Religious Education

Hi, our names are Mrs Lynch and Miss Gartland. As the RE subject leads in Bidston Village C.E.  school, We feel genuinely privileged to guide a subject that sits at the heart of our vision and values. We love this role because it allows me to help children explore big questions about life, meaning, faith, and community, while nurturing respect, curiosity, and compassion. RE is such an important subject because it helps pupils understand the diverse world they live in, appreciate the richness of the Christian narrative that shapes our school, and develop their own sense of identity and moral responsibility. Through RE, we give children the tools to think deeply, respond thoughtfully, and engage confidently with the beliefs and perspectives that influence our society and their own lives. 

At the heart of RE in church schools is the teaching of Christianity, rooted in the person, love and work of Jesus Christ. There is a clear expectation that as inclusive communities, church schools encourage learning about other religions and world views fostering respect for them. Through a rich and varied Religious Education curriculum at Bidston Village CE Primary School, pupils will have developed a secure understanding of Christianity and other World Faiths including Islam, Judaism and Hinduism. This understanding will be secured through the delivery of the Chester Diocesan RE scheme of work. Pupils will demonstrate religious knowledge through questioning, debate and explanations supported by Biblical references.  We will equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to explore these different religious beliefs, whilst learning how to answer challenging questions concerning themselves and the community around them.

At Bidston Village C.E. Primary School our aims are:

•  Every child will be encouraged to understand the meaning and significance of faith, experience God’s love and develop the spirituality to enable them to live out our Christian values of thankfulness, honesty, respect, trust, friendship, perseverance, courage and love.

• Every child will value themselves as a unique individual with special qualities and strengths, developing self–discipline and honesty, taking responsibility for their own actions and appreciating their ability to make a positive difference in the world.

• Every child will appreciate and respect others, celebrate differences between individuals and groups and respect and care for God’s creation and the environment.

• Every member of our school family feels valued, respected, safe and happy.

• Staff members are approachable, nurturing and dedicated to providing the best possible education for our children.

• Trusting relationships between staff and children ensure that children feel able to communicate positively and openly.

At Bidston Village CE Primary School we have adopted the Chester Diocesan Syllabus for RE in line with the Local Authority’s guidelines of what is to be taught.  This is supported by the ‘Understanding Christianity’ resource which fulfils all legal requirements and the RE Statement of Entitlement from the Church of England Education Office 2019.

Religious education is the vehicle for living the vision of our church school and pupils can expect that the RE curriculum will:

• Engage and challenge them through an exploration of core concepts and questions

• Provide meaningful dialogue with a range of religions and worldviews

• Have opportunities to understand the role of foundational texts, beliefs, rituals and practices and how they help form identity in a range of religions and world views

• Explore how these may change in different times, places and cultures

• Introduce pupils to a range of relevant disciplines including theology, philosophy and the human and social sciences

• Develop confident religious literacy

At Bidston village, children see Religious Education as a way of life.  They know that knowledge of the Bible and the values we have taught are applicable in all areas of their lives and are vital for their future interaction with the global community, as well as their own community, whether it be for personal enjoyment or for work. Children will go out into the community as Christian people making a contribution based on their learning. 

“I enjoy RE because I love learning about God and I believe in him.  I love what God and Jesus do for us and I love to learn about what Jesus went through.”

“I believe in God and like learning about RE. Sometimes I feel I don’t know much about the subject but when I think about it I do.  It also helps me with my anxiety and how to face my worries.”

“I don’t believe in God, but I enjoy learning about him.”