Religious Education

Religious Education has a central role at St John’s Church of England School.  Pupils are drawn into the mystery and wonder of God and also to the many, varied, human responses elicited by his creative and loving interaction with creation.  Learning about God, his teachings and living presence, influences the way in which we help and encourage each individual to grow in confidence, in body, mind and spirit, and develop qualities that will guide them into maturity.  Faith promotes the development of spiritual, moral, social and cultural education and an understanding of the complexities of the world; it is central to our curriculum, ethos and common life.  Faith also deepens awareness of what it means to be a good citizen in society.  The ‘Christianity’ element of our syllabus enables cognition of a religion that has shaped our laws and culture and continues to instil Gospel values of justice, equality, compassion, mercy and reconciliation.  The ‘Wider World’ element enables the question “who is my neighbour?” to be answered as pupils gain knowledge in and experience of the multi-cultural world in which they live and play a part of.  Our aim always is to respect the views of the individual; to widen their religious vision and to help them appreciate how a relationship with God can positively inform their attitudes and the choices they make.  Our objective is to help pupils develop further their own spirituality by enabling a profound exploration of what it means to be human, enriching their personal faith, beliefs and self-identity.  In our school, R.E. is cross-curricular and touches all aspects of learning; it permeates our lives and informs our decision making.