Religious Education at Southery Academy
Intent
The aim of Religious Education (RE) at Southery Academy is to explore what people believe and how these beliefs influence the way we live. RE enriches children’s education by encouraging them to engage with profound questions about right and wrong, the nature of humanity, and what it means to live a meaningful life.
At Southery Academy, we strive to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the major religions represented in Great Britain. Our curriculum helps students appreciate how religious beliefs shape lives and influence behaviour, fostering the ability to make thoughtful, informed judgements about moral and religious values. This learning enhances their spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development, while promoting respect and tolerance for others.
Religious Education is taught in a way that reflects our commitment to fostering tolerance, contributing significantly to pupils’ broader development, alongside areas such as PSHE, by supporting their spiritual, moral, social, and cultural growth.
Implementation
At Southery Academy, our Religious Education (RE) teaching is inclusive, embracing pupils of all faiths and none. The curriculum covers a broad spectrum of global religions, enabling children to learn both about and from the beliefs of others. Curiosity is encouraged, and all pupils are supported in exploring different faiths respectfully.
Through RE, children develop critical thinking, analytical, and communication skills. Based on the guidelines of the agreed syllabus, we focus on the following religions: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Sikhism. Given the predominance of Christianity within our school and local community, Christianity is studied in greater depth. However, we value and acknowledge the contribution of each religion to the education of all our pupils.
Pupils engage with diverse faiths through visits to local places of worship and by welcoming visitors from various religious backgrounds into the school. This hands-on learning fosters open, respectful discussions on moral issues, preparing students to thoughtfully debate and reflect on diverse viewpoints.
Impact
Children at Southery Academy enjoy exploring different religions and understanding why people may choose to follow a faith, or choose not to. Through RE, they learn to make meaningful connections between their own lives and those of others, both within their local community and across the wider world.
Our RE curriculum fosters empathy and tolerance, encouraging pupils to engage critically with complex issues and express their thoughts with clarity and respect. They develop a deep interest in global perspectives, exploring different beliefs, ways of life, and the choices made by people around the world, cultivating a strong sense of curiosity and understanding.
Our Year 3/4 children learning about Diwali.
Making Rangoli patterns out of place value counters.
One of our fantastic RE learning leads stepping up to teach their very own RE lesson based on some stretch questions!