- Home
- Our Learning
- Personal Development
Personal Development
Religious Education
Aim
Crawley is a multicultural community, where many faiths are represented and religion is all around us. All students will come in to contact with various religions and faiths either in the community or online and it is our role to help equip our students to understand these different ways of seeing the world. At Thomas Bennett we teach students about a range of different religious beliefs, we do not teach that any religion is more important than others. This is in support of commitment to upholding the fundamental British values of respect, tolerance and individual liberty.
It is a legal requirement for all schools to teach Religious Education. TBCC is an academy that is not designated with a with a religious character. Religious Education at TBCC ensures that all of our students receive a broad curriculum that gives them an understanding and respect for the different faiths in our local area as well as nationally.
Every agreed syllabus shall reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian whilst taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain. (1996 Education Act 375 (3)
As an academy we are not required to follow the West Sussex SACRE agreed syllabus, however the curriculum has been designed around the recommendations in this frame work. As full copy can be found in the RE curriculum area on the website.
Delivery
Religious Education is taught through Personal Development lessons which includes
assembly time during morning registration. These lessons cover all SMSC DfE requirements which are cross-referenced with guidance from the PSHE Association (see tracking document). Schemes of learning for all departments also include provision for SMSC as well. The History Department also delivers specific lessons on the Abrahamic faiths in KS3 and Christianity is also a key feature of lessons in KS4.
Assemblies all follow our ASPIRE ethos and are structured to ensure that collective worship can take place in a secular way. Assemblies are used to educate students in religious beliefs and practices, this includes assemblies delivered by external speakers representing different faiths.
Parents right to withdraw
In accordance with the DfE:
Parents have the right to withdraw their children from religious education and/or collective worship.
From age 16, pupils can choose for themselves to opt out of collective worship if they wish. However, they cannot opt out of receiving religious education without parental consent until they are 18.
If you wish to withdraw your child from Religious Education so that you can make
alternative provision at home contact: admin@tbcc-tkat.org or phone the school on 01293 526255.
The curriculum
The full curriculum can be found on the Personal Development tracking document. It follows the themes outlined below which are taken from the SACRE agreed syllabus.
Theme: Beliefs
With each religion identified to be studied, the following areas should be explored as part of the RE curriculum offered:
• the Nature of God;
• creation, including beliefs about the world;
• the holy book/scriptures associated with the religions such as the Guru Granth Sahib, The Holy Bible, The Qur’an, The Vedas;
• sources of authority and the key teachings they contain such as Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, the Gurus.
Theme: Practices
Pupils will explore the ways in which they may express their faith and practice their religion. Links should be clearly made between scripture and practice, being able to emphasise that beliefs underpin the following areas of a believer’s life:
• rites of passage (birth, coming of age, marriage, and death);
• worship;
• places of worship;
• sites of pilgrimage;
• festivals and holy periods.
Relationships and Sexual Health Education (RSHE)
This page is to support the consultation process for the September 2020 Relationships and Sexual Health Education (RSHE) curriculum. Parents are invited to review the documents on this page and complete the online survey that has been sent by e mail. If you have not received a copy of the survey or if you require a hard copy please contact the school office.
From September 2020 Relationships and Sexual Health Education (RSHE) is taught to students through the AM registration program. This may include visits from external speakers.
The RSHE policy and government guidance regarding parental rights to withdraw students from lessons can be found below:
Further Information