Religious Education
Intent
At Thornhill Primary School, our aim is to develop confident and curious learners who are motivated and enthusiastic to explore world issues and develop an understanding of a range of faiths, views and beliefs beyond our local area. Children at Thornhill learn about and from religious beliefs. They appreciate and celebrate the similarities and differences between Christianity and other principal religions through gaining a deep knowledge and understanding of their teaching and practices. Our R.E. curriculum aims to give children the knowledge, understanding, critical thinking skills, open-minded and respectful attitude with which to investigate the world of religion and to prepare them to be able to make their own decisions in the future about what religion means to them.
Implementation
Children at Thornhill Primary School follow the Living Difference IV curriculum which uses three broad, and at times overlapping, groups of concept/words which assist with the making and organising of the spiral curriculum. This ensures that material encountered and studied by the children is well sequenced, connected and revisited over time. There are 3 groups of concepts, A - being common to all people, B - concepts are shared by many religions and C - concepts are distinctive to particular religions. All children will study Christianity throughout their years at Thornhill alongside Hinduism (Year 1 and 2), Judaism (Year 3 and 4) and Islam (Year 5 and 6). These concepts are highlighted in the table below to show the progression of concepts from Year R to Year 6.
Religious Education (RE) and Collective Worship
At Thornhill Primary School, we value the curiosity, thoughtful discussions and wider understanding that Religious Education helps to develop. Through RE, children explore a range of beliefs, values and worldviews, encouraging respect, reflection and an appreciation of different cultures and communities.
Whilst Religious Education is a compulsory part of the school curriculum, parents have the right to request that their child is withdrawn from all or part of Religious Education lessons and/or Acts of Collective Worship.
If a pupil is withdrawn from RE, the school has a duty to supervise them but is not required to provide alternative or additional teaching. Pupils may be asked to complete independent work or work in another area of the school during this time.
Parents wishing to exercise this right should contact the school office in writing for the attention of the Senior Leadership Team, who will be happy to discuss the request further.