Religious Education

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.

Religious Education in our school is in accordance with the locally agreed syllabus and reflects the teaching of the Church of England. A parent does have the right to withdraw their child from religious education if so wished.

Link to Curriculum page on RE

Link to BWMAT RE Policy

Collective Worship

• Provides an opportunity for reflection and consideration of issues of meaning and purpose
• Is primarily of Christian nature as we are a church school, but will acknowledge the religious beliefs of others
• Touches on the concepts of mystery, depth of feeling, relationships with others, reflection and contemplation

Collective worship is based around a programme of Christian values. These are promoted to the school through displays both in class and the wider school.

Opportunities for adults and children alike to have moments of awe and wonder are cultivated where possible.

Our approach to spirituality is embedded into our collective worship timetable.

Links to:

BWMAT Collective Worship Policy

Here is the latest timetable for Collective Worship at St James:

worship timetable spring 2 25 26.pdf

Spiritual Development at St James Church School:

Spiritual development is the search for meaning and purpose in life and for the values by which we live. It is about the growth of knowledge and insight into values and beliefs.

For some, spiritual development is about the development of a relationship with God, while for others it is about the development of the human spirit, and for others, a continual quest after truth. For all, it is vital to spiritual development that children and adults alike are allowed space to develop their own faith, beliefs and values.

St James seeks to provide children with openings for spiritual development in three vital ways:

Windows

Giving children opportunities to become aware

of the world in new ways; to wonder about life’s

‘Wows’ (things that are amazing) and ‘Ows’

(things that bring us up short).  In this children

are learning about life in all its fullness.

Mirrors

Giving children opportunities to reflect on their

experiences; to meditate on life’s big questions

and to consider some possible answers.  In this

they are learning from life by exploring their own

insights and perspectives and those of others.

Doors

Giving children opportunity to respond to all of this;

to do something creative as a means of expressing,

applying and further developing their thoughts and

convictions.  In this they are learning to live by putting

into action what they are coming to believe and value.

What does this look like at St James:

• We encourage pupils to take risks or face challenges in their learning within a secure and positive environment
• We appreciate work from our pupils’ imagination and provide frequent and varied opportunities for them to use their creativity
• We offer opportunities for aesthetic experience in art, music, drama and literature.
• We make time for stillness and reflection
• We pose questions that encourage our pupils to consider issues of meaning and purpose.
• We aim to develop good listening skills in our pupils. In addition we show that we listen to our pupils through, for example, our responses to issues raised in pupil interviews and 1-1 learning conferences
• We help our pupils to understand that there is not always an absolute answer and that at such times it is a positive experience to value a variety of interpretations and responses
• To improve co-operation and understanding we provide opportunities for group work where our pupils can have enjoyable and constructive interaction with each other. We often group children with others they would not usually choose as partners and we have community ‘family’ groups made up of children across all year groups
• We foster emotional well-being by encouraging our pupils to express their feelings and by having the ability to control their emotional behaviour; our learning mentor supports this practice through regular contact with specific children
• We help our pupils to develop the capacity for evaluative reasoning and critical thought

These opportunities appear across the curriculum and within school activities, assemblies and extra-curricular events.

St James Church Links:

There are strong links between the school and St James, the parish church.

• Reverend Fabian and members of the church community hold regular Collective Worship in school (At least once a week)

• In addition to this the school visits the church as part of the Harvest Festival, Christingle Service, Easter Service and Leavers service. Parents of many faiths now join these events.

• Members of our local Church have trained to delivered mentor programme called Transforming Lives for Good

Transforming Lives for Good (TLG)

We also undertake visits to different faith buildings and welcome visitors to come and help children understand Christianity as a multicultural world faith and respect the diversity and difference within other faith communities.

We also visit the St James PCC to update them about the school and how we can support each other.

The Jigsaw Programme:

Jigsaw is a comprehensive programme for Primary Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE) including statutory Sex, Relationships and Health Education, in a spiral, progressive and fully planned scheme of work, giving children relevant learning experiences to help them navigate their world and to develop positive relationships with themselves and others.

