Religious Education
Our RE Curriculum
As a Church of England VC school, we follow the statutory Barnsley Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education, ensuring that children receive a broad and balanced understanding of different faiths and worldviews.
To bring our Christianity units to life, we also use the Understanding Christianity resource. This is a spiral curriculum which allows the children to revisit units throughout their time at Brierley, developing their substantive knowledge and disciplinary skills. Children learn about 'The Big Story' of the Bible as they work through the units. It helps pupils explore key concepts, stories, and values in an engaging and meaningful way, encouraging them to think deeply, ask questions, and make connections to their own lives.
Our aim is to nurture respect, curiosity, and understanding, so that every child leaves us with a richer appreciation of the diverse world in which we live. We believe that Religious Education is unique in the school curriculum and that it underpins learning throughout the school.
Please click the links below for further information.
Please click the link to find out more about The Big Story: The Big Story Frieze Expanded
Through our RE curriculum children learn world faiths: Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Hinduism as well as non-religous worldviews.
We acknowledge that each religion studied can contribute to the education of all our pupils in preparing them for life beyond Brierley.
Through the teaching of world faiths, these key questions are answered:
Why are these words special?
Why are some places special?
How can faith contribute to community cohesion?
Why are some times special?
What can be learnt from the lives of significant people of faith?
How do I and others feel about life and the universe around us?
These six questions guide pupils' learning across the years, with progression from simple exploration towards analysis and thoughtful conclusions
We value the religious/non-religous background of all members of the school community and we promote discussion, debate and opportunities to explore thinking about world faiths and worldviews. Other ways in which we enable pupils to develop their knowledge of religion includes:
- handling artefacts
- exploring the Bible
- using role play/drama
- providing pupils with a range of stimuli – images, music, art work, ICT
- meeting visitors
- making visits to religious places of worship where possible, and where not, making use of videos and the internet
- participating in moments of quiet reflection – Time for Me area & Peace garden
- using Picture News to learn about and understand current issues relating to religion and faith
Please see our Religious Education Long Term Plan which evidences the topics taught throughout the year and across school, demonstrating progression.
Our RE displays evidence learning and progression across the curriculoum.
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Useful resources for children to access to support learning about other religions:
Other websites to support the teaching and learning of Religious education:
NATRE (National Association of teachers of Religious Education)
Right to Withdraw from Religious Education
Parents and carers have the legal right to withdraw their child from Religious Education (RE) lessons either in whole or in part. If you wish to exercise this right, please contact the school office.