Our aim is to promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils and along with PSHE and the wider curriculum, the subject prepares pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.
Children develop an appreciation of how religion plays an important role in the lives of some people and learn to express identity and belonging and what is important to them.
Younger children do this by considering their place in the world, learning about diversity, and exploring philosophical ideas through open-ended questioning. As they progress through the school, they learn about a range of religions in greater detail, considering what it means to have a faith, exploring beliefs, worship, special events, festivals, foods and clothing. By the time they reach Year 8, pupils will have studied Sikhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism and Islam, with a larger focus on Christianity as the faith forms the tradition and foundations of the school. This enables them to compare and contrast religions and to start to have a better understanding of the community around them and the wider world.
In Year 7 philosophy becomes more discrete with a unit on ethics and an increased focus on the impact that religion and other worldviews have on how we live our lives. Year 8 study the ideas of some of the most influential philosophers and consider how their teaching influences modern society and the impact on contemporary world issues. Through their studies pupils gain insights into culture, history, literature, philosophy, politics, theology and engage with important aspects of human experience.
Learning is enhanced by regular assemblies that explore key themes and ideas from a range of faiths. The presence of our beautiful chapel bears witness to the school’s Anglican tradition and weekly services inspire children to reflection and worship. We make links with local churches and celebrate Harvest, Christmas and Easter as part of our wider community and we seek to make links with our parent community via questionnaires and parent visits to talk to children about what it means to belong to a faith.
We aim to develop deep thinking and a developed understanding through a cross-curricular application of skills, collaborative work and project work.
Pupils in Year 7 and 8 undertake independent learning projects, which enable them to develop both their skills further and to apply what they have learned to make sense of the world around them. As preparation for the importance of course work, children in Years 5 and 6 follow a similar assessment programme which enables them to learn from feedback and to value the effort required in coursework.
We aim to help children to reflect upon their own beliefs and values and to make increasingly mature judgements.
