At St. Luke’s RE is an integral part of the childrens’ learning journey. It examines world views and religions from three different viewpoints: what they believe (theology), why they believe (philosophy) and how this affects people’s lives (human and social science). Through RE and our separate times of quietness, celebration and worship, children will also be equipped to develop their sense of identity and self-awareness through reflection on their own beliefs and values.
Our aim is to develop religiously literate pupils who go on to join society able to hold informed, well-balanced conversations with people of any belief system.
The teaching of Religious Education is central to the intent of enabling children at St. Luke’s to become confident, knowledgeable, resilient and compassionate members of society. In line with the Essex Agreed Syllabus, and as a Church of England school, RE teaching encompasses the major world religions and Humanism whilst ensuring that Christianity predominates (ie no single religion exceeds the amount of coverage given to Christianity).
Consistent with all teaching at St. Luke’s, we encourage to children to engage with their learning through an enquiry-based approach. This often starts with a question or problem that the children then have to apply themselves to answer. Learning experiences include: roleplay, discussion, art, interactive resources, visitors and of course St. Luke’s church which we visit for lessons as well as for regular services.
Historically, Essex have split the teaching of RE into two main areas: learning about religion (facts) and learning from religion (how belief is applied). As with all of our curriculum areas, the teaching or RE, learning and progress are under regular review by subject leaders, governors and senior leaders. One of the areas we are working to develop is the depth of the children’s understanding. The curriculum is currently being revised to allow more time to explore concepts and beliefs, the contexts of these and how they affect people and societies.