Religious Education Curriculum

Our Religious Education Policy

At St Mary's Primary School, pupils and their families can expect a high-quality Religious Education curriculum that is rich and varied, enabling learners to acquire a thorough knowledge and understanding of a range of faiths and world views.  As a church school, the teaching of Christianity is at the heart of our curriculum.

Our Religious Education Policy outlines our curriculum and its impact.

Our Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Policy

We recognise that the personal development of pupils, spirituality, morally, socially and culturally, plays a significant part in their ability to learn.

We therefore aim to offer an education that provides pupils with opportunities to explore their own values and beliefs, spiritual awareness, high standards of personal behaviour, a positive caring attitude towards other people, and understanding of their social and cultural traditions and an appropriation of the diversity and richness of other cultures.

Religious Education Intent

RE teaching and learning is considered a fundamental aim within the school's curriculum.  The following document demonstrates how Religious Education is linked to each of the aims of our Whole School Curriculum Intent.

Our Religious Education Scheme of Work

Religious Education lessons are taught weekly in all classes and give every child the opportunity to study the major religions of the world.  Children discover what each religion teaches and the beliefs and actions of the people who follow these religions.  The more they learn the more they have a better understanding of others beliefs about life and death, history, culture, traditions and family.  Religious Education also gives them time to reflect on moral issues such as justice, truth, right and wrong, helping others and looking after our world.

Spirituality

Spirituality is something that can be very difficult to put into words – it differs from person to person.

Spirituality is not something we can see it is something we feel inside ourselves.

We learn about this by asking big questions about life, religion, nature, science and any other areas we are fascinated by.

We think about this through our relationship with:

> Self - being a unique person, knowing and loving ourselves

> Others - how empathy, concern, compassion and other values and principles affect relationships - sharing and showing our Christian Values

> World and Beauty - responding to and looking after God’s creation - we are stewards of the world

> Beyond - we understand that we are part of something bigger, Christians believe that this is God - the ultimate power in the universe who cares for all of us and wants us to have a relationship with him)

Pause Days

Each term, St Mary’s selects a time to pause our everyday curriculum to focus on a significant element of what makes us a Church of England school.

For our Christmas Pause Day, we wanted to tell the amazing story of the Son of God’s birth through traditional Christmas carols.   Each class explored a carol that depicted a key part of the nativity and represented it through Art, DT and Poetry. 

Each class’s contribution was presented at our Christmas Celebration service and was brought together to create a complete nativity scene.  We also sang each of the carols as a school with accompanying bible readings. 

It was a wonderful opportunity to better understand the tradition of carols used in worship at Christmas and gain a deeper understanding of importance of Jesus coming into the world to save us.

Reception looked at Away in a Manger, Class 1 and 2 looked at While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks by Night, Class 3 and 4 looked at We Three Kings of Orient Are and Class 5 and 6 looked at Oh Little Town of Bethlehem.  Then in whole school assembly we looked at Joy to the World - The real reason we celebrate Christmas…God’s Son coming to earth to teach use the truths of the scriptures and dying to save the sins of the world and restore our relationship with God now and forever. 

Creative Arts Club

Each year, St Mary’s runs an after-school club specifically designed for children to study passages of the bible and then express their understanding through art.  Children discuss people used by God, the extraordinary life of Jesus and how scripture can help in our everyday living.

Spirited Arts Project

The school ran a project that gave children the opportunity to explore key questions of Christianity and express their faith through Art. 

Children chose from 6 themes – We have more in common that what divides us / Green faith, green future?  God’s good earth / Where is God today? / Faith in action, values in action / Sacred space and holy buildings / All God’s creatures?

Children were able to work individually, in groups or as a class to create their artistic expression using mediums including drawing, painting, model making and photography.

All of the children’s creations were displayed in school for parents, giving children to chance to explain their art and its inspiration.  It was then displayed in the town as part of East Grinstead’s Festival of Arts.