Religious Education
At St John’s CE Primary School, our curriculum is designed to inspire lifelong learning and is anchored by our core motto: "The JOY of the Lord is Your Strength" (Jesus, Others, Yourself). We deliver an ambitious, sequentially structured, and inclusive education that celebrates the unique identity of every child. By blending a rigorous academic foundation with deep spiritual, moral, and social development, we nurture the curiosity, resilience, and confidence pupils need to flourish. Rooted in our strong Christian family ethos, our curriculum ensures that learning is accessible to all, fostering an environment where differences are celebrated and every individual is fully equipped to realise their God-given potential.
Our Intent
At St. John’s Church of England Primary School, the intent of our Religious Education curriculum, reflecting our Christian distinctiveness, is for all of our pupils to acquire and develop a deepening knowledge and understanding of global Christianity, alongside the other principal religions that are represented throughout our multi-cultural world. Our core religious teaching encourages pupils to develop positive attitudes to all aspects of their learning and also to enhance their personal spiritual, moral, social and cultural development- thus providing learners with the wisdom, knowledge and skills to be a functioning member of society. Our whole school community reflect these characteristics in their daily lives and embody the school’s motto of Jesus, Others and Yourself. We aim to strengthen the understanding of Christian Values, empowering all to reflect on their own lives and make positive choices.
Our Implementation
Our curriculum is based on the National Curriculum Programmes of study and has been carefully designed to ensure progression and repetition in terms of embedding key learning, knowledge and skills. We use resources and planning from Sefton SACRE and Blackburn Diocese. Teachers also use the Understanding Christianity pack and access additional resources when studying other faiths, helping class teachers deliver a rich curriculum which covers all key aspects of RE.
RE is taught discretely but staff also make meaningful links across subjects and prior knowledge to new knowledge to deepen children’s learning. We believe that by crafting our curriculum this way, we improve the potential for our curriculum to retain what they have been taught, to alter their long- term memory and thus improve the rates of progress they make.
The teaching of Religious Education at St. John’s maintains a balanced approach between Learning about Religion (Attainment Target 1) and Learning from Religion (Attainment Target 2).
Collective Worship
At St. John’s Church of England Primary School, the daily act of collective worship is viewed as an integral and important part of school life. Through this and in the general ethos of the school we seek to promote our mission statement and motto. It is a time where we come together to share our love of God based on promoting the Christian values which permeate the ethos of the school. As such, the contributions of staff, pupils, church clergy and other visitors are valued highly. We also actively seek to encourage the attitudes of awe, wonder and reflection. We have regular contributions to assembly.
Enrichment
Throughout our RE curriculum we provide carefully planned enrichment opportunities to aid children’s knowledge and skills. These opportunities include experiences such as trips and visits within the locality for example; St John’s Church and Southport Synagogue. Opportunities are also planned appropriately to explore artefacts from different religions and include visitors to provide first-hand experience and knowledge.
Rooted in a joy for living and learning, our Religious Education curriculum prepares primary school children for the future by fostering curiosity, mutual respect, and the ethical grounding needed to navigate a diverse world.
Pupils believe they can and they will…
In the United Kingdom, parents hold a legal right to withdraw their children from Religious Education (RE) lessons in primary schools. This right is protected under the Education Act 1996 and applies to all state-funded schools, including those with a designated religious character like ourselves. Parents do not need to provide a specific reason or justification for their decision.
To exercise this right, parents must take the following specific administrative steps:
Submit Written Notice: Send a formal letter or email directly to the school's Headteacher.
State Intent Clearly: Explicitly state the request to withdraw the child from all or specific parts of Religious Education.
Agree on Supervision: Discuss with the school how the child will be safely supervised and what alternative, purposeful work they will complete during these lessons.
