Religion and World Views

Intent

The core intent of the Western House Academy Religious Education and Worldviews curriculum is to cultivate a vibrant, inclusive community where the exploration of diverse faiths and worldviews is fundamental. 

This mission is directly underpinned by our school values, particularly respect, tolerance, and friendship, which foster the open dialogue and mutual understanding necessary for effective learning and cooperation. Our commitment to equality is fulfilled by ensuring every member of our multicultural community feels seen and valued, providing a safe space for all perspectives. Driven by curiosity and ambition, we establish a robust knowledge base to secure deep conceptual understanding of diverse worldviews, enabling pupils to confidently pose and answer complex questions. 

This learning is brought to life through rich experiences, including annual year-group visits to places of worship and active participation in religious celebrations like Eid, Diwali, Holi and Christmas. Ultimately, this integrated approach delivers highly relevant education that reflects the diversity of society, preparing our students for life in modern Britain by encouraging respect for different beliefs, developing resilience in self-examination, and upholding the value of equality for all.

Implementation

We deliver our progressive curriculum through the innovative KAPOW scheme. This scheme systematically builds knowledge from the local community to the global stage, ensuring a deep and progressive learning journey.

Key implementation strategies include:

Progressive Scheme: Utilising the KAPOW scheme to build knowledge progressively and ensure robust understanding of religions and worldviews.

Disciplinary Skills: Developing the disciplinary skills necessary for pupils to make meaningful connections between different worldviews.

Positionality and Prior Knowledge: Continually engaging pupils with key "big questions" and explicitly applying prior knowledge to new learning.

Lived Realities: Ensuring pupils discover religion and worldviews as lived realities, considering the profound impact these systems have on society.

Impact

The curriculum's impact is measured by the growth of our students both academically and personally, resulting in critical, respectful, and engaged global citizens.

As a result of this education, pupils will:

Develop Personal Worldview: Be actively encouraged to develop and articulate their own well-informed personal worldview.

Cultivate Respect: Cultivate a deep-seated respect for different beliefs, leading to enhanced learning and cooperation within the school community.

Critical Examination: Be able to critically examine their own views and preconceptions, demonstrating deep conceptual understanding.

Confident Communicators: Be equipped to confidently pose and answer complex questions about the world and its diverse belief systems.