Through our Religious Education curriculum, we aim to make a positive impact on every child.  The curriculum will help them to understand the communities in which they belong, both locally and within the wider world. It will ensure our children leave Westwood with an understanding of the world around them and that they can live a good life when they ‘Dream, Believe, Achieve’!

Dream 

Our RE teaching aims to raise questions in relation to religious faiths and other world views and encourages exploration and reflection.  Children are taught to consider what a good life looks like and we hope that they dream to live in a community built on peace, love, care and mutual respect.  Throughout a child’s time at Westwood, we provide them with a balanced RE curriculum, ensuring they gain necessary knowledge and understanding so that they are able to make their own informed decisions and are well prepared for life.   We encourage children to ask questions about and discover more about the various cultures, faiths and ways of life.  Our children’s ‘eyes are opened’ and they begin to understand what is important to them and think about how they would like to go on and live their life. We nurture their dreams and assure them that if they wish, they have the ability to ’get out there’ and encounter first hand, exciting and different people and places.

Believe

We believe in developing the whole child, recognising that all children are important, special, unique and have different talents. We nurture these so that they can become the best person they can be and feel proud of who they are. We strive for our children to believe in their importance in the world, believe that they can help to make not just their own lives better but also the lives of others.   Our RE lessons allow for opportunities for children to develop a belief in themselves, consider and acknowledge their strengths and think about what is important to them.  We promote ‘safe spaces for discussion’ in our lessons so that pupils feel safe when discussing their ideas surrounding religion and world views.   They are more likely to take risks and develop confidence and trust, knowing that their views will be treated with respect and sensitivity.  We believe that by providing children with an understanding of religious beliefs, worldviews and cultures, our children can think about themselves and their place in the world, helping them to form their own identity.

Achieve

Our RE curriculum asks questions and gives children the opportunity to explore spiritual, moral, social and cultural views that they will come across again and again in their lives.  Children are taught to be responsible, respectful, resilient, caring, inclusive and active citizens.  Lessons encourage children to embrace challenge, feel success and achievement and to develop a positive self-image. Children are encouraged to have an opinion and are confident to share their views knowing this will be respected and valued. Memorable learning experiences take place, such as visits to local religious buildings, finding out first-hand how different people live and what is important to them. This helps children to retain knowledge and gain understanding.  We aim to provide skills and knowledge so children are able to manage and deal wisely with difficulty and challenges, persevere, be successful and achieve.