Religious Education & Worldviews

Religious Education and Worldviews

Believe

At Ridgeway Farm CE Academy, we believe that Religious Education & Worldviews, is central to the formation of the whole child. Rooted in our identity as a Church of England school, RE and Worldviews, nurtures faith, spirituality, identity, belonging and purpose.

We believe every child should encounter faith as something living, meaningful and relevant to life. Through RE and Worldviews, children explore the big questions of meaning, truth, belief and existence, developing understanding, wisdom, compassion and respect.

As a Christian community, we place Understanding Christianity at the heart of our RE curriculum, while valuing and teaching about a wide range of world religions, beliefs and worldviews. We believe RE should inspire curiosity, reflection and dialogue, helping children to grow spiritually, morally, socially and culturally.

We believe RE and Worldviews should:

• Inspire awe, wonder and curiosity about faith
• Nurture spirituality and reflection
• Develop identity, belonging and purpose
• Encourage respect, empathy and understanding
• Foster critical thinking and courageous advocacy
• Develop cultural awareness and tolerance
• Support children to explore meaning and truth
• Build understanding of diverse beliefs and worldviews
• Enable respectful dialogue and disagreement
• Equip children to live well with others in a diverse society

Our vision is to develop children who are faith-literate, spiritually aware, reflective and compassionate, rooted in Christian values and open to the richness of the world’s faiths and beliefs.

Learn

RE and Worldviews at Ridgeway Farm CE Academy is delivered through a carefully structured, coherent and progressive curriculum rooted in:

• Understanding Christianity
• The Swindon Agreed Syllabus

This ensures full coverage of Christian theology and biblical understanding, alongside a rich and respectful exploration of world religions, beliefs and humanistic worldviews.

Learning is shaped through:

• Clearly specified core knowledge and concepts
• Big questions explored each term across each year group
• Weekly RE lessons and focused RE days
• High-quality teaching and staff training
• Assessment for Learning embedded in lessons
• Progressive development of skills and understanding
• Use of religious artefacts, visits and visitors
• Exploration of sacred texts, stories and traditions
• Dialogue, discussion and reflection
• Cross-curricular links, especially with literacy and art
• Inclusive practice ensuring access for all learners
• Appropriate challenge for depth and mastery

Children learn to:

• Understand different beliefs, religions and worldviews
• Recognise similarities and differences between faiths
• Explore religious stories, leaders and traditions
• Learn about places of worship in the local community
• Understand how faith shapes daily life and identity
• Engage respectfully with difference
• Agree and disagree with kindness and respect
• Develop empathy and understanding
• Reflect on their own beliefs and values
• Make connections between religions and cultures

Grow

Through this curriculum, children grow into spiritually aware, reflective and respectful individuals who:

• Enjoy RE and faith learning
• Show curiosity about belief and meaning
• Reflect on their own beliefs and values
• Understand how faith shapes everyday life
• Respect difference and diversity
• Engage empathetically with others
• Think critically and thoughtfully
• Demonstrate courageous advocacy
• Value tolerance and mutual respect
• Understand their role in a diverse society
• Live out British Values through faith and action

The impact of RE and Worldviews at Ridgeway Farm CE Academy is seen through:

• High engagement and enjoyment
• Secure knowledge of faiths and beliefs
• Confident religious literacy
• Strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
• Respectful attitudes and relationships
• Deep cultural understanding
• High standards in RE
• Positive pupil voice and reflection
• Strong subject leadership monitoring

Children leave Ridgeway Farm CE Academy with strong spiritual foundations, a deep respect for others, a confident understanding of faith and belief, and the character to live wisely, compassionately and courageously in the world.

Right to Withdraw

Parents/carers have the right to withdraw their children from all or part of the Religious Education. Those parents/carers wishing to exercise this right are invited in to see the head teacher and/or RE Leader, who will explore any concerns and discuss any impact that withdrawal may have on the child. The school will ensure that parents who want to withdraw their children from RE are aware of the RE syllabus and that it is relevant to all children and respects their own personal beliefs. Parents will be made aware of the learning objectives and what is covered in the RE curriculum and should be given the opportunity to discuss this, if they wish. The school may also wish to review such a request each year, in discussion with the parents. 

The use of the right to withdraw should be at the instigation of parents, and it should be made clear whether it is from the whole of the subject or specific parts of it. No reasons need to be given.

Where parents have requested that their child is withdrawn, their right must be respected, and where RE is integrated in the curriculum, the school will need to discuss the arrangements with the parents or carers to explore how the child’s withdrawal can be best accommodated. The purpose of the option to withdraw is to allow parents/carers to make their own arrangements for their own preferred RE, not so children can take part in other studies/activities. Once a child has been withdrawn, they cannot take part in the RE programme until the request for withdrawal has been removed.

Parents who decide to withdraw their children from RE lessons are requested to put this in writing to the Headteacher for our school records. Parents will be invited to review their request annually. 

The right of withdrawal does not extend to other areas of the curriculum when, as may happen on occasion, spontaneous questions on religious matters are raised by pupils or there are issues related to religion that arise in other subjects.