Religious Education - The Whiteoak Way

“Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values and your values become your destiny.” Mahatma Ghandi

Our Aims for Religious Education

At Whiteoak Academies we believe that Religious Education (RE) allows children to reflect on their own personal beliefs and values through knowledge and understanding of principal religions, religious traditions and worldviews. We provide an environment where children engage in discussion about the world around them and how they can use their knowledge and understanding of world religions and views to make a positive impact on today’s society and life beyond school. We deliver RE in line with the North Somerset Agreed Syllabus ‘Awareness, Mystery and Value 2022’ and use the Jigsaw RE programme as our scheme of work.

We believe that our R.E. curriculum has an important role in preparing pupils for adult life, employment and lifelong learning. It encourages pupils to develop their sense of identity, belonging, respect for and sensitivity to others, in particular those whose faiths and beliefs are different from their own. It promotes discernment and enables pupils to combat prejudice, become rational and insightful. It enables them to flourish individually within their communities as citizens in a diverse society and global community.
 

British Values and SMSC in Religious Education.

To help ensure that children leave school prepared for life in modern Britain, the DfE issued guidance to all schools on improving the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of children through the promotion of fundamental British values.

Across our family of schools, we aim to develop a climate where the British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs are deeply embedded at every level and lived through our vivid vision, core values and curriculum.

Jigsaw RE

Jigsaw RE is an enquiry-based scheme of work, covering the principal world faiths and humanism in a progressive way from the Reception to Year 6. In the early years, the learning is closely matched to Development Matters to contribute meaningfully to your child’s holistic development. Throughout all the enquiries, the children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is carefully considered.

Each enquiry begins with a “big” question. The children then start discussing the theme of the enquiry from their own experience. 

Only when the children fully understand the concept they are considering, do they then move on to investigating what the people following the studied religion or worldview believe about it. 

The final week of every enquiry gives the children time to reflect on what they have learnt about the concept and apply it to their own lives, thus allowing them to form their own beliefs and identity. 

Please have a look at our RE curriculum map below to see what your child will be learning and when.

 

RE OVERVIEW

Here is our overview of teaching from Reception to Year 6.

 

Together we can do great things.’ 

^{Mother Teresa}