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Looking forward to the next 100 years of success at Chinthurst

Preparatory Religious Studies



Cogregation

Cogregation



Religious Studies has a unique role to reflect Chinthurst's ethos, as stated in its aims and objectives in the school mission statement.  Similarly, Religious Studies has a special contribution to make to the social, moral, cultural and spiritual development of pupils. 

This uniqueness is exemplified by :

  • Assemblies - Daily assemblies conducted by Senior Staff based on a weekly theme e.g. consideration to others.
  • Church Service - Each Friday at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Tadworth, led by teaching staff, visiting speakers and, termly, by the vicar and curate.

General Aims

Pupils should:

  • Learn about religions (traditional belief systems) in the light of questions about human experience (shared human experience)
  • Gain further insights into human experience by applying their knowledge and understanding of religion to that experience.
  • Learn from this exercise by being encouraged to develop their own beliefs and values (individual patterns of belief)


Aims & Purposes

 

Religious Studies provides opportunities for children to:

  • Develop their knowledge and understanding of, and their ability to respond to, Christianity and the other principal religions represented in Great Britain;
  • Explore issues within and between faiths to help them understand and respect different religions, beliefs, values and traditions (including ethical life stories), and understand the influence of these on individuals, societies, communities and cultures;
  • Consider questions of meaning and purpose in life;
  • Learn about religious and ethical teaching, enabling then to make reasoned and informed judgements on religious and moral issues;
  • Develop their sense of identity and belonging, preparing then for life as citizens in a plural society;
  • Develop enquiry and response skills through the use of distinctive language, listening and empathy;
  • Reflect on, analyse and evaluate their beliefs, values and practices and communicate their responses.

Religious Studies does not seek to urge religious beliefs on children nor to compromise the integrity of their own beliefs by promoting one religion over another.  It is not the same as collective worship, which has its own place within school life.

 

Language and communication

 

Children develop language skills through:

  • Talking about their work and presenting their own ideas using sustained and systematic writing of different kinds;
  • Studying sacred texts and stories;
  • Extracting information from sources such as reference books, CD-ROMs, e-mails and the internet.


Values and attitudes

 

Children:

  • Work with others, listening to each other's ideas, and treat others with respect;
  • Have opportunities to consider their own experiences, attitudes and values, and those of other people;
  • Develop respect for evidence and critically evaluate ideas that may or may not fit the evidence available;
  • Identify puzzling questions and suggest answers;
  • Develop their understanding of why certain things are held to be right or wrong;
  • Relate to moral and religious issues.


Building on children's earlier experiences

 

In reception and nursery classes children will have had opportunities to find out and learn about the world they live in.  These experiences are likely to have included:

  • Learning about the beliefs and cultures of others;
  • Sharing the celebration of different festivals;
  • Hearing stories from a variety of cultural and religious traditions.

 

In Years 3 and 4, pupils study stories from the Children's Bible both Old and New Testament.  The process of questioning authenticity and their relevance to shared human experience is gradually developed.

In Year 5 the pupils are introduced to the Good News Bible and biblical stories are further explored in particular their relevance to Contemporary Issues.

In Year 6 pupils study world religions other than Christianity to further their understanding of other belief systems and cultures, to develop their tolerance of other religions and in particular to recognise the similarities in different belief systems.

In Years 7 and 8, pupils exclusively study the biblical texts set out in the Common Entrance syllabus and develop their understanding of Contemporary Issues in order to be able to discuss these issues in written form.  In addition, all pupils are encouraged to take the course work option for Common Entrance to submit a project investigating 'How the Church meets the needs of the Community'.