We are incredibly proud to be a Church of England School and we are committed to the Christian values that as a school we both promote and live our lives by. We have 12 values and we concentrate and focus our time of worship and celebration around one of these themes each term.
Religious education at Culworth Academy
Why do we teach Religious Education?
Inspired by our school vision (Matthew 7.12), here at Culworth Primary Academy Church of England School, we believe that our Christian values underpin our daily school life. We want pupils to leave our school with a rich experience and understanding of Christianity and other world faiths; we are committed to offering them an encounter with Jesus Christ and with Christian faith and practice in a way which enhances their lives.
Our teaching is led by the Diocesan Syllabus for Religious Education in the Diocese of Peterborough and 'Understanding Christianity' schemes of work. Through our teaching we encourage children to form a respectful attitude towards all world faiths and in their own search for the meaning of God. We encourage the children to reflect critically and over time develop their own spirituality.
How do we teach Religious Education?
We follow a two year rolling programme with 50% of our teaching using the Understanding Christianity Units and 50% from The Diocese of Peterborough syllabus for Religious Education. All children have at least one hour per week of Religious Education, led by a Class Teacher.
The units are planned using a text, impact and connections approach. Children learn where the concepts are found, either in the Bible or other religious text, then delve deeper about how that text impacts on believers of the faith. We encourage children to make their own connections and build on these over time.
We have strong links with the local church and work closely with our new reverend. We enjoy welcoming Reverend Mike into school whenever possible, and he plays a part in our weekly worship. We visit the local church for a service half termly, where we also enjoy Harvest, Christingle, Christmas and Easter celebrations among others. In addition, we use the Church to celebrate millstones in the children’s young lives, such as Nativity Plays and leaver assemblies. We also arrange regular visits to other places of worship, these have included Coventry Cathedral where we have been able to explore the Christmas and Easter Story guided by their fabulous teaching team. All of these additional experiences give the children time to reflect on their own spiritual journey.
What does Religoius Education looks like at Culworth?
Here at Culworth our Religious Education curriculum is delivered to a high quality, and designed to fit the needs of our children and planned to show progression over time. We measure the impact to the children by reflecting on the standards achieved against the learning outcomes. We also celebrate our learning in collective worship throughout our weekly assemblies. We give children the opportunity to makes links with other learning in our curriculum, particularly through our topic work.