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Whitehouse Primary School, 2 Doagh Rd, Newtownabbey

R.E.

 

R.E., Religious Education, is a very important part of our school's curriculum.  We believe R.E. is crucial for a number of reasons:

  • It is a statutory requirement in the Northern Ireland Curriculum;
  • It enables pupils to understand their world through a 'spiritual lens';
  • It provides many useful moral and ethical lessons;
  • It is a rich opportunity for pupils to engage with wonderful literature and fantastic stories;
  • It allows pupils to understand the role of faith in our culture and that of others communities around the world;
  • It gives our pupils  the opportunity to see the impact of faith communities on our local community and the wider world.

In our schemes of work pupils study a number of key strands:

  • They learn about the Bible and the impact it has had on the world;
  • They study the Biblical narrative from the Old Testament and the New Testament;
  • They explore morals and ethics in the Bible as well as in their daily decisions;
  • They also evaluate the work of the church and individual Christians in the past and today.

Pupils' R.E. experience is enriched via the study of three key festivals:

  • Harvest;
  • Christmas;
  • Easter.

As part of these festivals the pupils prepare special services for the whole school and even the wider community e.g. Harvest Service and Christmas Nativities.  In the period just prior to Christmas and Easter there are a series of assemblies to facilitate a corporate celebration of these festivals.

Finally, we have a three year assembly rota of stories.  Year 1 is Creation to Canaan, Year 2 is Heroes of the Bible (Old Testament Characters e.g. Daniel and King David) and finally, Year 3 Meet Jesus (as exploration of the Gospels and the Book of Acts).

The R.E.Leader in our school is Mr Bailie (R.E. is supporting as part of the P.D.M.U. Team)
What are some of the indicators in our work that demonstrates our commitment to R.E.?
High quality planning for assemblies and festivals;                                                                                                                                                                                    Links between R.E and Shared Education work;                                                                                                                                                                                     We have invested time and resources updating R.E. planning across the school.