Herne Bay Junior School
"One chance, let's get it right"
  • Compassion

  • Courage

  • Hope

  • Integrity

  • Justice

  • Respect

  • Responsibility

  • Wisdom

Religious Education (RE)

Vision for RE

At Herne Bay Junior School, we aim to extend the children's knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews.  We believe that this is essential to foster a respect for all members of our community.   Pupils learn about key customs, rites of passage and celebrations and the vocabulary and symbols associated with these.  They explore and show their understanding of similarities and differences between different religions, considering what it means to be part of a faith community and why this might be valuable.  We encourage children to be curious and to ask questions about religions and beliefs, and to reflect on and express their own ideas in response to their learning.

Our aim is to foster open minds and open hearts to be respectful and reflective of different people and their ideas and beliefs.

We do all this through a range of ‘Big Questions’ that children can explore, discuss and analyse. The questions covered are:

Year 3

·         Who is God?

·         Why are festivals important to religious communities?

·         Why do people pray? Why is Jesus inspiring to some people?

·         Why is the Bible so important for Christians today?

Year 4

·         What do religions teach us about right and wrong?

·         Why is Jesus inspiring to some people?

  • Why are religious Festivals important?

·         Why do people think life is a journey and how do they mark it

Year 5

  • Why do some people think God exists?
  • If God exists everywhere, why go to a place of worship?
  • Why are festivals important to religious communities?

·         What do religions teach us when life gets hard?

Year 6

  • Is it better to express your beliefs in charity and generosity or arts and architecture?
  • What difference does it make to believe in grace, ummah, (Community) and/or ahimsa, (harmlessness)?
  • Why are festivals important to religious communities?

·         What matters most to Christians and Humanists?

If you have any further questions about our RE curriculum please contact the school office.