‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’

John 10:10

At Christ Church C of E Primary School, we seek to enable all children to flourish and live life in all its fullness. As a school family, we understand the vital importance of Religious Education in promoting dignity and respect for everyone and for teaching a full, rich and deep curriculum that encourages children of all faiths, beliefs and backgrounds to live well together in the 21st century. As a Church school, we believe that children should be inspired by RE and encouraged and challenged to explore their own and others’ religious, spiritual and philosophical beliefs openly and respectfully. Furthermore, our aim is that children know about and understand Christianity as a diverse living faith that influences the lives of people worldwide and as the religion that has helped to shape British culture and heritage.  We also seek to enable our children to know and understand about other major world religions and world views, their impact on society, culture and the wider world, encouraging our children to express and articulate their ideas and insights.  Our ultimate hope, is that our RE curriculum is developed and delivered to help children explore and enrich their own spiritual convictions, beliefs and values so that they can live life to the fullest.

Religious Education

Religious Education is taught as a core subject at Christ Church Primary School. We follow the ‘Understanding Christianity’ materials alongside the Gloucestershire Agreed Syllabus for RE (2017-2024).

The principal aim of religious education is to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that pupils can gain the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and belief, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living.

Understanding Christianity

By addressing key questions, Understanding Christianity encourages pupils to explore core Bible texts, examine the impact for Christians and consider possible implications. Each unit incorporates the three elements:

• Making sense of the text – Developing skills of reading and interpretation; understanding how Christians interpret, handle and use biblical texts; making sense of the meanings of texts for Christians
• Understanding the impact – Examining ways in which Christians respond to biblical texts and teachings, and how they put their beliefs into action in diverse ways within the Christian community and in the world
• Making connections – Evaluating, reflecting on and connecting the texts and concepts studied, and discerning possible connections between these and pupils’ own lives and ways of understanding the world.

http://www.understandingchristianity.org.uk/

Gloucestershire Agreed Syllabus for RE

In RE pupils learn about religions and beliefs in local, national and global contexts, to discover, explore and consider different answers to questions.

Pupils learn to weigh up the value of wisdom from different sources, to develop and express their insights in response and to agree or disagree respectfully.

Teaching equips pupils with systematic knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and beliefs, enabling them to develop their ideas, values and identities.

RE develops in pupils an aptitude for dialogue so that they can participate positively in our society, with its diverse religions and beliefs.

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

RE is not simply about gaining knowledge and understanding about religions and beliefs. It also helps pupils to develop their own understanding of the world and how to live, in the light of their learning, developing understanding, skills and attitudes. It makes a significant contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, as well as important opportunities for exploring British Values.

Pupils from Year 1 to Year 6 took part in our local RE Art Competition again this year. We are delighted to enter three pupils from each year group. The 2023 RE & Art competition, ‘World-Views’ provides an exciting opportunity for pupils to link their insights in RE with art to produce creative work. This year there is a particular emphasis on exploring how the world may look to someone of faith or how a pupil’s own faith and worldview may influence how they see the world.

Here are our finalists:

Year 1 – Theo, Ruari and Isla

Year 2 – Frankie, Jessie and Reuben

Year 3 – Eleanor, Thomas and Lucas

Year 4 – Michael, Elsa and Theodore

Year 5 – Logan, Jessica and Flynn

Year 6 – Ned, Ruby and Alex

Congratulations and we wish you well for the county competition!