In Religious Education (RE), pupils enter into a rich discourse about the religious and non-religious traditions that have shaped Great Britain and the world. RE in primary schools enables pupils to take their place within a diverse multi-religious and multi-secular society. It is intellectually challenging and personally enriching. It affords pupils both the opportunity to see the religion and non-religion in the world, and the opportunity to make sense of their own place in that world.

                                                                                   Research review series 2021

RE lead - Miss Ahmed

Religious Education at Woodside Academy

At Woodside Academy we follow the Bradford’s Agreed Syllabus, Believing and Belonging, for Religious Education. This syllabus has been adapted to fit the needs of our pupils. The curriculum covers the six world faiths: Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism, as well as non-faith views.

Bradford has a proud tradition of being a diverse city and district where all religions and many worldviews are represented and therefore religious education and philosophical thought are a major part of local discourse which should begin with very young children and continue into adult life.

Teachers at Woodside Academy ensure that RE is an exciting and stimulating subject that enables pupils to bring their own experiences of life, to explore their identity and to develop an understanding of others.

Pupils learn about religions and worldviews in local, national and global contexts. They learn to weigh up the value of wisdom from different sources, to develop and express their insights in response and to agree or disagree respectfully. RE enables pupils to understand and explain the human values which are shared between religious and other worldviews.

To support our RE curriculum, we have a range of enrichment opportunities to enhance children's knowledge. These experiences include trips to religious places of worship and religious visitors, which have been carefully chosen in line with the children's topics and year groups. Children then reflect on these experiences within their RE lessons, where they can apply their new knowledge and share what they have learnt. 

Religious Education at Woodside contributes to Cultural Capital through:

• allowing pupils to see beyond their own cultural experiences.

• encouraging open-ness in sharing cultural experiences.

• challenging stereotypes of the ‘other’.

• encouraging curiosity and enthusiasm for learning about culture and cultures.

• enriching the curriculum through encounters with a range of people and visits.

Withdrawal from RE:

Parents have the right to choose whether to withdraw their child from RE, If a parent chooses to withdraw their child from RE, they need to inform school of their request for their child to be withdrawn from RE. This should be either in person or in writing to the Headteacher. Parents will be invited to meet with the Subject Leader for RE (Miss Ahmed) and a senior leader to establish with the school their concerns about RE and to discuss the practical implication of withdrawal. In addition to the above, parents also have the right opt out of any visits to places of worship. Prior notification must be given to ensure that adequate supervision can be organised for the child.