At Gedney Church End Primary Academy, we believe that Religion and Worldviews helps children to understand people, explore important questions and make sense of the diverse world around them. Children develop knowledge of religious and non-religious worldviews and explore how people's beliefs, values and experiences can influence the ways they think, live and act.

We want children to be curious, knowledgeable and respectful thinkers who have the confidence to ask challenging questions, listen thoughtfully to different perspectives and develop their own informed understanding of the world.

Our Curriculum

Learning begins in EYFS, where children explore themselves, other people, communities and the world around them. Through stories, discussion and shared experiences, they encounter ideas about special people, important stories, celebrations, places and caring for the world. Children begin to recognise that people can have different beliefs, traditions and ways of understanding the world, providing important foundations for later learning.

Our curriculum is carefully planned so that children's knowledge builds, connects and deepens from EYFS to Year 6. Children encounter Christianity alongside a range of religious and non-religious perspectives, including Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Humanist worldviews.

In KS1, children begin to explore questions about God, human beings, prayer, worship, belief and belonging. They encounter important stories and sources, consider how these influence people's beliefs and begin to recognise that beliefs can affect how people choose to live.

As children progress through KS2, they draw upon this knowledge to explore increasingly challenging ideas including duty, spirituality, the good life, service, pilgrimage, creativity, equality, social action and technology. By UKS2, children consider how beliefs influence people's choices and actions, whether worldviews can change over time and the significance of religion, belief and values within contemporary life.

Understanding Lived Worldviews

An important feature of our curriculum is exploring lived worldviews. We want children to understand that religions and worldviews are not simply lists of beliefs, festivals and practices. People within the same tradition may understand, experience and express their beliefs in different ways.

Through local, national and global examples, children explore how belief, culture, community, context and individual experience can influence the way people understand and live within the world. This helps children develop a richer and more authentic understanding of religious and non-religious perspectives.

Thinking and Questioning

We encourage children to ask thoughtful and sometimes challenging questions. Our curriculum draws upon theology, philosophy and the human and social sciences to help children explore religion and worldviews from different perspectives.

Children learn to investigate important sources and beliefs, consider questions about meaning and values, and explore how beliefs are experienced and expressed by individuals and communities. As their knowledge grows, children become increasingly able to make connections, consider different perspectives and explain their thinking carefully.

There will not always be one simple answer. We want children to develop the confidence to think deeply, listen respectfully and draw upon their knowledge when forming and explaining their ideas.

Religion and Worldviews and SPARK

Our SPARK values are woven naturally throughout the subject. Children develop Self-belief by contributing their own questions and ideas, Perseverance when exploring challenging questions and Aspiration by broadening their understanding of people and the wider world.

Respect and Kindness are particularly important. Children learn to listen carefully to different perspectives, discuss similarities and differences sensitively, and recognise the value and dignity of people whose beliefs and experiences may differ from their own.

Our Ambition for Every Child

Ultimately, we want children to leave Gedney Church End as knowledgeable, curious and respectful thinkers.

We want them to understand a range of religious and non-religious perspectives, recognise how beliefs and values can influence people's lives and confidently explore significant questions about belief, meaning, identity and society.

Above all, we want children to have the knowledge, curiosity and thoughtfulness to engage respectfully with different perspectives and understand their own place within a diverse world.