RE
INTENT
As a Church of England school, the main focus of Religious Education at St Mark All Saints is the Christian faith that underpins the ethos and values of our school community. Through RE we seek to give the children a rich variety of experiences from which they can develop knowledge, understanding and awareness of all faiths. R.E. also has a significant role for the development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding. It promotes respect and open-mindedness towards others with different faiths and beliefs. We encourage pupils to develop their sense of identity and belonging through self-awareness and reflection. In line with the National Society’s Statement of Entitlement (2016) we aim to:
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enable pupils to encounter Christianity as the religion that shaped British culture and heritage and influences the lives of millions of people today as a world religion;
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enable pupils to learn about the other major religions, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism and their impact on culture and politics, art and history, and on the lives of their adherents;
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develop understanding of religious faith as the search for and expression of truth;
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contribute to the development of pupils’ own spiritual / philosophical convictions, exploring and enriching their own faith and beliefs.
We believe that it is vital for all our pupils to learn from and about religion, so that they can understand the world around them. We encourage pupils at St Mark All Saints to ask questions about the world and to reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences.
IMPLEMENTATION
We use the Understanding Christianity scheme as the basis for our Christianity curriculum and the Guildford Diocesan Guidelines for Religious Education of other religions. As an enquiry model of learning, it helps pupils to deepen their understanding in RE and make secure connections as well as utilising higher level thinking skills. Understanding Christianity uses a teaching and learning approach to enable pupils to move from the understanding of a biblical text, to an understanding of what this means for Christians within the Church and in Christian living, and includes opportunities for pupils to examine and evaluate connections between these ideas and the wider world
Our Religious Education curriculum is enhanced further with trips to places of worship in our local area and visiting experts who support the learning experience. Experiences and enrichment opportunities include:
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exploring sacred texts and critically engaging with texts
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using imaginative play or drama to express feelings and ideas
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responding to images, games, stories, art, music and dance
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fostering close links with our local St Mark’s Church community with regular visits and services as well as visits by clergy to the school
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making visits to religious places of worship e.g. Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking,
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taking part in whole school events- (multicultural days, Harvest Festival, school performances at Christmas and Easter, Remembrance Service at school)
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participating in moments of quiet reflection using Prayer stations and reflection areas
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using IT to further explore religion and belief globally
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comparing religions and worldviews through discussion
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debating and communicating religious belief, worldviews, theological and philosophical ideas and answering and asking ultimate questions posed by these
Our Religious Education Curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. Teachers assess against success criteria learning about and from religion by capturing pupil discussions about their learning, reflecting on standards achieved against the planned outcomes. Our Worship committee monitor the teaching, learning and progression of RE each term.
IMPACT
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The children at St Mark All Saints Church of England Primary School enjoy learning about Christianity and other faiths and have a deep knowledge and understanding of the importance of religion in people’s lives. 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. Through R.E. our children are developing an understanding of other people’s cultures and ways of life and worship, making connections and critically engaging with texts to help them to understand the big questions of life.
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