Religious Education
As there is no National Curriculum for Religious Education, faith leaders and educational professionals from across Leicestershire have come together to write an Agreed Syllabus for RE. As a local authority school, we are committed to following the aims and principles of this syllabus.
We are not a faith school, and we do not seek to promote any one particular faith or belief system. We see that our role is to make the children aware of a range of beliefs and practices that are part of our diverse community. Similarly, whilst we explore festivals and celebrations from a range of faiths, we do not ask the children to participate in acts of worship.
The Agreed Syllabus, and our approach to teaching RE in school, is in line with one of the core strands of Fundamental British Values: Mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs: An understanding that the freedom to choose and hold a faith or belief is protected by law; and that the faiths and beliefs of others should be accepted and tolerated.
At Barwell Infant School, respecting one another is at the heart of our ethos. All members of the school are treated with respect and the school rules reinforce our belief in, and commitment to, equality. RE work and our "Bigger than Barwell" focus also enables the children to find out more about (and start to develop an understanding and tolerance of) people outside of our immediate locality who may be different to us.
All of our children are taught that people within our community hold different beliefs and faiths (including the choice not to hold a faith). Assemblies are used to share stories and events and celebrate festivals from a wide range of faiths and cultures. RE lessons also enable children in each year group to learn about different religions and cultures in greater depth (often through a 'hands-on' approach which encourages the children to recognise and celebrate both similarities and differences).
You can access the Agreed Syllabus using the link below: