Skip to content ↓
Staff Area / Governors Area

Fawbert & Barnard's Primary School

Learning for Life
Part of NET Academies Trust

RE

Religious Education (RE) at Fawbert & Barnard’s

Intent

At Fawbert & Barnard’s, our Religious Education curriculum enables pupils to develop a respectful, informed and open-minded understanding of different religions, worldviews and cultures. Through RE, we want children to grow into thoughtful, critical and compassionate individuals who can navigate a diverse and complex world with confidence.

Our aim is to build religious literacy—the ability to understand, discuss and reflect on religious and non-religious beliefs thoughtfully and respectfully. We want pupils to engage intelligently with public ideas, ethical questions and global issues, preparing them for life in modern Britain and beyond.

We value the diverse religious and cultural backgrounds within our school community. RE supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, helping them explore:

  • identity and belonging
  • right and wrong
  • meaning and purpose
  • human relationships
  • philosophical inquiry
  • the role of religion and worldviews in society

We use the Saffron Trust RE Scheme, which is rooted in the Essex Agreed Syllabus, to ensure pupils experience a high-quality, rigorous and inclusive RE curriculum that treats all religions and worldviews with accuracy, respect and sensitivity.

Implementation

We deliver our curriculum through the Saffron Trust RE Scheme, which provides a clear, structured and enquiry-led approach across the school.

The scheme supports pupils to:

1. Know and understand religious and non-religious worldviews through three disciplinary lenses:

  • theology – understanding beliefs
  • philosophy – exploring big questions
  • human/social sciences – understanding lived experience

2. Express ideas and insights about meaning, belief, identity and human experience through discussion, reflection, speaking and writing.

3. Gain and apply skills that enable them to compare, analyse and evaluate worldviews critically and respectfully.

How RE is taught

  • Lessons are built around core enquiry questions, encouraging pupils to explore links, similarities and differences between religions.
  • The Saffron Trust Scheme ensures clear progression from EYFS to Year 6.
  • Lessons may explore more than one religion at a time to develop comparison skills.
  • Pupils learn about Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Humanism.
  • RE is taught weekly, with some units taught in blocks to deepen enquiry.
  • Festivals, assemblies and celebrations across major world faiths enrich pupils' understanding.

Impact

We measure the impact of our RE curriculum through:

  • pupils' accurate use of vocabulary relating to religion and worldviews
  • observations of pupils’ reasoning, discussion and enquiry in lessons
  • written, creative and practical outcomes
  • pupil voice interviews demonstrating respect, reflection and understanding
  • learning walks and staff feedback
  • comparative assessments taken at key points

By the end of Year 6, pupils at Fawbert & Barnard’s are able to:

  • talk confidently and respectfully about a range of religions and worldviews
  • apply critical thinking to big questions
  • show empathy and understanding towards others
  • reflect on their identity, values and place in the world

Through the Saffron Trust RE Scheme and our values-led ethos, pupils leave us as compassionate, informed and thoughtful individuals—equipped for life in modern Britain.