Religious Education Policy

BISHOP MARTIN C. of E. PRIMARY SCHOOL Religious Education Policy Introduction a) Christian emphasis: The aim of this policy document is to ensure that all children attending Bishop Martin C. of E. Primary School are given the opportunity to develop an understanding of Christianity, its principles and practices within the context of the Anglican tradition. In this Church of England Voluntary Aided school the Religious Education provided is in conformity with the rites, practices and doctrines of The Church of England as laid down by the Trust Deed. b) Christian aims: R.E. plays a major part in promoting the Christian aims, values and ethos of the school as expressed in the Mission Statement.

In and through Religious Education, the children at Bishop Martin learn to Inspire, Enjoy and Achieve while following our school values and incorporating these into their everyday lives in, and outside of, school. They learn about the school values and how we find these in God’s word and in the teachings of Jesus. It is ensured that, ‘Religious Education has equal standing in relation to core subjects of the National Curriculum in that it is compulsory for all registered pupils’ as outlined in the 1988 Education Act.

c) Syllabus: Bishop Martin C. of E. Primary School adopted the Liverpool Diocesan Board of Education R.E. Syllabus for Church Schools (2013): ‘Questful RE Creative and Challenging’ in September 2014.

d) Time allocation for R.E.: Proportion of time allocated to R.E. in KS1 is 1 hour per week and 1hour 10 minutes per week in KS2. This is in line with R.E. Diocesan guidelines (approximately 5% of curriculum time – Governing Body Decision). There are additional time allocations throughout the year for themed weeks where RE is the focus subject (Values Week, Harvest, Christmas/Advent, Holy Week) e) Christian emphasis: Time devoted to the teaching of Christianity and other faiths as recommended by the Diocese is: Christianity: - 80% and Other Non-Christian faiths 20% (It has been the decision of the Governing Body in July 2014, for the main six world faiths to be studied in line with the Questful RE Diocesan syllabus). f) Links with local churches: School maintains close links with the Parish Church: Christ the Servant, St Thomas the Martyr (Mother Church) and the local Methodist Minister. The school and the parish church work close together to create a sense of fellowship in our community in Digmoor.

Responsibility for the policy Headteacher, R.E. Subject leader, Collective Worship leader and the Governing Body are responsible for the implementation/co-ordination of the policy.

Curriculum The Religious Education curriculum maintains a balanced approach of Learning about Religion (Attainment Target 1) and Learning from Religion (Attainment Target 2).

Learning about Religion We learn about • God who reveals the truth about himself and humanity through creation, the giving of the law, his action in history and through the prophets; • God who reveals himself ultimately in Jesus his Son, living among us and dying and rising for us; • God who reveals himself in his Spirit working in the living faith of the Church experienced through scripture, tradition and reason.

Learning from Religion We learn from • an empathetic response to the Christian faith and a critical engagement with it; • responding personally to the stories and teachings of Jesus Christ; • examples of Christian living which give priority to the values of unconditional love, forgiveness, reconciliation, justice, compassion and faith alongside our school values of love, respect, kindness, trust, friendship and fellowship.  asking and answering thought-provoking, reflective and personal questions about what they have learnt.

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linking modern day issues to Biblical stories and their religious understanding. reflecting on spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) learning.

Syllabus aim It is the aim of Bishop Martin C. of E. Primary School that:a) within the context of a Church School, R.E. will support the children in nurturing and developing their own faith, beliefs, commitment, values and attitudes through an exploration of shared human experience and the place and significance of Christianity and other religions in the contemporary world with such emphasis on Anglican beliefs and practices as appropriate to the school situation. School will promote a clear ethos of respect for those of other faiths. b) the Christian emphasis on R.E. will enable the children to develop a sound knowledge and understanding of the Christian faith. c) R.E. will contribute to the pupils’ personal development, including Spiritual and Moral, Social and Cultural development. (linking with the teaching of PSHE in school through the Jigsaw syllabus). Section 78 (1) of the 2002 Education Act states that all pupils should follow a balanced and broadly based curriculum which ‘promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, social, mental. And physical development of pupils and of society, and prepares pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life’.

They are given the opportunity to examine issues of belief and faith and how these impact on personal and social ethics and express their opinions and thoughts. d) the children will be richly provided with opportunities to :  reflect theologically and explore the ultimate questions and challenges of life in today’s society;  reflect critically on the truth claims of Christian belief;  see how the truth of Christianity is relevant today;  understand the challenge faced by Christians in today’s pluralist and post-modern society;  develop the skills to handle the Bible text;  recognise that faith is based on commitment to a particular way of understanding God and the world;  begin to develop their own commitments, beliefs and values;  develop a sense of themselves as significant, unique and precious;  experience the breadth and variety of the Christian community;  engage in thoughtful dialogue with other faiths and traditions;  become active citizens, serving their neighbour;  find a reason for hope in a troubled world;  understand how religious faith can sustain believers in difficult circumstances and in the face of opposition;  build their sense of identify and belonging, to help them flourish within their communities as citizens in a diverse society.

