At St John’s, Religious Education (RE) is a vital and valued part of our curriculum. It is both an academic and spiritual discipline that empowers our pupils to explore life’s deepest questions, understand a range of worldviews and reflect meaningfully on their own beliefs and values. RE at St John’s is taught as a core subject and, in our most recent SIAMS inspection (May 2019), it was rightly judged as excellent. 

We are committed to promoting spirituality through reflective teaching, encouraging pupils to consider the world and their place within it with depth, curiosity and compassion. Our RE curriculum provides a safe, inclusive and creative environment where children are free to explore, question and engage with a wide range of religious and non-religious worldviews in a respectful and interactive way. 

RE at St John’s encourages pupils to live out our school motto, shaping our approach and spirituality: 

"Look up! Look down! Look all around!"                

Look up to God – invites pupils to explore the divine and reflect on sacred texts and religious beliefs. 

Look down into our hearts – encourages personal reflection, emotional awareness and the development of moral and spiritual insight. 

Look all around us – inspires our children to make a positive impact on those around them, appreciating diverse perspectives and living with empathy and understanding. 

We aim to develop children's skills of interpretation, analysis, empathy, reflection and reasoning, providing them with the tools to understand how religion and belief influence individuals, communities and wider society both locally and globally. 

In addition to classroom lessons, children take part in RE-themed talks, enrichment activities and educational visits to places of worship, further deepening their understanding through real-world experiences. 

Our Approach to RE 

• Nurtures spiritual growth and critical thinking. 

• Promotes an understanding of Christianity as a diverse global living faith, through engagement with core beliefs and biblical texts. 

• Enables pupils to gain knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews, appreciating their richness, diversity, continuity and change. 

• Engages children in challenging questions about meaning, purpose, morality and identity. 

• Encourages pupils to express their own beliefs and values, fostering a climate of respectful dialogue and open-mindedness. 

Curriculum and Time Allocation 

• 1 hour per week in Reception and Key Stage 1 

• 2 hours per week in Key Stage 2 

While Collective Worship and Religious Education are closely connected in purpose and ethos – particularly in promoting spiritual development – they are planned and timetabled separately. This intentional and purposeful allocation of time throughout the week ensures that both RE and Worship are given the focus and depth they deserve, supporting the spiritual and educational growth of every child. 

Ms Chebbi
Religious Education Co-Ordinator