‘Together, pursuing life in all its fullness’ (based on John 10:10)

As a Church of England Academy, our vision is to provide an education of depth and quality within a Christian ethos, provided in a safe and secure, nurturing, and aspirational environment, so that our children can be the best they can be in all aspects of their development. The pupils and their families of our community are provided with an RE curriculum that enables children to acquire a rich, deep knowledge and understanding of Christian belief and practice using an approach that frequently engages with biblical text and theological ideas.

We believe that Religious Education is fundamentally important in helping our children to learn about the foundations of our Christian ethos and thus ensure that Christian values are the driving force of all of learning and day to day lived experiences.

The RE curriculum is intrinsic to the outworking of Dunchurch’s Christian vision in enabling all pupils to flourish as well as contributing to the understanding of British values and the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our learners

                                    Our vision for Religious Education is for pupils…

• To recognise the importance of Christian teachings and values in our church school.
• To become familiar with and understand the themes and stories of the Big story of the Bible.
• To give children opportunities and experiences where they can question and interrogate the nature of belief in the world’s major faiths and world views.
• For children to be able to express their own beliefs.

Our R.E. curriculum is carefully considered to ensure the the development of a coherent understanding of Christian belief and know the importance of understanding and accepting the religious beliefs, attitudes and practices of world faiths. As an inclusive Academy serving a diverse community, it is also vital our pupils learn about a range of religions and worldviews. This enables all pupils to feel valued and to have a respect and understanding of others. Our curriculum aims to establish an environment for encountering and enquiring about religious and non-religious world views whilst exploring the diversity of belief held within them. Each year group looks at six key aspects of Religious Education each year, taught through a combination of Understanding Christianity and the Warwickshire Agreed Syllabus .

As stated in The Church of England’s Statement of Entitlement, the staff, local churches and community will collaboratively provide children with a high-quality Collective Worship and RE curriculum, that 

• explores a wide range of religions, allowing for breadth of study, as well as depth of study in Christianity
• engages critically with significant questions that religions and worldviews address about life and how to lead it well, developing the understanding and skills needed to appreciate and evaluate varied responses to these questions, and formulate their own ideas.
• develop an awareness of the plurality of British life and global religious concerns, promoting community understanding and engagement, and supporting cohesion
• nurture their own personal spiritual growth, philosophical outlook, and psychological well-being in a variety of ways
• engage with the relevance of religion and world views in the modern world and how it affects people’s lives locally, nationally and globally today

We provide our learners with a safe space to explore their own religious, spiritual and/or philosophical ways of seeing, living and thinking, believing and belonging, providing opportunities to engage in meaningful and informed dialogue with those of all religions and worldviews.

 Please click on the topic to see the Knowledge Organiser.  This will give you information about the knowledge and skills that the children will be learning.  It will also give you information on the vocabulary taught and how this unit links with prior learning.

At Dunchurch, Collective Worship forms an integral part of everyday school life, providing children with the opportunity to experience the interconnectedness of faith, knowing that Together We Are Stronger. It allows our school community to reflect on their own lives and the lives of others, explore the Christian faith in greater depth and develop a well-rounded understanding of the world in which we live.  In accordance with the law for all schools and academies. We hold a daily act of collective worship which is of a broadly Christian character, often in conjunction with our local churches, or through the invitation of parents, carers and families. We strive to ensure that our acts of worship are inspirational, invitational and inclusive for all members of our school community. 

Dunchurch’s religious education curriculum is enhanced and enriched through a wealth of first-hand experiences, including Religious Education Days, visits to a wide range of places of worship of significance, opportunities to congregate with other Christian schools and the support of local churches. We welcome visitors from a range of religious and cultural backgrounds into school in order to deepen our children’s understanding of Christian Distinctiveness whilst fundraising raising work  - which is planned and undertaken in conjunction with our PSHE curriculum for chosen charities - supports them to appreciate the Christian values of charity and the importance of affirmative action.