Welcome to Religious Education
Welcome to Religious Education | The Garibaldi School
Our Religious Education provision is designed for the 21st century and goes beyond the traditional approach of describing what religious people do by instead delivering experiential, enactive, and enquiry-led lessons. Throughout their journey, students explore the meaning of religious experience by engaging with the beliefs, stories, symbols, texts, teachings, and practices of Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus, and secular humanists. Our aim is to provide students with a substantive knowledge of their world, locally, nationally and globally to give them the confidence to tackle the spiritual, moral, social, and cultural challenges which surround them.
Understanding what humans believe and do today is rooted in re-discovering what humans have believed and done in the past. What it means to be human is shaped by community and experience. Religious Education (RE) is about helping students make sense of human belief and action. Students explore different ways of knowing and perceiving the universe, aiming to develop their own personal knowledge of what it means to be a human being.
We deliver experiential, enactive, and enquiry-led lessons to help students explore the variety of tradition that humans previously and still live within. Students explore the meaning of religious experience by engaging with the beliefs, stories, symbols, texts, teachings, and practices of religious and secular communities. Reflective work develops spirituality, fascination, and imagination. Students generate questions that are meaningful to them as they engage with the ideas and practices of other people.
The priority is to mould communities of discovery with respect for and acceptance of each other. Students learn to express their own spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development as they explore the traditions they study. This involves focusing on the student’s “inside bits”: engaging their senses, thoughts, experiences, feelings, hopes and fears. Discussion develops moral thinking and helps students learn to express their views to others, collaborating to solve the complex problems which life presents in community. Students learn to consider their own presuppositions and values, developing mutual respect, tolerance, and understanding of others.
Story, myth, and symbol engage the hunger of imagination. The things we do or act out enable us to experience something otherwise inaccessible. We connect the practices of religious believers to their meaning, often arising from different eras of history and cultures quite different to 21st century Britain. From this basis students can understand our descriptions of religious practices and interpret the complex symbolism encoded in each tradition. The study of several religious traditions and a range philosophical thinking opens up an appreciation of human cultural value world-wide.
A range of topics will be covered throughout students' journey with the school which include:
· What does it mean to have a worldview?
· Where does human spirituality come from and what does it mean to have “spirit”?
· Who am I and what ideas will make me a better person?
· What is meant by the word “God”?
· Are religious traditions and the sciences really at odds?
· What is the nature of reality and how can we know what is true?
A full list of modules and lessons can be seen by following the appropriate year link on the page.
Enquiry allows students to learn through their own exploration, generating questions that are meaningful to them as they engage with the ideas and practices of other people. This will develop in students an understanding of our increasingly diverse communities and the importance of equality in 21st century Britain.
Students will develop transferrable skills such as critical thinking, debate, team leadership, evaluative writing, and the confidence to speak in front of their group; all of these are key skills needed to be successful in life beyond the school gates.
Our broad and exciting curriculum here at The Garibaldi School means that this provision will be dedicated the following time allocation
- Year 7, 8, 9: 1 x 50-minute lesson each week
All topics will be delivered and studied in a controlled and professional manner. If you have any questions about the content of these topics and modules please do not hesitate to contact Mr C Webster, CWebster@garibaldischool.co.uk Lead Teacher of Religious Education, to discuss the matter.
The Garibaldi School recognises the right of withdrawal from part or all of RE provision on religious grounds. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact Mr C Webster, CWebster@garibaldischool.co.uk Lead Teacher of Religious Education directly in the first instance.