Our Vision for RE at Lockyer's Middle School

Religious Education at Lockyer’s is a subject in which children are introduced to different ideas about beliefs, ethics and morality in a coherent and structured way.  It provides children with factual knowledge about the major religions of Britain and the world.  Study of RE is a study of what it means to be a human, giving children opportunities to explore some of life’s big questions as well as learning to celebrate and respect diversity.  At Lockyer’s, we aim to empower children to consider different ideas and beliefs and to communicate with empathy, thoughtfulness and clarity. 

Learning in RE at Lockyer’s is developed through a series of units, each of which focuses on a specific topic, which are planned to progressively strengthen and expand children's knowledge about religions and world views and to develop their skills of reflection, evaluation and comparison. Children learn about different religions in terms of knowledge about beliefs and practices.  Comparison of religions allows children to learn about the diversity of belief both within and between specific religions and world views and to note that there are many common beliefs and views across all faiths and world views. In many instances, we try to link learning to children's own experiences and opinions so that they can see the relevance of a belief or practice to themselves.

How RE links to other Subjects at our School

Religious Education is a subject which develops children's English skills as they apply their reading and writing strategies to investigate religious questions and to communicate their knowledge.  For instance, we teach children to question religious texts from different perspectives.  Speaking and listening skills are also practised as children are encouraged to develop their understanding and knowledge through discussion. 

Knowledge of the historical context of some of our RE topics and the ability to apply historical skills helps children to understand the significance of specific religious teachings and events.

Through learning about both the variety of belief, even within a specific religion, and about the similarities between religions, children at Lockyer’s, develop empathy and understanding of lives different to their own. Our Rights Respecting Schools ethos underpins this learning and supports children to celebrate and respect diversity. 

How you can help with RE at home

Some children struggle to understand the importance of learning about beliefs that are different to their own. It can be helpful, in this situation, to encourage your child to look for similarities between what they believe and the beliefs that they are learning about. This is also an opportunity to help your child to learn that their belief is as valid and important to them as other peoples’ beliefs are to each of them, and all should be respected. 

The following websites contain useful resources to help your child learn more about world religions:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zh3rkqt (Key stage 3 RE from the BBC)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z7hs34j  (Key stage 2 RE from the BBC)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3lKZp31jBVJ2v3C2h1V03kz/a-to-z-of-religion-and-beliefs (A useful set of clips from the BBC that covers a wide range of religious topics).