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RE

✝ Religious Education at High Halden C of E Primary School

“Differences were meant not to divide but to enrich.” – J.H. Oldham

At High Halden, Religious Education is rooted in our Christian values and plays a vital role in nurturing pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development. We see RE not just as a subject, but as a way of equipping children with open-mindedness, empathy, and respect for people of all faiths and worldviews.

Through a curriculum that encourages intrinsic curiosity, philosophical thinking, and deep questioning, pupils explore life’s big ideas — those asked by religions, world views, and thinkers throughout history. They learn to:

  • Appreciate and evaluate different responses to life’s questions

  • Reflect on their own beliefs and values

  • Develop a strong sense of identity and belonging

📖 Our Curriculum

As a Church of England Primary School, we place RE at the heart of our curriculum. We follow the Canterbury Diocesan Scheme of Work, based on the Kent Agreed Syllabus, which embraces the World views approach.

This approach helps pupils see how beliefs and values shape people’s understanding of the world — including their own. It encourages children to recognise that everyone has a world view, and that engaging with this concept deepens empathy, respect, and critical thinking.

While the majority of our studies focus on Christianity, pupils also explore other major faiths and non-religious worldviews. This:

  • Enriches their perspective

  • Encourages respect for diversity

  • Helps them live out our school Christian values in school, at home, and beyond

📚 Understanding Christianity

At High Halden, we aim to help all pupils recognise the importance of religious beliefs and practices through theological enquiry, enabling them to become religiously literate and reflect on their place in the world.

As a church school, RE is central to our broad curriculum. Through rich, varied lessons and experiences, children gain:

  • A thorough knowledge and understanding of the Christian faith

  • The ability to make links with other belief systems and worldviews

  • Opportunities to reflect on their own beliefs and values through philosophical thinking and ethical discussion

Our programmes of study — Understanding Christianity — are taught using the revised Canterbury Diocese Scheme of Work, designed around the revised Kent Agreed Syllabus.

We adopt an enquiry-based approach, using Big Questions and engaging resources to develop pupils’ knowledge, understanding, and personal reflection.

Religious Education at High Halden will:

  • Enable pupils to know about and understand Christianity as a living faith that influences people worldwide, and as the religion that has most shaped British culture and heritage.

  • Enable pupils to know and understand other major world religions and worldviews, their influence on society, culture, and the wider world — and to express their own insights.

  • Contribute to pupils’ spiritual, philosophical, and moral development, enriching their personal convictions and values.

🏛 How We Learn

RE at High Halden is interactive, engaging, and varied. Learning walls in classrooms track the journey of learning across a unit, inviting children to:

  • Respond to key questions

  • Record thoughts on post-it notes or in thought bubbles

  • Express ideas through drawings, debates, and creative work

Lessons regularly connect with spiritual, moral, social, and cultural themes, encouraging pupils to:

  • Engage in philosophical dialogue and thought experiments

  • Discuss and respectfully challenge ideas

  • Listen to and consider perspectives from diverse traditions and world views

We draw on a wide range of teaching approaches and resources, including:
🎭 Role play & hot seating
🎥 Film clips
🎨 Art & artefacts
🎶 Music & poetry
💬 Talk partners & class debates
⛪ Visits to our local parish church, St Mary the Virgin’s
👥 Visitors from different faith communities and worldviews

🌟 Our Vision for RE

We aim for RE at High Halden to be both enjoyable and deeply reflective — giving children the time and space to:

  • Develop their understanding of God and explore theological ideas

  • Appreciate how the Christian community — locally, nationally, and globally — responds to a complex and changing world

  • Recognise and value the richness that diversity brings to society

  • Grow in their ability to think critically, ask meaningful questions, and engage with the world with empathy and respect

Here is the two year cycle that we follow at High Halden:

  1. RE-Statement-of-Entitlement-for-Church-Schools
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