Religious Education
Religious Education is important in its own right and also makes a unique contribution to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils and supports wider community cohesion. (DfE 2010)
Religious Education enables our culturally diverse pupils to develop their own beliefs and personal values. Pupils are given opportunities to broaden their own outlook in terms of RE as a whole. RE teaching helps to promote a respectful and empathetic environment within our school community and beyond.
As a community school we deliver Religious Education in line with the Hounslow locally agreed syllabus ‘Widening Horizons’ and our policy is informed by national guidance. Pupils are taught and made aware of a variety of different religions and faiths relevant and appropriate to the community in which the school serves. We use the ‘Jigsaw’ scheme to support our teaching.
Vision & Aims
At Grove Road Primary School we aim collectively for our children to demonstrate tolerance and acceptance towards: different nationalities, races and cultures. Our goal is to empower students with the inspiration, skills and knowledge required to become active and positive citizens of today’s society. The cultural diversity within our school community is promoted and celebrated.
It is our desire as a school community for our pupils to understand, appreciate and gain from all religious traditions by approaching and learning in a spirit of openess and humility. This is achieved by:
- Adopting an enquiry-based approach during which the children can pose and investigate questions they have about religion – a practice recommended by Ofsted.
- Encouraging the children to learn from their own life experiences and those of others.
- Provoking debates about challenging questions regarding meaning and purpose, beliefs and issues of right and wrong.
- Helping the children to understand the place of religion in today’s world.
- Encouraging the children to explore their own beliefs (religious and non-religious) in the light of what they learn.
- Enabling the children to build their sense of belonging and identify how they might contribute to our community.
- Teaching the children to develop respect for others including people with different faiths and beliefs so helping them to challenge prejudice and stereotypes.
- Nurturing the children’s own spiritual development by encouraging empathy, generosity and compassion and developing a sense of awe, wonder and mystery.
