RE Curriculum Overview

RE is for all pupils and every pupil is legally entitled to Religious Education as part of a ‘broad and balanced’ curriculum. RE must be provided for all registered pupils in state funded schools in England.

Withdrawal from RE Parental right of withdrawal from RE was first granted in 1944 when curricular RE was called ‘Religious Instruction’ and, as such, had connotations of induction into the Christian faith. RE is very different now. It takes account of world faiths and non-religious world views so that children can learn about and from religious traditions without being inducted into those traditions. In the UK, 70+ years later, parents still have the right to withdraw their children from RE on the grounds that they wish to provide their own RE. This RE provision will then become the parents’ responsibility. Parents can also exercise the right to withdraw their child from part of RE, and can do so without giving any explanation. 

RE at Henry Hinde School is about encouraging children’s interests and understanding of major world religions, inspiring them to explore their own ideas and approaches to life’s questions. Through exploring world religions particularly those that are represented in our local community gives children a better understanding of the beliefs and practices of those they will encounter daily. This, in turn, will allow children to show both empathy and a deeper understanding of people’s religious beliefs, practices, language and traditions and their influence on individuals, communities, societies and cultures. Though taught sessions which involve role-play, exploring artefacts and producing artwork, children are provided with a well-rounded approach to learning about other faiths on a weekly basis. 

As a school we follow the Coventry and Warwickshire SACRE which has three key aims;

·         Know about and understand a range of religions and worldviews

·         Express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religions and worldviews

·         Gain and deploy the skills needed to engage seriously with religions and worldviews.