At St Joseph’s we deliver an effective RE programme of study to enable pupils to have the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to hold balanced and informed conversations about religions and worldviews. 

Through RE, we seek to give our children a rich variety of experiences from which they can develop knowledge, understanding and awareness of all faiths. RE also has a significant role in the development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding. It promotes respect and open-mindedness towards others with different faiths and beliefs. We encourage pupils to develop their sense of identity and belonging through self-awareness and reflection. 

In line with the Church of England’s Statement of Entitlement (2019), we aim for all pupils:  

• to know about and understand Christianity as a diverse global living faith through the exploration of core beliefs using an approach that critically engages with biblical text 

• to gain knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and world views appreciating diversity, continuity and change within the religions and worldviews being studied 

• to engage with challenging questions of meaning and purpose raised by human existence and experience 

• to recognise the concept of religion and its continuing influence on Britain’s cultural heritage and in the lives of individuals and societies in different times, cultures and places 

• to explore their own religious, spiritual and philosophical ways of living, believing and thinking. 

As a school we teach Christianity using the accredited Understanding Christianity resource which explores the key concepts of God, Creation, Fall, People of God, Incarnation, Gospel, Salvation and Kingdom of God. Children learn in three key ways - by reading and making sense of the Biblical text; making connections with their own lives and understanding the world and examining the ways in which Christians respond by putting their beliefs into action. 

Each unit begins with a ‘way in’ and then offers teaching and learning ideas for each element. The teacher chooses how to weave together the elements, from making sense of the text, through looking at the impact on the world of the Christian, and helping to make connections with the world of the pupil, in order to achieve the outcomes.  

To support our teaching of other faiths we use the resource The Emmanuel Project. This is an enquiry-based scheme of work covering all year groups from EYFS to Year 6.