Religious Education

Children at Chilton are predominantly from a white, Church of England or non-faith based background. Exposure to other cultures and beliefs is sometimes minimal. Consequently, it is our intention that our RE curriculum, in line with DFE guidance, seeks to ‘reflect that the religious traditions of Great Britain are in the main Christian whilst taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain’.

We feel it is important that our children are given a good exposure to and understanding of other religions and religious practices differ to their own so that they become respectful and tolerant of individuals of all faiths and are well prepared to demonstrate these qualities- whether they remain in the local area in the future or move to an area with greater religious and cultural diversity.

We feel strongly that our curriculum should, as far as possible, ensure that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds should not feel a deficit in ‘cultural capital’ and the way we plan our curriculum should seek to fulfil this ambition at every opportunity.

We believe the RE curriculum affords an opportunity for our children to reflect on values; whether they be their own values, school values, British values or the values linked to a religion and to understand and be respectful of the fact that people may have differing values.

This inspires and builds each child’s ‘religious literacy’, helping them to understand the nature and diversity of religion and belief in the world in which they live and the relationships between different groups of society.

Aims of the Religious Education Curriculum

The national curriculum for religious education aims to ensure our pupils in;

• Learn about the place and nature of religion and belief in their local community
• Learn about key features of Christianity
• Learn about key features of other religions or worldviews

As a parent or carer, you have the right to withdraw your child from RE. However, the school would discourage this. RE is an inviting and academic subject. We are not teaching it in a coercive way, or encourage your child to be religious or not. Religious education provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human.