Vision

Through good quality Religious Education (RE), our children will leave County Bridge with an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the religions and beliefs, which form part of our contemporary society. RE lessons will consistently motivate and inspire children to explore religious viewpoints and be open-minded and tolerant to the beliefs of others. Our substantive syllabus and high quality teaching will promote children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and contribute towards the shaping of children’s individual values through the breadth of knowledge and experiences gained. RE at County Bridge will contribute to children’s personal development and wellbeing in a diverse multi-cultural society.

Intent

At County Bridge, we want our children to develop a secure knowledge and understanding of other people’s views, cultures and faiths in a safe and respectful environment. Our children are comfortable and confident to share their own beliefs, viewpoints and ideas developing positive relationships supported by our deep-rooted emphasis on nurture. We ensure that our RE curriculum is well-balanced and builds upon a broad understanding of the religions in Walsall, the region, the UK and the world. This enables children to become self-assured, tolerant and non-judgemental individuals who have the essential knowledge and the cultural capital to develop into well-educated, well-rounded and respectful adults within the modern British society.

Our high quality RE teaching prepare children to take their place within a diverse multi-religious and multi secular society and this is achieved through a coherently planned and sequenced religious curriculum linked to the specific needs of the children in our school. We set high academic ambition for all children, regardless of their background, gender, ethnicity or need, ensuring that teachers engage, motivate and inspire children through a curriculum that is thought provoking, challenging and meaningful.

Implementation

County Bridge follows the statutory locally agreed syllabus for RE (Walsall SACRE). The Walsall agreed syllabus, in line with the law, requires that all children learn about Christianity in each Key Stage. Children also learn about the other principal religions represented in the UK – Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism – through weekly classroom-based learning.

We endeavour to bring learning to life by providing first-hand experiences with visits to places of worship, which provides children with a real understanding of the different religions whilst also giving them the opportunity to embed classroom-based learning (knowledge and skills) and develop their use of vocabulary further.

The statutory locally-agreed syllabus SACRE that we follow ensure that all children:

Know about and understand a range of religions and worldviews, so that they can:

• Describe, explain and analyse beliefs and practices, recognising the diversity which exists within and between communities;
• Identify, investigate and respond to questions posed by, and responses offered by some of the sources of wisdom found in religions and worldviews;
• Appreciate and appraise the nature, significance and impact of different ways of life and ways of expressing meaning.

Express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religions and worldviews, so that they can:

• Explain reasonably their ideas about how beliefs, practices and forms of expression influence individuals and communities;
• Express with increasing discernment their personal reflections and critical responses to questions and teachings about identity, diversity, meaning and value.
• Appreciate and appraise varied dimensions of religion.

Gain and deploy the skills needed to engage seriously with religions and worldviews, so that they can:

• Find out about and investigate key concepts and questions of belonging, meaning, purpose and truth, responding creatively;
• Enquire into what enables different communities to live together respectfully for the wellbeing of all;
• Articulate beliefs, values and commitments clearly in order to explain reasons why they may be important in their own and other people’s lives.

Impact

At County Bridge, our RE teaching promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of all children. Children are equipped to articulate clear and coherent accounts of their personal, worldviews, beliefs, ideas, values and experiences, as well as being able to make informed judgements about religious and moral issues.

The thought provoking and challenging SACRE syllabus content, paired with high quality teaching, prepares children for opportunities, responsibilities and experiences in later life due to children obtaining a rich and substantive knowledge of the religions studied.

This curriculum will support the embedding of core British values and the County Bridge values too, ensuring our children will grow into mutually respecting and tolerant individuals making a positive contribution in the modern British society.