What do we teach in RE at Bridge? 

What is the intent of our RE curriculum? 

At Bridge Junior School we want to enable our children to celebrate and harness the harmony between and the diversity within, the religions and beliefs that are represented within Leicester City. We would like all our children to be open hearted and broadminded. We aim to support children at Bridge to learn about and learn from the religious beliefs represented in the city, and the UK, to better help them to understand the wider community and to prepare them for their future as citizens of conscience. 

How will we implement our RE curriculum? 

In order to deliver a relevant RE curriculum, we follow the Leicester City RE Agreed Syllabus 2009 – 2014 and the updated Harmony and Diversity non-statutory guidance document. 

The programme of study is arranged into: 

• Knowledge, skills and understanding 

• Religions and beliefs 

• Themes 

• Experiences and understanding 

Throughout Key Stage 2, pupils learn about Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Islam in depth, recognising the impact of religion and belief locally, nationally and globally. Through teaching and sharing of experiences, the children make connections between differing aspects of religion and consider the different forms of religious expression. They consider the beliefs, teachings, practices and ways of life central to religion. They learn about sacred texts and other sources and consider their meanings. They begin to recognise diversity in religion, learning about similarities and differences both within and between religions and beliefs and the importance of dialogue between them. Through explicit teaching children extend their range and use of specialist vocabulary. They recognise the challenges involved in distinguishing between ideas of right and wrong, and valuing what is good and true. They communicate their ideas, recognising other people’s viewpoints. They consider their own beliefs and values and those of others in the light of their learning in Religious Education. Through visits to different places of worship, the children deepen their knowledge and understanding about different religions in their locality.  

Our Impact 

Through weekly RE lessons pupils will be engaged in systematic enquiry into challenging questions raised by religion and worldviews.  Our children develop the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to appreciate and appraise varied responses to these questions, as well as develop responses of their own. Our children are confident when talking about their own beliefs and respectful when talking and learning about the religious beliefs of others. 

Assemblies and SACRE:

The school does not have a daily act of wholly or broadly Christian worship (Education Act 1948). We successfully applied to SACRE (Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education) and it was agreed that it was inappropriate in our context. It was acknowledged that our alternative provision was of an outstanding standard.

At Bridge Junior School we believe sincerely in developing every child’s awe and wonder of the world.

We provide a spiritual, moral and cultural compass that complements the profound religious learning in the home.

Each day the school celebrates citizenship and cultural diversity.

Four days a week the school has corporate school assemblies (Year 3/4) and (Year 5/6), led by the leadership team for two days, staff on one and a celebration assembly every Friday.

RE is taught in accordance with the Locally Agreed Religious Education Syllabus for Leicester. Children learn about the six principal  religions: Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism , Islam, Judaism and Christianity through a range of themes and concepts.

Our RE curriculum strongly supports the Relationships & Health Education (RHE)  curriculum. RE is enriched with educational visits and school meetings to share deeper meanings of religious celebrations and festivals.

Have a look at the photos above showing displays across the school, sayings on how to live a good life and quotes from children aged 7-14, to help Year 6 children understand how they feel about practising the 5 pillars of Islam.

Examples of R.E. Displays