Religious Education Curriculum Overview
‘No person in the modern world can be considered educated without a basic knowledge of all the great religions of the world’ – E.D. Hirsch
Being part of the Academy Transformation Trust family, we ensure our curriculum is ambitious and enjoyable through knowledge and skills developed throughout their time at Bristnall Hall. It is inclusive and knowledge rich and it is broad in terms of coverage and (at least) encompassing the breadth of the 2014 English National Curriculum. We ensure it meets the needs of our students and helps to develop character, personal pride and the highest moral standards.
The Religious Education (RE) curriculum allows pupils to learn about world religions and philosophical ideas from throughout history. Through the knowledge-rich RE curriculum, pupils explore the fundamental beliefs of religion and philosophy and understand how these beliefs are put into practice within the everyday life of individuals. As pupils progress, they become more able to understand the complex, general ideas that are common to religions – “this broad knowledge emerges from and is reliant on detailed study of particular religions.” – Robert Orme in Reforming Religious Education (2020).
The RE curriculum facilitates learners to develop their critical thinking skills through challenging debates and are encouraged to make informed judgements. Our young people discover how differences can make a community more successful and how it links to contemporary events in the world. Our curriculum is balanced so learners can draw comparisons between different cultures and beliefs, so they are more accepting of an ever-increasing diverse population.
Our Religious Education curriculum intent is:
- To promote a love of learning about world religions through our knowledge-rich curriculum
- To develop curiosity and deep knowledge about world religions, how they are practised and how they have shaped and continue to shape our world
- To explore the influence of religions and beliefs on individuals, culture, behaviour and national life
- To engage learners in sacred texts, practices, literature, faith stories and art of world religions
- To explore the way sacred texts and traditions have become authoritative for believers and the ways they have been challenged, interpreted and disregarded over time
- To encourage learners to understand the complex, controversial and diverse nature of religious scholarship
- To spark discussions of the divine through the lens of philosophy and ethics
- To grant all learners the access to key concepts underpinning religions and belief, whether they are of that tradition or not. This aims to facilitate pupils to seek pattern and meaning as per cognitive science research
- To develop holistic knowledge in KS3 which will be built on in KS4
- To encourage learners to develop a responsible and tolerant attitude towards diversity and beliefs
- To develop knowledge and skills that are transferrable across all subjects and to their everyday wider life
Teaching Staff
- R Bi (Subject Leader)
- R Mitchell
- R Bhatoe
- T Bilanli
- G Billingham
- G Bradley
- J Gregory
- N Griffiths
- R Begum
- L Neail
- A Thickett
Useful Documents
