Kirkburton CE First School

In Church of England schools, where pupils and staff come from all faiths and none, Religious Education (RE) is a highly valued academic subject that enables understanding of how religion and beliefs affect our lives. At the heart of RE in church schools is the teaching of Christianity and pupils also learn about other faiths and world views.

As a Church of England (VA) primary school, our curriculum for Religious Education is firmly rooted in Christianity. In order to provide a broad and balanced curriculum children have many opportunities to study other world faiths with a particular focus on Islam and Sikhism to deepen our children’s understanding of the diverse Kirklees community that we are part of. We recognise the relevance of first-hand experiences to enrich learning so organise visits to places of worship, and invite faith visitors to speak with classes. We also plan whole school themed days in which children are able to engage in a range of creative activities which help them to explore and appreciate a variety of religious celebrations that are significant to others such as Diwali and Eid.

It is important to learn both about and from religion. We believe that RE plays a vital role in teaching children about the world around them as well as raising their curiosity. We want them to look beyond their immediate environment, make connections with other cultures, and celebrate differences.

Through their learning, we want children to recognise Christianity as a global, multi-cultural faith that unites people and can serve as a common good in their local community and across the world. We aim to widen the children’s knowledge of the ‘Big Story’ of the Bible and the concepts within it so they can understand Biblical texts as a point of reference.

At Kirkburton, we recognise how religious beliefs and non-religious beliefs and worldviews shape the lives and behaviours of followers and we aim to promote positive attitudes towards others that will enhance the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our children. We want children to engage with other faiths; to question their own and others’ beliefs. Our RE lessons encourage dialogue and are not intended to promote one religious belief over another but rather develop the children’s awareness of their own beliefs and values.

Through the RE curriculum we strengthen the school values supporting children to become confident, compassionate and informed individuals. These values are continuously reflected upon during our whole school collective worship assemblies and the concepts are explored further within classes to deepen children’s understanding of the relevance of our school values to their own lives.