'Encourage one another and build one another up'

Our Theologically-Rooted Christian Vision of our staff, governors and all involved in our school, is that we uplift and support each other to be the best versions of ourselves; to enable one another to flourish and to use our talents to serve and praise God.

We have 6 school values and each one is underpinned by the Christian faith. We see each of our 6 values as pillars that support our vision, 'encourage one another and build one another up'.  

We focus on one particular value per half-term, teaching children stories from the bible linked to each particular value and encouraging them to find ways to show that value both in school and at home. 

The Religious Education Syllabus

At Hazlemere Church of England School, we follow the Buckinghamshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education. As a school, we use the Oxford Diocese Board of Education scheme of work to give pupils from EYFS through to Year 6 a coherent picture of Christian worldviews and a range of other worldviews. It takes pupils on a journey through a range of concepts driven by three core strands: Beliefs and questions, Community and identity and Reality and truth. These strands create connections between substantive and the disciplinary knowledge, and the units include opportunities for the development of personal knowledge. The aim is to develop curiosity in pupils and equip them for future learning about, as well as enabling them to make sense of, the complex world of religious and non-religious worldviews.

Beliefs and questions: Theology, looking at the core beliefs and diverse interpretations of text, symbols and teachings of the chosen religions and worldviews.

Community and identity:  Human and Social Science and using data and other sources to examine practices and human expressions of religious and non-religious beliefs.

Reality and truth: Philosophy and ethics, looking at how people decide what is true and reliable drawing on the worldviews covered in the other units. 

Pupils will have the opportunity to explore the wider concept of what a worldview is and how people reach these ideas.

The RE curriculum is intrinsic to the school’s Christian vision and in enabling all pupils to flourish. In addition, the RE curriculum will contribute to British values and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Learning activities focus on the needs of all pupils. Pupils develop a wide range of skills including enquiry, analysis, interpretation, evaluation and reflection. Pupils have a safe space to explore their own religious, spiritual and/or philosophical ways of seeing, living and thinking, believing and belonging. Opportunities are provided to engage in meaningful and informed dialogue with those of all religions and world views.

Implementation:

Throughout each unit every half-term, the children will be presented with an enquiry question. They will start by exploring and identifying their own meaning to the question by reflecting on their own experiences and self-concepts. Children will then have the opportunity to investigate, reflect and respond to different religions or world views' responses to the question, before applying this by giving an informed and justified response to the enquiry question.

Across the school, all year groups will cover three units with a Christianity focus (following the Understanding Christianity planning). They will then explore further one other religion;

● Key Stage 1 – Judaism

● Lower Key Stage 2 – Hinduism

● Upper Key Stage 2 – Islam/Non-religious Worldviews

At Hazlemere Church of England School, we value all religious and non-religious views and therefore, the children have the opportunity to explore beliefs through carefully planned visits, visitors, assemblies and specialist days.

Impact

Pupils will know more and be able to give an age-appropriate, coherent account of Christianity and the other worldviews covered. They will be able to ask questions, use a range of sources and skills to explore the traditions taught and have developed curiosity about how and why people think and act. They will know that there is more to learn about religious and non religious worldviews and have developed the skills to research further. Pupils will understand that there are different ways of interpreting texts, and that different people reach different conclusions about what is true, good, right, and wrong.