Religious Education (RE)
At Wardley Primary School, we embrace and celebrate the diversity which exists within our school and society as a whole. We acknowledge that the UK has a rich heritage of culture and diversity and that religion and belief for many form a crucial part of their culture and identity.
We follow the United Learning curriculum for RE which focuses on a worldview approach and is a way for our children to look at, experience, interpret and interact with the world around them. Our worldview is personal to each of us and changes as we travel through life. It is influenced by our life experiences and external influences such as the media, our parents and our teachers. The curriculum allows everyone to recognise their own beliefs and to see religion through a believer’s eyes. Throughout their time here, the children will focus most of their learning on Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism. They will also be introduced to the beliefs and views of Buddhism and Humanism. In a sensitive and thought-provoking manner, we endeavour to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of world religions and help them to explore the way in which different faiths answer questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, what it means to be human and the issues of right and wrong. Throughout their time at Wardley, the children will be given the opportunity to visit different places of worship including a church, a synagogue, a mosque and a temple. This will help to deepen their understanding and allow them to further develop their own thoughts and beliefs.
The RE syllabus is delegated by the Government to each Local Authority and they are given the power to write a syllabus they believe is in the best interest of the children of their community, taking into account local factors. This syllabus is aimed at Community Maintained Schools and not faith schools (e.g. Catholic schools) which have their own curriculum. Wardley is a maintained Gateshead school. We are not a faith school and do not have any religious affiliation. As a result, we adopt Gateshead’s RE syllabus and this is used alongside United Learning.
Who decides upon the RE curriculum?
The RE syllabus is delegated by Government to every Local Authority which is given the power to write the syllabus they believe is in the best interest of the children of their community, taking into account local factors. This syllabus is then aimed at Community Maintained Schools and not faith schools (e.g. Catholic schools) which have their own curriculum.
Wardley, like all other schools in our cluster (with the exception of St. Albans), is a maintained Gateshead school. We are not a faith school and do not have any religious affiliation. As a result, we adopt Gateshead’s RE curriculum.
What is in the RE curriculum?
The Gateshead RE curriculum focuses on four main religions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism. There is a greater focus on Christianity because of Britain being a Christian country but the programme of study still introduces the culture and religious beliefs of the other main religions that are practised in our local, national and international community. The Gateshead Agreed Religious Syllabus can be seen below:
Gateshead Religious Education Syllabus 2018
It is our intention, and the intention of Gateshead as a Local Authority, to ensure that the children of our community are taught facts about the religions that we study. We aim that our pupils will develop an understanding of how people who come from the different religions share common principles and values whilst also explaining the meaning behind the diverse practices from these religions.
