Religious Education

This page was updated: September 2022
Next update due: September 2023
Subject Lead: Robyn Kinnersley

The RE curriculum is taught in one off RE days, once every half term in cross curricular lessons. The purpose of the RE days is to immerse the children in a religion for a day and for them to understand the importance of the religion and its traditions on the multitude of aspects of life, hence the cross curricular approach. The reason for teaching RE should be guided and informed by the substantial influence religion has had on civilization. Whether our children are religious or not, human culture and history has been driven by religion, and for many the way we see the world is guided by religious tradition and belief, so understanding this is paramount to embedding a holistic world view that takes account of history and culture, including the beliefs of non-religious people.

Moreover, RE is highly important in the modern age when specific religious communities are often mistakenly used as scapegoats, or a religion is misinterpreted and used as justification for terrible crimes. RE teaching, then, should dispel myths and ground religion in our society as the force for good as it fundamentally should be. In London, and more specifically, in our school, we have a range of religions and cultures that are shaped by religion. RE teaching then, will provide an opportunity to embrace and celebrate our differences in culture and beliefs, including those of non-religious people, with the result being a better understanding of each other as humans, and a more harmonious community.

Also, RE teaches important thinking skills about some fundamental questions in people’s lives. John Ball’s provision for Philosophy supports this development of these skills.