St Giles Church of England Primary School
Religious Education
Religious Education at St Giles
At St Giles, we follow the Derbyshire Agreed Syllabus for RE, and view this as a core subject; achievement in RE is monitored by the Local Trust Committee, and LTC members and leaders ensure that high priority is given to RE through funding and CPD.
We aim to provide a caring atmosphere in the school and encourage each child to become aware of themselves as an individual and to understand the needs and feelings of others. A key aim is to uphold our Christian ethos in school and throughout the community, and we celebrate all major festivals. All denominations and faiths are encouraged to learn from each other. The RE Curriculum in our School provides ways of promoting pupis’ moral development in line with the new 2025 Derbyshire and Derby City Agreed Syllabus . This is achieved through encouraging the consideration of others and developing pupils’ awareness of other people’s beliefs and actions.
The School has adopted the Local Authority’s Religious Education Policy and works closely with the Derby Diocesan Board of Education.
Alongside Christianity, children also have the opportunity to learn about other world faiths such as Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Judaism. Children experience this as part of their RE lessons and also through stories, assemblies, class discussions/lessons, drama, visits to places of worship and visitors to the School.
As part of Religious Education and Collective Worship we also promote British Values, encouraging pupils to regard people of all faiths, races and cultures with respect, hospitality and understand that while different people may hold different views about what is right and wrong, all people living in Britain are subject to its laws. We aim to provoke challenging questions about the ultimate meaning of life, beliefs about God, the nature of reality and morality. We encourage pupils to develop their sense of identity and belonging, in order to flourish within communities, as responsible citizens in society and global communities.
Through the RE curriculum and extra teaching from the Archbishop's Young Leaders Award (focusing on responsibility, injustice and courageous advocacy), we teach pupils to develop respect for others and their beliefs and help to challenge prejudice.
We prompt pupils to consider their responsibilities to themselves and to others, and to explore how they might contribute to their communities and to wider society encouraging empathy, generosity and compassion.
The Right to Withdraw
In the UK, parents still have the right to withdraw their children from RE on the grounds that they wish to provide their own RE. This provision will be the parents’ responsibility. This right of withdrawal exists for all pupils in all types of school, including schools with and without a religious designation. Please speak to the Headteacher if you would like to do this.
