RE - Religious Education
At St John the Baptist Primary School, Religious Education (RE) holds a central place in our curriculum, reflecting our identity as a Church of England Controlled Federation. Rooted in our Christian values of Courage, Compassion, and Creativity, RE is designed to nurture curiosity, reflection, and a deep sense of belonging. Our curriculum develops children’s cultural, moral, spiritual, and social understanding, ensuring that every child feels valued and supported.
We work in close partnership with our parish church and church leaders, enriching learning through regular visits and collaborative experiences. Collective worship and dedicated opportunities for spirituality invite children to pause, reflect, and engage meaningfully with their own beliefs and the wider world—helping them to find calm, purpose, and meaning in today’s busy society.
RE is taught fortnightly, with focused blocks of learning before Christmas, Easter, and Summer to deepen engagement with key themes. Lessons are carefully planned to include a wide range of activities across the curriculum, encouraging children to explore concepts through Art, Drama, English, and Reading.
Learning is revisited regularly through our ‘fluent in 5’s’ approach, ensuring prior knowledge is recalled, strengthened, and embedded. Children record their reflections and ideas in individual RE books, which accompany them throughout their journey from Year R to Year 6, providing a rich record of their spiritual and intellectual growth. Whole-class work, discussions, role plays, and pupil comments are captured in digital RE journals, ensuring inclusivity and adaptation for all abilities.
Our teaching draws on the Hampshire Scheme Living Difference IV alongside the Church schools’ syllabus Understanding Christianity. This combination enables children to explore key concepts across a range of religions, revisiting and deepening their understanding as they progress. Lessons encourage communication, critical thinking, and application of ideas in meaningful contexts, strengthened by our strong links with the parish church and wider community.
Once a month, we bring scripture to life through ‘Open the Book’ collective worship, where Bible stories are enacted by our local reverend, volunteers, and pupils. These experiences provide children with hands-on opportunities to engage with faith in creative and memorable ways.
Religious Education at St John’s has a profound impact on learners across the school, helping to shape them into the people they are becoming today. Through their RE journey, pupils grow to be spiritually, morally, culturally, and socially aware of others. Each year, their learning builds progressively, enabling them to make meaningful connections and develop schemas around different religions and beliefs.
As they progress, children become increasingly confident in expressing their own ideas while listening respectfully to the perspectives of others. They learn to value diversity, showing tolerance and acceptance of differences. RE also equips them with the skills to question, reflect, and investigate concepts thoughtfully, encouraging them to challenge what they see around them in a constructive and enquiring way.
Every child is supported to achieve and access Religious Education through carefully scaffolded teaching. Cross-curricular opportunities, such as art, drama, and writing, ensure that all pupils can engage meaningfully, allowing their individual strengths to shine.
What the children say:
“I like acting because it makes learning about God fun!”
“I loved getting a chocolate egg from our visit to the church.”
“Collective worship gives us time to think and we like the fun songs.”
Parents and carers have the legal right to withdraw their child from all or part of Religious Education (RE) lessons. If you wish to exercise this right, please contact the Headteacher in writing to discuss your request and any suitable alternative arrangements.
We encourage parents to speak with the school before making a decision, so we can explain the aims and content of our RE curriculum and answer any questions.
Useful websites to improve your child's knowledge at home:
KS2 Religious Education - BBC Bitesize
Whats on Your Head? - BBC iPlayer