Religious Studies

Philosophy

Children at The Chorister School come from a variety of religious and cultural backgrounds. However, we are a Christian School, with strong links to the Cathedral and this is reflected in our Religious Education curriculum. Together with the teaching of Christian beliefs, it is also important for children to have an understanding and respect for other beliefs and cultures. Questions about the difference between right and wrong in practical and moral issues of life, underpin the basis of Religious Education teaching.

Aims

The aims of Religious Education teaching fall into two main areas:

Learning about religion
To become familiar with Bible stories and learn about the Christian lifestyle.
To become familiar with other religions and beliefs.
Learning from religion
To provide a Religious Education that has a part to play in helping children to make sense of the world about them and how they relate to it.

Within those two areas we aim to:

To provide interesting, challenging, enjoyable lessons which stimulate learning
To ensure RE is accessible to all by providing a multi sensory approach
To enable pupils to think for themselves about the world around them, how they and others relate to it and what they believe
To help pupils to express their thoughts clearly, verbally and in written form
To provide opportunities for pupils to explore moral and social issues, at appropriate ages and levels of understanding
To introduce pupils to different beliefs and outlooks which shape people's lives and to gain an understanding of these view points.

Teaching and Learning

A range of teaching styles are used to deliver the RE curriculum:

Listening to and studying stories from The Bible and other texts
Discussion and debate
Drawing and designing eg, posters or leaflets
Discussing current media eg, newspaper articles
Reading relevant literature eg, plays or poetry
Listening to visiting speakers
Visiting places of interest
Class presentations, drama and role play

Teaching is differentiated to ensure pupils with a special educational need or who have English as an additional language can access the curriculum. Similarly more able pupils are stretched and encouraged to explore issues in more depth.