RE Curriculum

Curriculum for Religious Education

RE is an academic subject that has a high profile in our school curriculum. As a VA school, we follow the scheme of work provided by the Diocese of Durham and Newcastle. It is a priority for senior leaders, who ensure that the teaching, learning and resourcing of RE is comparable with other curriculum subjects.

This means that the RE curriculum:

  • is intrinsic to the outworking of our distinctive Christian vision in enabling all pupils to flourish. In addition, it contributes to British values and to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
  • is delivered in an objective, critical and pluralistic manner to engage and challenge all pupils through an exploration of core concepts and questions. Lessons provide meaningful and informed dialogue with a range of religions and worldviews.
  • reflects a good balance between the disciplines of theology, philosophy and human science, to enable pupils to develop their religious literacy* and reflects the key concepts of Belief, Impact, Connections.

*Religious Literacy: Helping children and young people hold balanced and well informed conversations about religion and belief.

  • enables pupils to acquire a rich, deep knowledge and understanding of Christian belief and practice, including the ways in which it is unique and diverse, whilst engaging with biblical texts and theological ideas.
  • enables pupils to acquire a rich, deep knowledge and understanding of our core values
  • provides opportunities for pupils to understand the role of foundational texts, beliefs, rituals, and practices and how they help to form identity in a range of religions and worldviews.
  • supports the development of other curriculum areas and other general educational abilities such as literacy, empathy and the ability to express thoughts, feelings and personal beliefs and our Core Values.
  • encompasses the full range of abilities to ensure that all flourish academically, using a wide range of teaching and learning strategies which consider the task, outcome, resource, support and pupil grouping as appropriate to pupils’ needs
  • offers tasks that are age appropriate, challenging and sufficiently demanding to stimulate and engage all pupils, whilst extending the ablest and providing support for those who need it.
  • ensures that all pupils’ contributions are valued in RE as they draw on their own experiences and beliefs