RE
At James Watt Primary School, we are committed to providing an inclusive Religious Education curriculum that respects and celebrates diversity. Our aim is to nurture a sense of belonging and understanding among our pupils, promoting spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development.
At James Watt Primary School, we follow the agreed syllabus for Birmingham schools, Sacre. The delivery of the religious subject matter is designed to cultivate 24 dispositions. These dispositions, including, Appreciating Beauty and Being Thankful, have been defined by agreement amongst all religious traditions. At James Watt, we celebrate being part of such a wonderfully and culturally rich community so, we aim to deliver a RE curriculum which is accessible to all our pupils, and that will maximise the outcomes for every child so that they know more, remember more and understand more.
Our pupils love learning about different religions and this enables them to understand and appreciate other people's cultures. They are able to make links between their own experiences and those of other religious backgrounds, promoting a mutual respect for each other within their community and the wider world.
Collective Worship Assemblies are planned and are aligned with significant religious and cultural events. Assemblies provide a platform for reflection, celebration, and learning.
Each year group hosts an assembly focusing on a particular festival or religious event. These assemblies provide an opportunity for students to delve deeper into specific traditions and share their learnings with the school community.
For example; At Christmas, Reception retold the Nativity story through a performance of ‘The Sleepy Shepherd’, this was then followed by a whole school visit to a local church where Christmas Carols were sung.
Earlier in the year, Year 1 performed an assembly which focussed on the traditions and significance of Chinese New Year.
Our planned visits to a yearly place of worship allow children the opportunity to experience engaging with different religious people in places of worship to support them developing a further understanding of faith and religious practices.
Our key objectives are:
- To provide opportunities for each child to explore their beliefs and experiences so that they can appreciate and understand themselves and others better.
- To develop a questioning and enquiring attitude to the world around them.
- To help develop in children a sense of their own worth and how they relate to their family and community.
- To encourage children to consider the views and experiences of others around them and to develop tolerance and respect and understanding for those with different attitudes, experiences and faiths in the world around them.
- To encourage children to observe, express their appreciation and wonder of the beauty of the natural world and to discuss ways in which we can care for it.
- To provide children with knowledge and experience of other world faiths and how followers practice and celebrate their religion.
- To provide opportunities to reflect on experiences that require a moral choice and be able to distinguish the right way to act in such situations.
- To work in partnership with parents, faith communities and the wider society.
We want our Children to leave James Watt Primary with both the religious knowledge and understanding of the dispositions they need for further study and later life. They will be equipped to ask questions, be curious and empathetic about the wider world.