Religious Education
Intent
Religious Education (RE) is a fundamental part of nurturing understanding, respect, and empathy for the diverse world we live in. Our inclusive RE curriculum offers children the chance to explore a broad spectrum of religious and non-religious beliefs, fostering religious literacy, cultural awareness, and respect for differing perspectives.
We aim to equip pupils with the skills to critically engage with various worldviews, deepening their understanding of others and their own place within society. This supports the development of British Values by encouraging mutual respect, tolerance, and an appreciation of diversity. Additionally, we promote connections between our core school values—respect, resilience, reflection, partnership, ambition, and enthusiasm—and how these complement and enrich students’ understanding.
Implementation
Our RE curriculum follows the Wandsworth Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education. After careful consideration of its requirements, we focus our studies on the following major world religions:
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Christianity
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Islam
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Hinduism
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Judaism
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Buddhism
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Sikhism
We value and respect the religious backgrounds of all members of our school community and encourage sharing of personal experiences to enrich understanding. All religions and communities are approached with sensitivity, and we foster strong links between home, school, and the wider community.
Each year, we are fortunate to visit different places of worship and welcome visitors from our community to lead assemblies. We also celebrate a variety of cultural and religious festivals, such as Chinese New Year, to broaden pupils’ experiences. Our approach emphasises open enquiry and first-hand experiences wherever possible, enhancing engagement for both staff and children.
Impact
Pupils at Rutherford House School enjoy learning about diverse religions and understand why some people follow particular faiths while others do not. This learning deepens their knowledge of the beliefs and practices shaping the world today. We strive to help children develop confidence in their own values, enabling them to show compassion, respect, and empathy towards people of all faiths and worldviews.
Opt-out option
We recognise that parents may have questions or concerns about the content of RE lessons. We want to assure you that our RE teaching is inclusive and respectful of all beliefs.
We encourage all children to take part in RE lessons as this promotes British values including tolerance of different beliefs and faiths, and mutual respect. RE celebrates the diversity we have in our school and community, and we strongly encourage all families to celebrate each other cultures and beliefs.
While full participation is encouraged, we respect parental wishes and are happy to accommodate partial withdrawal requests if necessary. If there are specific topics of concern, we invite you to meet with us so we can understand your perspective and ensure a positive, inclusive experience for your child. If you wish to request that your child be withdrawn from part or all of religious education, please contact any members of the Senior Leadership Team via the office: info@rutherfordhouseschool.co.