Religious Education (RE)

Religious Education at St John’s is designed to be central to the identity and purpose of the school as a church school, with the Christian faith shaping all aspects of school life. The curriculum aims to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other principal religions in Great Britain, enabling them to explore how beliefs influence actions and ways of living. It intends for all pupils to engage with challenging questions of meaning, belief, values and identity, building skills of enquiry, reflection, evaluation and communication. Key skills, knowledge and vocabulary are carefully sequenced across a two-year cycle to ensure progression, and ‘Need to Know’ elements provide clarity about essential learning for every child.

RE is taught weekly across all year groups in line with statutory requirements and follows the Wiltshire Agreed Syllabus supported by RE Today resources. Christianity takes up 50% of study time, with Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and references to Humanism and other worldviews included. Units are taught sequentially as part of a spiral curriculum that revisits concepts to deepen understanding. Each unit begins with a key question and includes explicit links to prior learning, retrieval practice, and opportunities for reflection. Children experience a wide range of enrichment activities including handling artefacts, exploring sacred texts, visiting places of worship, and participating in whole-school events. Teachers plan inclusive lessons, assess learning formatively, and use assessment tasks at the end of units to evaluate understanding. Roles of class teachers and the subject leader ensure high-quality delivery, monitoring, staff training, resource management and consistent progression.

Pupils at St John’s demonstrate enjoyment of RE and increased understanding of a range of religious and non-religious worldviews, enabling them to make meaningful links between their own lives and those of others locally and globally. They develop empathy, enquiry and evaluative skills, and can apply religious vocabulary confidently. RE supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development by encouraging them to explore questions of meaning, purpose, morality and human identity. Regular assessment—through enquiry outcomes, discussion, observation and vocabulary use—provides teachers with a clear view of each pupil’s progress. Subject leader monitoring, including pupil interviews, book looks and governor involvement, ensures the curriculum remains effective and continually improves, strengthening the quality and depth of RE teaching across the school.