Religion & Worldviews
What is ‘An Education in Religion and Worldviews?’
A Religion and Worldviews approach to Religious Education was advocated in the Commission on RE (2018). As part of this revised approach, learners will study:
- what religion is and worldviews are, and how they are studied;
- the impact of religion and worldviews on individuals, communities and societies;
- the diversity of religious and non-religious worldviews in society;
- the concepts, language and ways of knowing that help us organise and make sense of our knowledge and understanding of religion and worldviews;
- the human quest for meaning, so that they are prepared for life in a diverse world and have space to recognise, reflect on and take responsibility for the development of their own personal worldview
This marks a key shift in focus from traditional Religious Education formerly delivered in schools (which was centred around the teaching of the key features of major religions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism and Buddhism), to developing within learners a broader understanding of Worldviews.
What is meant by a Worldview?
A worldview is defined as a person’s way of understanding, experiencing and responding to the world. It is an approach to life. These worldviews will be diverse, religious or non-religious and may change dependent on time, place and context.
Why teach Religion and Worldviews?
Through adopting a Religion and Worldviews approach, we aim to teach our learners about different beliefs and values in a respectful way. Our learners will learn about various religions and non-religious beliefs, promoting an understanding of cultural diversity.
Through activities such as storytelling, singing, role-play, debate and art and design, our learners will explore important ideas and practices from different faiths and perspectives. This approach encourages them to think critically and develop empathy, helping them to see that people have different views based on their backgrounds.
By learning about these differences, we seek to develop our learners' awareness of the world around them and how to interact respectfully and kindly with others. The goal is to create an inclusive classroom where everyone feels valued, no matter what they believe.
Ultimately, this approach helps learners understand and appreciate diversity, equipping them with the skills they need to live in a multicultural society.
Implementation
Ofsted (2021) suggests “High-quality RE (or Religion and Worldviews) curriculums do not require excessive content but … contain collectively enough substantive knowledge to enable pupils to recognise the diverse and changing religious and non-religious traditions of the world.”
For our core Religion and Worldviews teaching, we follow the Voyage Syllabus for Religion and Worldviews, developed in association specialist advisors from the Local Authority/ This aligns with the Agreed Syllabus for the Lincolnshire Diocese, which follows ' The Religion and Worldviews Approach to RE Toolkit', launched on the 2nd May 2024.
Our Religion and Worldviews Overview
At Boston Pioneers Academy there are three main aspects to our Religion and Worldviews teaching:
1) Specific Religion and Worldviews units of work are taught weekly by the R.E. Lead as outlined in our long-term plan.
2) Focus days when individual year groups or the whole school join together to explore a particular theme or aspect of Religion & Worldview - For example years 5 & 6 bi-annual multi-faith day, where learners visit three different places of worship and participate in relevant cultural activities.
3) Within wider themes for learning, where Religion and Worldviews related work could be effectively integrated to provide deeper knowledge and understanding for our learners. (For example, work on Judaism as part of age-appropriate World War 2 studies).
Our Religion and Worldviews curriculum reflects the fact that the religious traditions in the immediate locality and in Great Britain, are in the main Christian, whilst considering the teaching and practices of other principal religions represented in Modern Britain (Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Humanism). We feel this is particularly important as we have learners of many different faiths at our school.
As a non-denominational Academy, we do not seek to convert or steer pupils towards a particular religious belief, rather we aim to encourage them to develop their own beliefs and values and make them aware that some people have no attachment to religious beliefs and follow secular philosophies.
Do I have the right to withdraw my child from Religion and Worldviews education?
Parents/carers may withdraw their child(ren) from all or part of the Religion and Worldviews curriculum.
They do not have to provide a reason for this and the school will comply with the request. The Academy will supervise any learners who are withdrawn from Religion and Worldviews education, but the Academy is not required to provide additional teaching or incur extra costs. If parents/carers wish their child to receive an alternative programme of Religion and Worldviews, it is their responsibility to arrange this.
To support planning, Boston Pioneers Academy asks that if parents/carers wish to withdraw their child(ren) from all or part of their Religious and Worldviews Curriculum, they forward a letter to Head Teacher in order that alternative arrangements can be made for their child for the duration of the core Religion and Worldviews lessons.
