Religious

The principle aim of religious education is to enable pupils to understand the nature of religious beliefs and practices, and the importance of these to the lives of believers. Through our Religious Education programme, we endeavour to encourage pupils to:

• Grow in awareness of themselves and develop positive attitudes to their own emotions, life and learning.
• Grow in awareness of others and develop relationships in a secure and tolerant setting.
• Develop their interest in, and their ability to reflect upon the world around them.
• Clarify and enlarge their ideas about religion.

The Religious Education curriculum is planned using the Gloucestershire Agreed Syllabus and is a part of the curriculum for each age group. As part of this programme, pupils study the main beliefs and festivals of the major world religions, examine artefacts and visit places of religious worship.

In keeping with the requirements of the law, provision is made for acts of worship, which are wholly or mainly Christian in character but not distinctively of any denomination. The Headteacher or other senior members of staff lead regular assemblies. Their work is augmented by regular visits from local clergy and a Deanery Youth Worker. In order to make these appropriate to the wide age range, separate assemblies are held for the different departments. On occasions, the whole school comes together to celebrate significant events and twice a year, a service is held at the local church, to which parents are invited.

Parents who do not wish their child to attend religious worship or Religious Education at the school should inform the Headteacher of this in writing. Separate arrangements will then be made for their supervision at these times.