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Religious Education (RE) Curriculum at Shap CE School

Religious Education is an important part of learning at Shap Endowed CE Primary School. Through RE, children develop their knowledge and understanding of Christianity, other religions and non-religious worldviews, while learning to ask thoughtful questions about belief, meaning, truth, identity and how people choose to live.

As a Church of England school, Christianity is at the heart of our RE curriculum. We use Understanding Christianity to explore key Christian concepts including God, Creation, the Fall, People of God, Incarnation, Gospel, Salvation and the Kingdom of God.

Alongside Christianity, children develop their knowledge of other major world religions, including Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. We are also developing our teaching of Humanism as a non-religious worldview, helping children understand that people may answer life's big questions in religious and non-religious ways.

Thinking deeply about religion and worldviews

Our RE curriculum is about much more than learning facts. Children are encouraged to explore religion and worldviews through three different disciplinary lenses:

Theology – What do people believe? Where do these beliefs come from?
Philosophy – What big questions can we ask about meaning, truth, morality and existence?
Human sciences – How do people actually live out their beliefs and worldviews, and why might this differ between individuals and communities?

Through discussion, questioning, stories, sacred texts, artefacts, visits and visitors, children encounter lived religion and worldview and learn that people within the same religion or worldview do not necessarily believe or practise in exactly the same way.

Learning to think, question and understand

We want our children to become knowledgeable, curious and respectful thinkers. RE provides opportunities to explore life's “big questions”, consider different perspectives, give reasons for their own ideas and listen thoughtfully when others see the world differently.

Our 2022 SIAMS inspection recognised this strength, noting that pupils are “inspired to be curious, ask questions and develop a love of learning.” It also recognised that RE enables pupils to develop critical thinking and engage with challenging questions.

Through RE, we want children to leave Shap with the knowledge, vocabulary and confidence to understand and engage respectfully with the religiously and culturally diverse world beyond our immediate community.

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