Religious Education

At Teesville Academy, we recognise the important role that Religious Education plays in the personal development of our pupils.  Whilst it has particular contribution to their spiritual development, it also promotes the moral, social and cultural development of pupils.

We follow the Redcar and Cleveland Agreed Syllabus, which principally aims: ‘To engage pupils in systematic enquiry into significant human questions which religions and worldviews address, so that they can develop the understanding and skills needed to appreciate and appraise varied responses to these questions, as well as developing responses of their own’.

The Redcar and Cleveland Syllabus is based on four key concepts or strands:

• Belief
• Teachings and Authority
• Worship
• Impact of Faith

In addition to this, the teaching of Religious Education will help to:

• provoke challenging questions about the meaning and purpose of life, beliefs, the self, issues of right and wrong, and what it means to be human. It develops pupils’ knowledge and understanding of Christianity, other principal religions, and religious traditions that examine these questions, fostering personal reflection and spiritual development
• encourage pupils to explore their own beliefs (whether they are religious or nonreligious), in the light of what they learn, as they examine issues of religious belief and faith and how these impact on personal, institutional and social ethics; and to express their responses. This also builds resilience to anti-democratic or extremist narratives
• enable pupils to build their sense of identity and belonging, which helps them flourish within their communities and as citizens in a diverse society
• teach pupils to develop respect for others, including people with different faiths and beliefs, and helps to challenge prejudice
• prompt pupils to consider their responsibilities to themselves and to others, and to explore how they might contribute to their communities and to wider society. It encourages empathy, generosity and compassion

Through weekly RE lessons our ultimate aim is to enable our pupils to be equipped to face the demands of the contemporary world and prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. The RE curriculum is often presented to the children through our ‘Big Questions’ that encourage them to discover, explore and connect their ideas and those of others.

The RE curriculum is brought alive through visits to different places of worship; having visitors into school to speak and by celebrating different religious events. The academy also provides ‘Prayer Spaces’ at different times of the year, to enable children and young people, of all faiths and none, to explore life questions, spirituality and faith in a safe, creative and interactive way. Taking a broadly Christian perspective as a starting point, prayer spaces give children and young people an opportunity to develop skills of personal reflection and to explore prayer in an open, inclusive and safe environment. Assemblies are also planned weekly to support both the RE and PSHE curriculums.