Religious Education

SPIRITUAL, MORAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL EDUCATION IN RE

Religious Education plays a significant role in the personal development of children and young people.

At its heart is the intention to enable children and young people to become "religiously educated” in order to face the demands of the contemporary world. Given the opportunities for encountering people of different beliefs and lifestyles, RE also has a key role to play in fostering respect and social cohesion. As well as being "religiously educated”, RE helps students to become "skilled cultural navigators”, able to handle the differences of faith and belief around them, as well as establish their own sense of identity and belonging.

Spiritual Development in RE

Ofsted Definition: 

Explore beliefs and experience; respect faiths, feelings and values; enjoy learning about oneself, others and the surrounding world; use imagination and creativity; reflect.

Spiritual education in RE involves the experience and search for meaning, the purpose of life and the values by which we live. In learning about a range of different religious traditions and why people believe, students that the opportunity to learn from their experiences, to reflect on and interpret spirituality in their own lives and to reflect on ultimate questions

Examples of Spiritual

• Students being given the opportunity to explore beliefs and values from a range of different religions and cultures; learning about shared and differing views and beliefs
• In KS3 students explore all of the six world religions, in KS4 the exam syllabus focuses on the beliefs and practices of Christianity and Islam

Moral Development in RE

Ofsted Definition: 

Recognise right and wrong; respect the law; understand consequences; investigate moral and ethical issues; offer reasoned views.

Moral education in RE allows students to learn about shared and differing moral values from religious and secular perspectives. RE provides opportunities for students to debate moral dilemmas about right and wrong, good and bad, peace, etc. RE encourages students to discuss ideas such as people's responsibility towards to world and generations to come. In RE students are encouraged to make a personal response to right and wrong and to consider a range of responses to moral issues.

Examples of Moral

• Students exploring a range of perspectives on key moral and ethical issues such as peace and conflict, crime and punishment, relationships and family

• Students become aware of the positive impact that religion has in society by exploring the way in which religion affects daily life, moral decisions and social responses from its believers

• In RE students consider a range of different religious teachings and faiths from Year 7 through to Year 11. They are taught within the different topics and units that people may hold different viewpoints

Social Development in RE

Ofsted Definition: 

Use a range of social skills; participate in the local community; appreciate diverse viewpoints; participate, volunteer and cooperate; resolve conflict; engage with the 'British Values' of democracy, the rule of law, liberty, respect and tolerance.

Social education in RE involves exploring the similarities and differences in religions and cultures though which students make links between faith and personal action in everyday life. This is reflected in their relations with others through activities such as discussion and debate, and in their ability to work cooperatively with others.

Examples of Social

• As part of the skill of critical analyses students in KS3 compare and contrast the views within a religion itself and with other religions

• In KS4 students compare the similarities and differences of the faith and practices between Islam and Christianity,  They also compare the different approaches of these two religions to many ethical issues on peace and conflict, crime and punishment, relationships and family

Cultural Development in RE

Ofsted Definition: 

Appreciate cultural influences; appreciate the role of Britain's parliamentary system; participate in culture opportunities; understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity.

Cultural education in RE includes learning about a range of different religious traditions, giving students an opportunity to learn what it means to belong, to become confident in themselves and be able to respond positively to similarities and differences in our changing multi-ethnic and multi-faith society.

Examples of Cultural

• Students explore and examine a range of different religions and cultures, giving them the opportunity to develop an understanding of multiculturalism, diversity and respect for others

• Within KS3 and KS4, RE students consider the fundamental British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. They are also taught that there can often be conflict between being a religious person and the law of the land