in AT1 and AT2 will be recorded at the end of each unit and kept in the teacher s RE file. Assessment activities, as suggested by the Diocesan syllabus can be used as part of a teaching and learning process of each child, for setting new goals and for passing information on to the next teacher and to the parents at the end of the year report. The RE coordinator will provide RE files for each class teacher. The RE files will include: Planning from the Religious Education Syllabus for church Schools. (Although teachers can create their own plans from the suggested format). Samples of the pupils work, marked with comments or questions (if appropriate). Photographic evidence (if appropriate). Assessed levels for each pupil for AT1 and AT2, following each unit of work. A scrap book is to be used by each class to record whole class work including pupils comments.
Monitoring and Review The RE coordinator is responsible for monitoring the standards of learning. The coordinator is also responsible for supporting colleagues in the teaching of RE, for being informed about current developments and for providing a strategic lead and direction for the subject in school. They will regularly evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the subject and indicate areas for further development in conjunction with the Headteacher. Resources There are resources in school, including books and artefacts that enable the syllabus to be delivered. There are plenty of bibles that are appropriate for all key stages available in the classrooms and the hall. Complaints Procedure It is hoped that any complaints will be resolved by the Headteacher; there is a provision for complaints to be heard by a committee of the Governing Body. However, if the complaint is still not satisfactorily resolved then further procedures come into play and the matter will be adjudicated by a special constituted subcommittee of the Diocesan Board of Education. Policy written by our RE Coordinator, Mrs Nicola Gowlding May 2016 Review: May 2019