RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
“The purpose of religion is to control yourself, not to criticise others”
Dalai Lama
RE helps pupils to make sense of religion and belief, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living. Studying different religions and worldviews will help students to see that there are different ways to view the world and different questions to ask – all with a multitude of answers. It evokes curiosity and gives the opportunity to find out what shapes the lives of billions of people all around the world. This understanding and awareness shapes our interactions when we meet people from different cultural backgrounds and students can see that there is a place for everyone in society to live in harmony with one another.
Religious Education explores big questions about life, to find out what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live. We want our students to question and to understand the world they live in now and how that has been shaped by the religions that we find all over the world. RE gives the opportunity to be aware of the present and it can shape the future as informed, ethical citizens.
So, our RE curriculum is diverse and driven by the desire to give our students knowledge of religion which will help them become considerate and open-minded members of society. Our curriculum will allow our students to develop their understanding of the diversity of the world they live in. They will be able to see how religion adapts and changes as the world does, allowing them to engage with people of different cultures and world views and provide a meaningful contribution to society.
We want all of our students to be able to make sense of a range of beliefs from different religions and worldviews and understand the impact of those beliefs and how they influence the lives of people. Students will make connections in their learning between different worldviews and their own worldview to challenge their own thinking.
The amazing thing about the study of religion is that is allows students to question the world around them, but however many questions they ask there are always more to ask and new perspectives to consider. This will allow them to see how interdependent the world around them is and how what they see as unconnected is actually a web of ideas and views influence by the people of the world and the rich religions and cultures they participate in.
