Religious Education (RE) is a core subject at our school and is taught weekly. At Herne Church of England Junior school, pupils and their families can expect a high quality religious education (RE) curriculum that is rich and varied, enabling learners to acquire a thorough knowledge and understanding of a range of faiths and world views. As a church school, the teaching of Christianity is at the heart of our RE curriculum. Through the Understanding Christianity resource, the use of an enquiry approach engages with significant theological concepts and the pupil’s own understanding of the world as part of their wider religious literacy. Using the Kent Agreed Syllabus and the Understanding Christianity (UC) resources in line with Canterbury Diocese, we learn about other religions and worldviews, fostering respect for them. Our curriculum includes study of religious traditions learning from Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Jewish people. RE in Herne endeavours to learn from encounters with living faiths rather than the history and belief structures of traditions. UC is a spiral curriculum throughout the Key stage, where units of work are revisited in subsequent years. 70% of our curriculum is based on Christianity; the remaining 30% is focused on other world faiths and non-religious worldviews. It is our aim that RE is delivered in an objective, critical and pluralistic manner, which challenges children, enabling all children to flourish.
Links with our Christian values and vision, and support for pupil’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development and to their understanding of British Values are intrinsic to our RE curriculum and have a significant impact on learners. We provide a wide range of opportunities for learners to understand and to make links between the beliefs, practices and value systems of the range of faiths and worldviews studied.