RE - Religious Education

"Religious Education for All”

In delivering Religious Education, Jesse Gray uses the Agreed Syllabus for RE in Nottinghamshire. Religious Education is a part of the legal requirement to be taught to all pupils aged 5 – 18.

At Jesse Gray, the aims of RE is not just about learning the facts of religion, it is about developing children’s understanding so that they can:- ‘describe, explain and analyse beliefs’.

RE gives children the chance to share ideas and insights about the world around them.

At Jesse Gray, RE teaches:

· How children can have an opinion without offending anyone.

· The significance and impact of religions as well as how different religious teachings influence an individual.

· How to be an individual and emphasises the importance of being yourself, no matter what.

· Different world views on issues.

· Skills for the future as life-long learners:

Knowledge and understanding - just a fraction of the skills developed.
Reflection- Using their imagination to develop ideas and explore feelings, beliefs and values before sharing them with others.
Enquiry- Exploring beliefs and not being afraid to ask why, giving us the confidence to talk with others about their beliefs Interpretation- Allowing us to consider how and why different religions along with world views express themselves in different ways.
Communication- Clearly expressing our thoughts, ideas, feelings and information as well as listening to others and using terms accurately.
Analysis and evaluation- Enabling us to compare strengths and weaknesses of a particular argument, considering alternative views and making informed choices, which are supported with good reasons and evidence.

Why is RE so important?

· RE provokes challenging questions about: meaning, purpose in life, beliefs about God, harsh reality, right and wrong, as well has what it means to be human.

· RE will equip the children with knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and world issues, enabling our development of ideas, opinions, and essentially ourselves.

· RE gives us the skills to understand our diverse society, not just for an individual, but a community and the world.

· RE gives us a chance to reflect on our beliefs and challenge them, leading us to a more complex answer and understanding of ourselves.

RE is for everyone because RE does not try to make children religious, nor does it seek to persuade or convert them to a particular belief. Jesse Gray is a culturally diverse community which supports different beliefs, be it religion, atheism or humanism.

Some Whole School Highlights:

In July 2019 Jesse Gray submitted 10 entries for the NATRE SPIRITED ARTS AWARDS .

We were highlighted on the national website in October 2019 for our wonderful Spirited Character - a full size model [who you can see in the main hall ]. The only primary school 3D model to be mentioned!

Pilgrimage: Is it More Than A Journey?

This week was very special as the whole school explored the theme of Pilgrimage. This week was solely dedicated to enhancing the children’s understanding of different key themes within World Religions. We were very lucky to have parents from our community who are shared their own ‘real life’ pilgrimage, to the children, covering different religions; Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Humanism. The children went on their own ‘Pilgrim Walk’ around school and participated in some lovely and thought provoking activities. The older children were been paired up with the younger children.

See the photo highlights attached.