The 1988 Education Act states that every maintained school must provide a balanced and broadly based curriculum that:

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• Promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society.

• Prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.’

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All maintained schools must teach religious education according to the locally agreed syllabus. All agreed syllabuses must ‘Reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian whilst taking account of the teaching and practices of other principal religions represented in Great Britain.’ Pupils in maintained schools must take part in religious education unless wholly or partially withdrawn by parents.

 

Parents have a right to withdraw their children from R.E. Parents requesting withdrawal should inform the Head of School in writing. Pupils who withdraw from R.E. will be expected to study books about their own religion provided by the parents. Teachers have a right to withdraw from the teaching of R.E. Teachers considering withdrawal should inform the Head of School in writing. It is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure R.E. is taught in their class.

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Differentiation and Special Educational Needs

Although the learning objectives are statutory, we acknowledge that when taking account of these, some objectives may take longer to achieve than others, depending on children’s varying abilities. Productive repetition of some ideas will be vital for reinforcing each concept, and vocabulary used when teaching needs to be checked against understanding.

 

We understand that practical experiences are the most valuable educational tool and are essential for pupils with special educational needs. A wide variety of experiences such as visiting places of worship, receiving visitors, handling religious artefacts, self-expression and role play need to be arranged for these pupils to make the most of their learning. We provide learning opportunities that are matched to the needs of the children and further details are contained in the school's Special Educational Needs Policy.

 

Equal Opportunities

At Long Mead Primary School we value the opinion, beliefs and practice of all. It is the responsibility of all teachers to ensure that all children irrespective of gender, and ability, including gifted children, ethnicity and social circumstances, have access to the curriculum and make the greatest progress possible. Religious Education provides opportunities to raise awareness and value cultural and ethnic diversity. Further details are included in the school's Equal Opportunity Policy.

You can download the full RE policy from our policy webpage.