When respectfully learning about other faiths and beliefs, the children at Bishop Martin are given the opportunity to:  learn about other faiths, their beliefs, traditions and practices and from them through encounter and dialogue;  recognise and respect those of all faiths in their search for God;  recognise areas of common belief and practice between different faiths;  enrich and expand their understanding of truth while remaining faithful to their own tradition;

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challenge stereotypes and build understanding of other cultures and beliefs.

Study the diversity of religion and belief in the UK – and globally - and how this influences and impacts on national and world issues. enrich their own faith through examples of holy living in other traditions.

Content and Approaches At Bishop Martin, RE has an important part to play in our broad, balanced and challenging curriculum to which all pupils are entitled to. High quality learning experiences in RE are designed and provided by careful planning through diocese agreed syllabuses taking into account the need to offer breadth of content. A wide variety of resources and creative activities are used to ensure RE is an inspiring, enjoying subject in which children can achieve in. These teaching methods include drama, the use of artefacts, role play, hot-seating, ICT, websites, songs, art, collaborative thinking, questioning and time for reflection are used to support the dioceses agreed syllabus. Where possible we want our pupils to have opportunities to encounter local faith communities through visits to local places of worship or visits from members of local faith communities to our school.

Bishop Martin C. of E. Primary School is committed to providing for pupils of differing ability levels including pupils with Special Educational needs, EAL children, and those of different ages and experiences. Classrooms have a high level of Teaching Assistant support and work is differentiated appropriately. Assessment opportunities are given through discussion, observation and work produced. Children are assessed in each unit throughout the year and this monitors the progress of each child. Whole class assessment tasks are completed and ideas for assessment opportunities are given to teachers in each of the unit plans with guidance on the possible level of achievement. Progress is reported in written format annually on School Reports. School holds two Parent Afternoon interviews when progress on work and attitudes in RE are discussed.

Planning involves the Senior Leadership Team, the RE leader and our children.

Assessment and Recording of RE In line with our policy on assessment and recording it is expected that each teacher will be responsible for the regular assessment of his or her pupils through marking work set and updated the unit assessment sheet devised by the RE leader. The teacher can then assess each child’s attainment in each unit and monitor the progress on the 8-point scale agreed by the diocese. For three units, pupils will complete an agreed assessment task that will form part of his or her work done in RE and inform a whole class attainment level.

The level achieved overall by the class and for individual children will be used by the RE leader to track pupil progress through the school to ensure standards are high and in line with the national expectations and will be used by the class teacher to ensure that each pupil is set work that is appropriately challenging.

Arrangements for monitoring standards of teaching and learning in RE The Head teacher, Senior Leadership team, RE leader and Governors ensure that:  all pupils make progress in achieving the learning objectives of the RE curriculum.

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the subject is well led and effectively managed and that standards and achievement. an annual action plan is drawn up and is informed using this policy. in RE and the quality of the provision are subject to regular and effective self-evaluation. those teaching RE are suitably qualified and trained in the subject and have regular and effective opportunities for CPD. teachers are aware of RE’s contribution to developing pupils’ understanding of religion and belief and its impact as part of the duty to promote community cohesion. teachers explore how new pedagogies and technology can be fully utilised to support RE learning objectives and promote community cohesion.

RE is resourced, staffed and timetabled so that the school can fulfil its legal obligations on RE and pupils can make good and outstanding progress.

Resources An extensive and wide variety of resources are available in classrooms and in the central Resource areas. These include Christian, Jewish, Sikhism and Islamic artefacts, videos, DVD’s, puppets, pictures, Big Books, other texts, symbols etc.

The Legal Requirements for Religious Education a) Legal Requirements Religious Education in Church Schools is governed by the 1996 and 1998 Education Act as well as by the Trust Deed of the School.

The legislation requires Religious Education to be provided for all pupils.

(1996 Education act, Section 352) The type of Religious Education must be in accordance with the Trust Deed. b) Parental rights of withdrawal in a Voluntary Aided School We wish to be an inclusive community but recognise that parents have the legal right to withdraw their children from Religious Education on the grounds of conscience. Parents may withdraw their children from Religious Education.

This provision and its limitations are indicated in the School prospectus. c) Complaints about provision of Religious Education It is hoped that any complaint will be resolved informally by the Head Teacher.

There is also provision for complaints to be heard by a Committee of the Governing Body possible with advice from the Diocese. However if the complaint is still not satisfactorily resolved, the issue will be adjudicated by a specially constituted sub-committee of the Diocesan Board of Education acting on behalf of the Bishop of the Diocese.

Policy updated in April 2016 by Miss Hollie Malins (RE Subject Leader) and will be renewed in September 2018.

Head Teacher: Mrs Ann Gray