Religious Education
At Steeple Morden C of E Primary School, we recognize the importance of Religious Education, and therefore all teachers take responsibility for the subject. This fosters a deep understanding among children, staff, and the wider community about the significant impact of religion and beliefs in our lives. In selecting the wider faiths we teach, we have made thoughtful decisions that reflect the demographic composition of our local community in South Cambridgeshire.
Intent
We aim to provide a high-quality education that empowers all children to excel and prepares them for future challenges and opportunities. Our inclusive, thoughtful, and sensitive approach ensures that we support every pupil in their journey. We also recognize the importance of community engagement and partnerships, working together to create a positive and enriching environment for all.
We choose Be brave, be kind, be the best you can be as our vision because we want to equip children to be prepared for the wider world and to be the best versions of themselves through core Christian values of Resilience, Compassion and Excellence. Through the parable of The Lost Sheep, Jesus shows us resilience, compassion and excellence through not giving up on finding a lost sheep and ensuring the flock stay together.
Implementation
The curriculum is thoughtfully structured, dedicating half of instructional time to Christianity while devoting the remaining half to exploring world religions and world views. This meets the expectations of the Locally Agreed Syllabus and the Statement of Entitlement, where Christianity should be at least 50% of the RE curriculum. School leadership have strategically implemented a spiral RE curriculum, building on core conceptual knowledge. This means there is great depth and balance across all year groups.
Planning and assessment: We follow the SACRE Locally Agreed Syllabus for Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and Rutland 2023-2028. To meet the requirements of this syllabus, we use Understanding Christianity and the Emmanuel Project for world faiths and world view to support planning and assessment.
Enrichment days: We ensure that the school follows at least the minimum number of hours for RE as set out in the Local Agreed Syllabus, and we develop opportunities throughout the year for additional hours to be dedicated to R.E. teaching - we achieve this through Enrichment Days spread throughout the year.
We recognize the importance of Religious Education, and therefore all teachers take responsibility for the subject. This fosters a deep understanding among children, staff, and the wider community about the significant impact of religion and beliefs in our lives.
Resources: There are a range of resources to support the teaching of Religious Education in school. Resources are regularly audited to see if they are up to date and relevant.
Professional Development: All educators engage in regular RE-focused CPD, facilitated by both the RE lead and external trainers, to continuously enhance their expertise and impact on student learning
Impact
Children foster rich knowledge and understanding in RE. Complex ideas such as ‘Incarnation’ and ‘Salvation’ are revisited and explored in depth as students grow and mature. This further enables pupils to engage in reasoned and thoughtful discussions of key concepts, learning to agree and disagree respectfully in Upper Key Stage 2.
By embracing a wide array of beliefs, we support our students in becoming open-minded individuals who can appreciate the complexity of human experience.