Boys at Wetherby are encouraged to explore, discuss, accept and further their own understanding of the rich and diverse faiths followed by the citizens of the UK and also the wider world. Religion and beliefs form our values and are reflected in how we interact with each other. Religious Education (RE) at Wetherby makes a unique contribution to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the boys and supports wider community cohesion.
RE at Wetherby provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, ones self and the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong, and what it means to be human. RE mainly develops the boys’ knowledge and understanding of Christianity, but also other principal religions, other religious traditions and worldviews that offer answers to questions such as these. RE also contributes to boys’ personal development and wellbeing and to community cohesion by promoting mutual respect and tolerance in a diverse society.
RE throughout Key Stages 1 and 2 is organised with the objective of extending the boys’ understanding and knowledge of Christianity and the six major religions through research, questioning, analysing, discussing, challenging and the application of their knowledge. Specifically, the boys are assessed on their:
- Chronological understanding of key events for a religion
- Knowledge and understanding of festivals, places of worship, important men and women of faith, beliefs and practices of principal religions
- interpretation of parables
- Enquiry
- Organisation and communication
At Wetherby we feel that RE can also make important contributions to other parts of the school curriculum such as citizenship, personal, social and health education. Cross-curricular links are also made where appropriate, with subjects such as art and ICT.
