RE supports our wider school values by promoting inclusion, mutual respect and understanding within our richly diverse community.
Our Intent for Religious Education
At Gainsborough, we aim for pupils to:
- Develop respect, empathy and positive attitudes towards people of all faiths and worldviews
- Understand key beliefs, traditions and practices within major world religions and non-religious perspectives
- Explore meaningful questions about life, belonging, morality and belief
- Reflect on their own values, experiences and viewpoints
- Engage in discussion and reasoned debate with confidence and respect
- Recognise the role religion and belief play in local, national and global communities
Our RE curriculum follows the Hackney Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education and Worldviews and is supported by the Jigsaw RE programme. Learning is carefully sequenced to ensure progression in knowledge, vocabulary, understanding and reflection across the school.
How RE is Taught at Gainsborough
RE is delivered through focused RE weeks at the end of each half term, allowing pupils to engage deeply with each unit of learning.
Key features of our RE teaching include:
- A spiral curriculum that revisits key concepts such as belonging, belief, values and community in increasing depth
- Big questions for each year group that guide enquiry and discussion
- Use of Jigsaw RE resources alongside teacher adaptation to meet the needs of our pupils
- Knowledge organisers to support vocabulary development and key understanding
Creative teaching approaches including discussion, reflection, storytelling, artefacts, artwork and real-life examples - Opportunities for pupils to learn about both religious and non-religious worldviews
RE is taught in a balanced, open and respectful way, encouraging children to learn about religion while also learning from it.
Inclusion and Parental Rights
Religious Education is a statutory subject in primary schools. Parents have the right to withdraw their child from all or part of RE lessons if they wish.
At Gainsborough, where pupils do not participate, alternative learning activities are provided in the classroom to support progress in other areas. We work closely with families to ensure clear communication around curriculum content.
The Impact of RE at Gainsborough
Through our RE curriculum, pupils:
- Develop strong knowledge of a range of religions and worldviews
- Show respect and understanding towards different beliefs and cultures
- Are confident discussing big questions about life, values and faith
- Demonstrate progression in vocabulary, reflection and critical thinking
- Are prepared to play a positive role in a diverse society
Monitoring through lesson observations, book reviews, pupil voice and staff feedback shows that:
- RE is well-sequenced and appropriate for our diverse cohort
- Teachers feel confident and supported using Jigsaw RE resources
- Pupils engage positively and thoughtfully in lessons
- Learning builds progressively across year groups
- Staff value the structured approach which supports high-quality teaching and workload management
RE at Gainsborough supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and contributes strongly to our inclusive school ethos.