Our school welcomes families of all faiths and families with no faith, and this is reflected in the learning conducted in our RE lessons. Children study religious education and world views in our school using the Hertfordshire syllabus. We have adapted the syllabus to ensure progression, to provide a pathway for children to learn about religions and worldviews through clear, sequential steps. Herts for Learning explains the syllabus:
“The … agreed syllabus sets out the statutory requirements for Hertfordshire Community Schools and Foundation and Voluntary Schools without a religious character. It offers clarity and revision to the aims, time allocation, breadth of study and expected learning outcomes for Religious Education.”
At The Lea, Religious Education poses challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human. It develops our children’s knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other religions and worldviews, improving their perception of the wider world and the power of faiths and beliefs within contemporary society. Religious Education at The Lea supports our children to ask, understand and consider deep questions through investigating eight key areas of religions and world views:
- beliefs and practices,
- sources of wisdom,
- symbols and action,
- prayer and worship,
- identity and belonging,
- ultimate questions,
- human responsibility and values, and
- justice and fairness.
As the children progress through the school, our aim is that they become religiously and theologically literate in order to connect their understanding and knowledge of six main religions and other widely held world views. Most importantly, we work to develop a demonstration of respect and compassion towards a range of diverse beliefs and viewpoints. Pupils say, “[It is]… important to respect different beliefs,” and “I like RE lessons because the work is fun.”
Our long-term curriculum overview can be found on the link below. Please note that this is a working document and is under a state of constant review – this overview was accurate as of Autumn 2022.
Examples of work:
Learning from Y3 about the Five Pillars of Islam
Learning from Y5 about Tikkun Olam
Useful Links
- The School Run: A range of resources designed to inform parents who are supporting their children with their RE learning.
- RE:Quest: A space for resources to help RE teachers and their students explore the Christian faith.
- Bitesize: This website offers knowledge and understanding of world religions, their traditions and views.
- Humanists: This webpage is designed for parents to provide information on Humanism education.
- The Grid: Information about Herts SACRE.
- Parish of Harpenden: Website of All Saints Church in Harpenden.
- Jump! Website of Jump!