Manifold Church of England Academy

RE

Religious Education in Manifold Church of England Academy will enable every child to flourish and to live life in all its fullness. (John 10:10). It is delivered in accordance with the Christian foundation of the school, specifically the rites, practices and doctrines of the Church of England. As such, RE at our school is a core subject, giving it a prominent and important role in the lives of all our pupils. 

We endeavour to make our RE lessons inspiring, memorable and a safe space for our children to explore their own and other's religious and spiritual beliefs and viewpoints. Through story, discussion, acts of worship, assemblies and involvement with St Lawrence's Church, we explore Christianity and other religious traditions in a sensitive, careful and age-appropriate manner. An act of worship is held daily in school (please see our Collective Worship section on the school website).

We follow the 'Understanding Christianity Approach' to support our children's teaching and learning. Within this approach, there are eight core concepts that help to tell the 'big story' of the Bible.

At Manifold Church of England Academy, the key concepts that we explore are:

• God
• Creation
• Gospel
• Incarnation
• Salvation

Children will encounter these concepts a number of times as they move through school to develop and deepen their understanding. Through these concepts, children are able to examine and reflect upon their own ideas and values. Understanding people's beliefs can be a first step to recognising and appreciating diversity.

To add further scope and diversity to our RE provision, we also follow the Staffordshire Religious Agreed Syllabus. It provides the legal framework for a syllabus for RE for all Staffordshire Schools. The syllabus encourages children to study each religion on its own term and encourages the development of:

• self-understanding
• respect for all
• open-mindedness
• curiosity and wonder
• commitment
• fairness
• critical -mindedness
• enquiry

Religious Education makes valuable contributions to cross-curricular objectives and to collective worship. Our RE teaching and learning promotes the pupil’s SMSC by:

• Developing their ability to be reflective about their own beliefs and perspective on life.
• Having a knowledge of and respect for different people’s faiths, feelings and values.
• Developing independence through learning about themselves, others and the wider world in imaginative and creative ways.
• Considering the consequences of their behaviour and actions on others.
• Recognising the difference between right and wrong, applying this to their lives.
• Appreciating and supporting the viewpoints of others in regard to ethical issues.
• Engaging and cooperating effectively with people from a diverse range of belief systems.
• Understanding the wide range of cultural influences in their heritage and that of those around them and appreciating the things we have in common.
• Participating and responding positively to creative, artistic and musical opportunities.
• Embracing cultural diversity locally, nationally and globally.

Parents have the right to withdraw their child from RE but should consider that they will then be missing out on a fun, varied and thought provoking area of the curriculum which often links to other areas of learning.