RE at West Wycombe School

At West Wycombe, the Religious Education (RE) curriculum is designed to provide pupils with a rich and progressive understanding of religion and worldviews. Our curriculum builds year on year, enabling children to reflect on their own beliefs while learning about the lived experiences of others locally, nationally, and globally.

Intent

Our intent is to deliver a high-quality RE curriculum that fosters respect, curiosity, and open-mindedness. Rooted in the National Curriculum framework for Religious Education, our aim is for children to:

• Develop a secure knowledge of a range of religions and worldviews, including Christianity and other principal religions represented in Great Britain.

• Explore ‘big questions’ such as Why are we here?, What is religion?, and How can we live together in harmony if we have different worldviews?

• Understand the influence of beliefs and values on individuals, communities, and society.

• Reflect on their own assumptions, responses, and personal worldviews.

• Gain the skills to interact respectfully with people of different faiths and worldviews in modern Britain.

Through this approach, we aim to nurture pupils who are critical thinkers, empathetic citizens, and confident in expressing their own ideas while appreciating diversity.

Implementation

We follow the Kapow Religion and Worldviews curriculum, which uses a spiral model so that children revisit and deepen their understanding over time. Each year group engages with overarching “big questions” as well as unit-specific enquiry questions that encourage exploration, comparison, and reflection.

• EYFS: Children begin by talking about their own family traditions, beliefs, and celebrations, building an early awareness that people have different worldviews. They listen to religious and contemporary stories, comparing characters and reflecting on values.

• Key Stage 1: Children learn about Christianity and a small number of other worldviews represented in the UK. They begin to build foundational conceptual knowledge, exploring key beliefs, practices, and celebrations.

• Key Stage 2: Pupils encounter a wider range of religions and worldviews, considering similarities and differences, the impact of beliefs on daily life, and how worldviews may change across time and place.

Lessons are hands-on, engaging, and enquiry-based. Pupils explore religious and non-religious perspectives through stories, artefacts, discussion, and reflection. Each unit includes opportunities for children to express personal responses, engage with disciplinary concepts, and record their learning in varied ways.

We also enrich the curriculum through visitors, visits to places of worship, and celebrating festivals and special days in school, enabling pupils to connect classroom learning with real-life experiences. Teachers are supported with high-quality resources and CPD to ensure subject confidence and sensitivity when discussing diverse and sometimes challenging issues.

Impact

The impact of our RE curriculum is measured through ongoing formative assessment, unit quizzes, and knowledge catchers, enabling us to monitor progress and adapt teaching.

By the time children leave West Wycombe in Year 6, they will:

• Know and understand religious and non-religious concepts, including beliefs, practices, community and belonging, wisdom and guidance.

• Develop secure vocabulary to talk confidently about religions and worldviews.

• Understand how personal and organised worldviews influence people, communities, and societies.

• Recognise similarities and differences within and between religions and worldviews, demonstrating respect and open-mindedness.

• Be able to explore and articulate their own assumptions and preconceptions.

• Use disciplinary skills to investigate, interpret, evaluate, and express responses to religious and philosophical questions.

• Appreciate the diversity of lived experiences within religions and worldviews.

Ultimately, our pupils will leave West Wycombe prepared for life in modern Britain: respectful, thoughtful, and able to engage with people of all faiths and none.

Schools have to teach RE but parents can withdraw their children for all or part of the lessons- to discuss this, please email us on office@wwglt.co.uk to book a meeting with Mr St Croix, our Curriulum Coordinator.