Nutgrove Methodist Primary is an average-sized primary school, serving children in the age range 4 – 11.

We recognise the variety of religious and non-religious backgrounds from which our pupils come. We welcome diversity and we intend to be sensitive to the home background of each child.

We are fortunate to have the active support of religious and non-religious members of our local community to support our teaching of RE.  The school maintains close links with Nutgrove Methodist Church and the other churches within the Sankey Valley Methodist Circuit. It also endeavours to maintain links with other local churches from other denominations e.g. St Helens Christian Life Centre (Elim), St James CE Church and St Austin’s Catholic Church. There is the opportunity for staff to forge links with parents/members of the community from different faiths and cultures as well as visit places of worship other than Christian in the region

We recognise the inter-relationship between pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and the leading role which the RE curriculum plays in these areas.

Intent

At Nutgrove Methodist Primary School, we recognise our school context and have designed our curriculum with the intent that pupils build the secure foundations required to become successful and aspirational adults who seek opportunities, take responsibilities as moral citizens and gain life experiences that extend their horizons. We want children to leave school as ‘well rounded and responsible’ individuals.

The school motto ‘My Best, Always, Everywhere’ is interwoven within our curriculum intent and design. We have developed three curriculum drivers that shape our curriculum, bring about the aims and values of our school, and to respond to the particular needs of our community:

Culture – helping children develop a wider and deeper knowledge of the locality, society and the world around them, promoting a sense of awe and wonder.

Global Citizenship – Everyone no matter where they live are part of a global community.

Diversity – which helps children recognise differences are positive and that individual characteristics make people unique and everyone should love and be loved without limits.

Taken from the Religious Education in Church of England Schools – A Statement of Entitlement, the aims of Religious Education in Church schools are:

• To enable pupils to know about and understand Christianity as a living faith that influences the lives of people worldwide and as the religion that has most shaped British culture and heritage.
• To enable pupils to know and understand about other major world religions and world views, their impact on society, culture and the wider world, enabling pupils to express ideas and insights.
• To contribute to the development of pupils’ own spiritual/philosophical convictions, exploring and enriching their own beliefs and values.
• To understand that although we live in a nominally Christian country, it is a fact that many children entering full time education have had little or no experience of either the Christian or any other World Faiths. We cannot, therefore, assume that even in a school with close church connections, pupils will have knowledge of any elements of the Christian Faith. This needs to be constantly kept in mind when considering our aims and objectives for Religious Education.
• To aid pupils on their spiritual journey. Every person is on a spiritual journey; discovering the things that matter, finding out what is of value to themselves, working out how to live, how to treat other people and how to find meaning in their lives. Our aim, then, for pupils of all ages, is to provide a framework in which individuals may explore these aspects of their lives.

At Nutgrove Methodist Primary School we believe that the Religious Education Curriculum will enable pupils to learn about Christianity as a living faith that influences people throughout the world and how it has shaped British culture and heritage.

Living in the United Kingdom is a multi-faith and multicultural society. Children at Nutgrove must learn about people who may be seen as different to themselves and develop an understanding of how individual faiths and cultures affect day-to-day living. In doing so, we are striving to develop tolerance, respect, empathy and understanding towards all people.

At Nutgrove, we intend to aid pupils on their spiritual journey. Every person is on a spiritual journey; discovering the things that matter, finding out what is of value to themselves, working out how to live, how to treat other people and how to find meaning in their lives. Our intent, then, for pupils of all ages, is to provide a framework in which individuals may explore these aspects of their lives.

The Right to Withdraw

The Worship and Religious Education provided by the school is in accordance with the Church of England or Methodist Church Foundation. This foundation is also reflected in the curriculum and the whole life of the school community. Since the conduct of the school as a whole reflects the Church of England or Methodist Church
ethos, removal of pupils from Worship and/or Religious Education (as parents are legally entitled to do) cannot insulate them from the religious life of the school.’

If such a request for withdrawal is made, the Headteacher should explore the reasons for the request and seek to arrive at an accommodation. It may be that only some elements of Religious Education or Worship are objected to.

Parents may request the governing board to provide Religious Education for their children according to the locally Agreed Syllabus. This can only be requested when parents cannot, with reasonable convenience, arrange for their children to attend another school where Religious Education is provided according to the locally Agreed Syllabus. The governing board should make provision unless the circumstances make it unreasonable to do so.

Should the governing board be unable to make such arrangements for Religious Education to be delivered according to the Agreed Syllabus, the responsibility for doing so then falls on the Local Authority. The Local Authority may decide that such a request for separate Religious Education is unreasonable and the parental request then fails.

We hope that all parents would feel comfortable with the type of Religious Education being taught at Nutgrove and lessons can often be made to fit with individual beliefs and values.

 You can find our RE Overview, Progression of Skills and Knowledge and Curriculum documents below: