“We enjoy learning about different cultures and religions and how people express their beliefs and talk to God. We respect how different people celebrate and love sharing our own religious beliefs and how we live our lives. We build upon our existing knowledge when we learn about new faiths and enjoy taking part in discussions and asking our own questions.”

(Year 4 children)

Religious Education: To celebrate the beauty of diversity through the exploration of faith

At Breadsall Hill Top Primary School, we believe in the importance of children learning about other faiths and cultures in order to reflect upon their own place within society and how they contribute as citizens alongside others. We celebrate the fact that Derby City is an increasingly multi-faith and multi-cultural community and aim to broaden the children of Breadsall’s understanding of a range of faiths to both support their academic progress and also enhance their cultural capital.

We care about;

• Children demonstrating tolerance and respect for people of all faiths and beliefs and those of none
• Children reflecting upon their own beliefs, personal reflections and critical responses to questions to develop their own identity and values set
• Children learning about a range of religions and world views and exploring the similarities and differences between them
• Children having opportunities to engage with high-quality resources, visitors and educational visits to places of worship that allow them to experience religion firsthand
• Children having the knowledge, understanding and confidence to share their learning beyond the classroom, including, when necessary, to challenge viewpoints and misconceptions in an appropriate manner
• All children feeling a sense of belonging and safety within our community
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We know that a rich and secure knowledge base is essential for our children to be able to think like a Theologian and in order to maintain the integrity of the subject discipline, we teach RE in isolation using the Derby City locally-agreed syllabus. This is complemented by our PSHE curriculum.

This curriculum ensures that knowledge is:

• Valued and specified
• Well-sequenced
• Taught to be remembered
• Knowledge is a pathway to a skill. Teach knowledge, and skills are the end result.
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We explicitly teach children to engage with systematic enquiry into significant human questions, which religion and world views address so that they can develop the understanding and skills needed to appreciate and appraise varied responses to these questions as well as develop responses of their own. We do this through regular opportunities for oracy and discussion, critical thinking and reflection and enriching experiences. Teachers plan in regular review and assessment points to ensure that knowledge is sticking. Children learn about religion and from religion, actively exploring themes such as celebration, stories and worship. They use these to identify and celebrate the things that bring beauty through difference and those similarities that bring us together.

Consequently, our wish is that our children are tolerant and respectful of all people, regardless of faith, because they have a secure knowledge about religious diversity, feel confident in talking about their own and others’ beliefs and values and acknowledge how differences can be celebrated as part of a collective identity.