As a school whose pupils come from a vast variety of cultures and religious backgrounds, we at Poverest believe it is of the utmost importance that all of our children are exposed to the beliefs and practices of their peers to create a school community that is tolerant, inclusive and understanding of others and celebrates the diversity of our school. Teaching RE will promote an understanding of the multicultural and multi-faith society the children will be growing up in their local area even with a secular upbringing. Through the acknowledgement of different religious festivals throughout the year, we want all of our pupils to feel a sense of pride in their beliefs and give them a chance to share their culture with those who may not be from the same background as they are. We also strive to enhance children’s critical thinking skills through giving them the opportunity to discuss key questions which expand across a variety of topics which can be discussed through religious practices.

RE is taught through weekly lessons following the Kapow Religion & Worldviews scheme. This scheme includes a broad range of religions and world views and has been created in a way so that each half-term the children’s learning is based on a ‘big question’ - an overarching question that can be answered and critiqued in a multitude of ways depending on the religious or world view being studied. These big questions expand on the children’s knowledge of world religions and develop their curiosity and critical thinking skills as there is no ‘correct’ answer. This creates an engaging, active learning environment where all children can develop their knowledge of religions and concepts through thoughtful discussion along with paper-based tasks.  We embrace and celebrate the different beliefs of our Poverest community through acknowledging major religious festivals across the school and giving children the opportunity to hear from celebrating families in their classes.

Through our curriculum and school ethos, we inspire children to show respect for their peers and their differences and a pride in sharing their culture with others. This will prepare them for life in Modern Britain where they will be exposed to all different beliefs and cultures. When our children leave Poverest they will have knowledge of the five major religions and at least one secular world view and be able to confidently discuss big questions through their knowledge of other religions. 

This is monitored through learning walks, discussions with children, work scrutiny, teacher assessment and discussions with staff to ensure we are all confident in the progression and teaching of RE at Poverest.