RE
Studying religious and non-religious worldviews is essential if pupils are to be well prepared for life in our increasingly diverse society. They need to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to make sense of the complex world in which they live so that they can ‘respect religious and cultural differences and contribute to a cohesive and compassionate society’. (RE Review 2013) A study of Religious Education enables pupils to take their place within a diverse multi-religious and multi- secular society. Religious Education provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, the self and the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong, and what it means to be human. Pupils learn to weigh up the value of wisdom from different sources, to develop and express insights in response, and to agree or disagree respectfully. Pupils learn to articulate clearly and coherently their personal beliefs, ideas, values, and experiences so that they can hold balanced and well-informed conversations about religions and worldviews whilst respecting the views of others. Religious education does not seek to urge religious beliefs on pupils by promoting one religion over another. Instead ‘it affords pupils both the opportunity to see the religion and non-religion in the world, and the opportunity to make sense of their own place in that world.’ (Ofsted Research Review Series: Religious Education, May 2021)