With strong emphasis on emotional literacy, building resilience and nurturing mental and physical health, Jigsaw 3-11 properly equips schools to deliver engaging and relevant PSHE within a whole-school approach. Jigsaw lessons also include mindfulness allowing children to advance their emotional awareness, concentration and focus.

MORAL DEVELOPMENT

Moral development is:

• The child’s ability to make judgements about how to behave and act and the reasons for such behaviour
• The child’s ability to distinguish ‘right’ from ‘wrong’ and towards acting consistently with their beliefs and with a view to the consequences of their own and others’ actions
• Respect for the fundamental values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
• The ability to develop a personal code of behaviour i.e. telling the truth, being honest, respect for justice and respect for property

The environment in which our pupils learn, and the expectations within that environment, will influence our pupils’ moral development.

Our teaching in any subject in the school, including in extra-curricular activities, ensures that our pupils are offered a balanced presentation of opposing views.

Collective worship and PHSE sessions can provide an opportunity for reflection and consideration

of issues of a moral nature. We use the Jigsaw material to support out learning material.

Moral Development at St James Church School:

• Every pupil in the school is involved in the compilation, establishment and annual review of the class charter
• The school’s Golden Rules are directly referred to by staff with the pupil when a pupil either behaves well or behaves badly
• Teachers refer to issues appertaining to personal and group attitudes in lessons
• We help our pupils make decisions which are acceptable to the school community and society as a whole. We use the school golden rules and learning behaviours which identify dispositions necessary to ensure good behaviour in school and in future life
• We help our pupils to realise that to enjoy rights they have to accept responsibilities
• We encourage a sense of healthy self-esteem and personal worth
• We help our pupils to value physical well-being, privacy, feelings, beliefs and rights of others
• We value and help our pupils to value every individual in the school for the contribution they can make in all situations
• Pupils are encouraged to explore their feelings in reactions to different stimuli
• Pupils are addressed with respect by staff and are actively encouraged to express views in a positive and polite manner

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Social development is:

• Relating effectively to others
• Managing responsibility
• Participating and contributing positively within the school community and to those living and working in the local community and to society more widely
• An understanding of citizenship

The general school environment, its routines and structures, provides opportunities for promoting the social development of all its pupils.

Social Development at St James Church School:

• In the classroom and within extra-curricular activities our pupils are able to work in pairs and in groups on collaborative projects which require cooperation, understanding, and the ability to listen to others, to contribute and exchange ideas e.g. clubs, challenges, school trips, school camp, community groups, school roles
• Our pupils organize and get involved in charity events to support national charities e.g. sport relief, children in need
• Classes work together to plan and deliver assemblies to the whole school. e.g. Class assemblies, Leavers’ assembly
• There is a wide ranging extra-curricular programme and every child is actively encouraged to take a full part. There are competitions with members of clubs from other schools.
• Team games in sport assist in the development of interpersonal skills. There are a wealth of competitive matches against other local schools in many sports; netball, football, hockey etc
• Our choir goes out into the local community at St James Church
• Our pupils are given the opportunity to take part in a residential school trips in year 6
• Citizenship and the rule of law, including visits from the local services, is planned into topics.
• The Eco- Team, Ethos Forum, School Forum and PE Leaders are elected each year to contribute on behalf of the school to the pupil voice to influence school appointments, polices, school improvement etc

CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

At St James Church School we have a high number of children from different countries, cultures and backgrounds. We want to celebrate each child’s racial and cultural tradition and encourage each pupil to be proud of her heritage sharing their experiences, traditions and beliefs with each other. Through many curriculum areas, as well as extra-curricular activities, we encourage pupils to respect and appreciate the diversity and richness of the cultures and heritages different to their own and to avoid and resist racism.

Cultural Development at St James Church School:

• There are opportunities to visit places of interest to stimulate discussion of the cultural aspects of a subject
• We celebrate diversity through Collective Worship and studies of prominent figures in society
• Theatre groups and musicians visit the school
• Pupils are given the opportunity to attend musical/drama events eg local festivals
• Our pupils experience the culture of other nations through celebrating their festivals e.g. Chinese New Year, Diwali, Passover