RE

At Widden Primary School, children aspire to foster a deep understanding of and respect for the rich tapestry of beliefs, traditions, and world views that shape our society. We aspire to create an inclusive, open-minded learning environment where children not only gain knowledge about different religions but also develop empathy, tolerance, and critical thinking skills. By learning about and engaging with different religious and philosophical traditions, the children will be empowered to challenge prejudices, combat stereotypes, and build bridges of understanding across cultural divides.

This curriculum prepares pupils to navigate the diversity of religious and non-religious world views they may encounter at school and throughout their lives. Pupils will build their understanding of religious and non-religious world views in human life, their teaching and traditions as well as the day-to-day experience of followers. Our aim is that through studying these, pupils understand the place of religion and non-religion in Britain today.

The Education Reform Act states that RE curriculums must teach Christianity as a major religion. We are compliant with the law. However, we also ensure that our children can connect and identify with the curriculum by also studying Islam, for example, and learning through themes which cut across the major world religions, ensuring they make reference to the majority religion in our local community.

Achieve

In line with the Gloucestershire Agreed syllabus for RE we follow an exciting and ambitious curriculum from Early Years to Year 6. Each topic has a question to focus the learning, which then has a set of steps providing progression and continuity across the school. The year is peppered with special days [e.g. Diwali/ Eid Day] which provide the children with an opportunity to examine a specific area in more detail, developing the children's knowledge and understanding of the religions of their classmates.

Resilience

We nurture resilience in our children, equipping them with the ability to face challenges and conflicts with respect and understanding in a complex, interconnected world.

Progressive

We have created a progressive approach to RE that reflects the diverse backgrounds of our children, focusing on values like kindness, respect, fairness, and inclusion, and helping children understand and celebrate differences while promoting positive change in their community.

Community

We emphasise the importance of unity, cooperation, and mutual respect, helping children understand how diverse beliefs can come together to create a stronger, more inclusive society.

Diversity

Integrating diversity into the RE primary curriculum involves introducing children to a wide range of religious beliefs, practices, and cultural traditions, helping them understand the richness of the world’s faiths and fostering respect, empathy, and a sense of shared humanity.

Equity

In our RE curriculum, we promote equity by ensuring all children have equal opportunities to explore and understand diverse beliefs and cultures. We create an inclusive environment where every child’s background is respected, empowering them to engage with RE in a way that fosters fairness, belonging, and respect for diversity.