Religious Education

The principal aim of RE is to enable pupils to hold a balanced and informed conversation about religion and belief. At St Andrew’s CE (VA) Infant School we work together to develop the potential of each child, incorporating academic, social, spiritual, moral and physical development within a caring Christian environment. Religious Education has a special role to play in promoting spiritual development. It enables children to investigate and reflect on some of the most fundamental questions asked by people. Children learn about and understand Christianity as a living faith that influences the lives of people worldwide.

Agreed Syllabus
All year groups follow the Diocese of Leeds Agreed Syllabus, which incorporates the ‘Understanding Christianity’ scheme of learning. This was developed by the Church of England to study Christianity in great depth. There are three core elements which are applied to each unit of work:
• Making sense of belief
• Understanding the impact
• Making connections
These elements allow for a range of challenging questions to be asked, which support enquiry-based learning and open the children’s minds to see other’s points of view. Teachers plan active learning opportunities and investigations, using engaging stimuli, such as videos, artefacts and visitors from faith communities. All children have the opportunity to respond and reflect in each lesson which contributes towards their own understanding of God, identity and belonging, and develop a respectful attitude towards the world in which they live and the views of others. We nurture children’s own spirituality and sense of right and wrong. As a school we focus on teaching Christianity and Islam, but also make links to other major religions and non-religious views. In Early Years children also learn about Religious festivals in creative ways, such as Chinese New Year and Diwali.