At St Barnabas and St Paul’s Church of England Primary School, our vision is that we become the best for God that we can be, in all we do, whilst demonstrating Christian values which are pertinent to all faiths.

Our vision is based on Colossians 3:23, ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people.'

At our school, we strongly believe in the importance of teaching an open and diverse Religious Education (RE) that fosters children’s fascination about a variety of religious beliefs and non-religious worldviews. We consider the teaching of RE to be essential to all of our pupils, as we are aware that religion is very relevant in our society and therefore, children need to develop a clear understanding in order to become thriving members. Through the teaching of RE as an academic subject, we strive to develop children’s understanding about what other people believe as well as their religious practices in a sensitive manner, that does not require pupils to change their own religion or worldview in any way. We believe the teaching of RE encourages children to embrace diversity and challenges them to respectfully agree or disagree with the viewpoints of others. This will ensure all of our pupils will become successful in their future lives, working and living amongst people with a wide range of viewpoints and beliefs.

As a Church of England Primary School, we strive to provide a Religious Education where pupils are encouraged to love their neighbours, respect each other’s beliefs and celebrate the religious diversity that is evident in Britain today. We understand that RE has a significant impact on each of our pupils, especially in relation to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, which is an essential part of our curriculum. We are committed to ensuring that our Christian vision and values are embedded into the RE curriculum, as all pupils are encouraged to take ownership of their learning through the adoption of the ‘questful’ approach to the teaching of RE and ‘work at it with all their heart’. This enables pupils to independently acquire knowledge and understanding of Christianity, in addition to making links to the other five principal faiths and non-religious worldviews covered throughout our rich RE curriculum. We aim to develop our pupil’s higher order thinking skills in RE and provide meaningful opportunities for them to reflect on their own opinions and beliefs. Pupils will be regularly encouraged to ponder responses to ultimate questions that often promote a sense of awe and wonder. As a result, we firmly believe that the teaching of RE allows all pupils to develop a better understanding of themselves and the world around them.

If you have any questions relating to the teaching of RE please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Cowell to arrange a more detailed discussion.

‘Knowledge begins with respect for God’- Proverbs 1:7