RE 

Religious Education

Religious Education in our school is taught in accordance with the locally agreed syllabus and reflects the teaching of the Church of England.

Through the teaching of religious education we aim to promote the spiritual and moral development of the children, at the same time seeking to ensure that it promotes respect, understanding and tolerance for those who adhere to different faiths.  

Understanding Christianity

For the teaching of Christianity, we use the resources from Understanding Christianity, which has been developed by the Church of England Education Office. 

These resources allow the children to build a theological and conceptual understanding of Christianity by...

• Helping children make sense of a biblical text and how Christians interpret them.
• Understanding the impact of the biblical text and how Christians put their beliefs into action.
• Supporting children to make connections with the biblical text to their own lives and others around the world. 

Awareness, Mystery & Value 

For the teaching of other religions (Judaism, Islam & Hinduism) we use the resources from Awareness, Mystery & Value, which has been developed by Somerset SACRE. 

These resources allow children to build an essential core knowledge of these different religions by...

• Including a summary of a few of the most important beliefs for each faith.
• Emphasising that each key religion has one key belief or 'Big Idea' which allows each religion to be better understood. 
• Ensuring there is clear progression in each religion so they are built upon and developed throughout the different key stages.

Overview of Religious Education Teaching

Christian Distinctiveness

To find out more about our aims and values at St James, please follow the link below.

Christian Vision and Values

A parent does have the right to withdraw their child from religious education if so wished.  In order to comply with the 1988 Education Reform Act each school is required to ensure that all pupils take part in daily collective worship.  Nothing in the Education Reform Act affects parents’ rights, as established in the 1944 Act.  Any parent does have the right to withdraw their child from collective worship if they wish.