Religious Education

Intent

At Moira, Religious Education is an indispensable part of our curriculum as our children face a rapidly changing world. Effective RE allows time to reflect, analyse and question, ensuring children will grow up with the ability to reason about their own ideas and beliefs as well as showing respect and tolerance to people with differing views. Essential skills of debating, enquiring and interpreting will be developed helping children to become active, fulfilled citizens of a multicultural society.

There are three main aims to teaching RE:

• Make sense of a range of religious and non-religious beliefs.

• Understand the impact and significance of religious and non-religious beliefs.

• Make connections between religious and non-religious beliefs, concepts, practices and ideas.

RE has two key strengths: as an academic subject which can show progression in knowledge and skills and also as a methodology for instilling a sense of curiosity and compassion for human kind. In other words, it gives people a sense of wholeness.

Withdrawal from RE lessons

In England and Wales, parents and carers have the statutory right under Section 71 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, to withdraw their children from RE lessons and acts of Collective Worship in schools. You can also request a withdrawal from any subjects, lessons or assemblies involving discussions on the topic of sex and relationships.

As parents you are not obliged to give a reason for requesting the withdrawal.

However before exercising any right of withdrawal we would recommend you discuss your concerns with the Headteacher at Moira Primary School.

If pupils are withdrawn from RE, schools have a duty to supervise them, though not to provide additional teaching. A pupil may be required to work in another area of the school, such as library or break out area.

Whilst parents or carers have a right to withdraw children from RE, they should note that children may also encounter religions and beliefs and wider aspects of faith in other areas of the curriculum from which there is no right of withdrawal.

On occasion, spontaneous questions about religious matters are raised by pupils or issues related to religion arise in other curriculum subjects such as history or citizenship (PSHE). For example, schools promote community cohesion and help pupils to understand ideas about identity and diversity, feelings and emotions within both religious and non-religious contexts.

Requests for withdrawals are made in writing; please see the text below as an example:

As parents of [Child's name] we formally request that he/she is withdrawn from worship/RE/Sex and relationships of any kind in future, without any detriment.

 Long Term Plan 2021-2026

https://www.moiraprimary.org/assets/Curriculum/RE-Long-Term-Plan-2021---2026.pdf