Religious Education and Worldviews are central to the purpose of The Magdalen Primary school because, as a church school, we see that the Christian faith informs all aspects of our life together and inspires us to search for truth.

The Purpose of Religious Education

Religious Education at The Magdalen Primary school explores how individuals and communities make meaning and sense of their lives through the major religions of the world. It provides ‘windows’ to enable pupils to know about, understand and respond to the important and ultimate questions of life. Religious Education is taught in such a way that it inspires pupils to explore, develop and affirm their own faith and values and have respect for the faith, beliefs and values of others. The key foundations of our curriculum are Believing (Theology), Living (Human and Social Sciences) and Thinking (Philosophy). 

At our school, Religious Education supports and strengthens the vision, ethos and values which are at the heart of what we aim to do in every aspect of school life. The importance placed on the development of the whole child spiritually, morally, socially, culturally and intellectually is reflected in the R.E. curriculum. 

The Aims of Religious Education

Specifically, Religious Education aims to enable pupils of all abilities and stages of development to:

• Develop knowledge and understanding of Christian beliefs and practices so that they understand the importance of the Bible, the role of the church and recognise that for Christians their faith provides a way of interpreting life and its meaning.
• Develop knowledge and understanding of the beliefs and practices of some of the other principal religions and worldviews in Britain.
• Understand how belief may impact on culture, relationships, values and lifestyle and how these impact religious and non-religious beliefs and practices. 
• Understand how belief can be expressed in a variety of ways including art, dance, music, ritual celebration and in different cultural settings.
• Develop spiritually, morally, culturally and socially by helping them to reflect upon personal feelings, responses and relationships.
• Explore ways in which religious and non-religious values and teachings have an impact on actions and decisions for people of faith
• Be supported in their own search for meaning and purpose in life.
• Develop a sense of awe, wonder and mystery.
• Develop skills of reflection, empathy, communication, analysis, investigation, interpretation, evaluation and synthesis.
• Develop attitudes of respect, sensitivity, open-mindedness and self-esteem.

The Lincolnshire Locally Agreed Syllabus:

The Lincolnshire locally agreed syllabus for R.E. came into effect in September 2018. All local authority and voluntary controlled church schools are legally required to use this syllabus as the basis of their R.E. curriculum. Academies and voluntary aided church schools are invited to use this syllabus as the basis of their R.E. curriculum, but they are not required to do so. As a school we follow the locally agreed syllabus to form the basis of our R.E. curriculum.

Please see the Church of England Statement of Entitlement for Religious Education.