OUTWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL
Religious Education, Beliefs and Values at Outwood
Religious Education is an important element in the broad and balanced curriculum we provide at Outwood Primary School. Through our RE curriculum, we provide opportunities to develop children's knowledge and understanding of world religions and reflect on the challenging questions that it provokes. At Outwood, we will have a particular focus on those that are the main faiths of children within our school: Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Christianity. We want the children to develop an understanding of religious tradition, and an appreciation of cultural differences in the UK today. We encourage the children to reflect on what it means to have a faith and to develop their own spiritual knowledge and understanding. We help the children to learn from religions as well as about religions and to use all this knowledge to become reflective and empathetic members of society.
At Outwood Primary, we have a progression map that guides teachers in the big questions they have to explore over the year.
-Autumn term - questions associated with 'believing'
-Spring term they explore 'expressing'
-Summer term - questions related to 'living'
Learning Intention
“In Religion, Values and Beliefs, you explore, consider and respect a range of religions, world views and ideas which empower you to form personal opinions and values that transform into an identity; enabling you to find your place in our amazing, diverse and pluralistic world.” Mrs Mahmood, RE Leader.
Legal Requirements of RE
RE must be provided for all registered pupils in state-funded schools in England, including state-funded academies, unless withdrawn by their parents. It is a necessary part of a ‘broad and balanced curriculum’. A locally agreed syllabus is a statutory syllabus for RE recommended by an Agreed Syllabus Conference for adoption by a local authority. The RE curriculum drawn up by a SACRE ‘shall reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian, while taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain’. As education policy changes, the legal requirement for RE for all registered pupils remains unchanged. RE is an entitlement for all pupils, unless they have been withdrawn by their parents from some or all of the RE curriculum.
Right of withdrawal
This was first granted when RE was actually religious instruction and carried with it connotations of induction into the Christian faith. RE is very different now – open, broad, exploring a range of religious and non-religious worldviews. However, in the UK, parents still have the right to withdraw their children from RE on the grounds that they wish to provide their own religious education. (School Standards and Framework Act 1998 S71(3)). This will be the parents’ responsibility. However, at Meadowbank, because we believe that RE offers such a broad and balanced curriculum to its pupils, we would engage in many discussions with parents to ensure that they understand the aims and value of RE before honouring this right.